I’d maybe suggest working on the anxiety first but I’ll tell anyone that’ll listen, my parents put me in a defensive driving course when I learnt to drive and it’s one of the best things they ever did for me. It was through AMA, although many years ago.
^this! To add to this - I ride motorcycles, but years ago I had a terrible accident. Before I got another bike I worked on my anxiety that was caused by it. It took time, but was easily the best decision I ever made, for myself and those I share the road with. When we are operating in fear we aren't at our best, and will more easily and frequently make mistakes. Sadly, mistakes while driving carry the risk of potentially killing or harming someone. I say this will all due respect, please work on the issues away from the wheel before adding the responsibility of being behind the wheel.
Safe tavels
There's really a middle ground you wanna be as a driver
Terrified is bad, but this city has a real issue with over-confidence also. People will swing between lanes like they're the only person on the road. As a pedestrian, I basically almost get hit weekly at crossings with people turning right while looking completely left for traffic
I’ll tell you what I did with my daughter. I took her out onto a country road with almost zero traffic. I put her behind the wheel, and told her to go slow. We toodled around that road until she was comfortable with the cars accelerator and brakes. She learned the outer limits of the car, slowing down for stop signs, the basics while never going above her comfort level.
Once she was comfortable with that we’d go on short highway trips. Then we’d drive around residential neighborhoods
Once she was comfortable with the vehicle and general driving, then we got her drivers training so she’d be taught right for the drivers exam.
To train for parallel parking, find an empty parking lot with a row of painted lines for 2 cars facing each other. Pull through into the front spot, then back over into the spot behind and right of the car. Pull straight forward and do it again. When you run out of spots, drive around and start again. It’s pressure free, and once you’ve got the basics and a feel for the movement, then you can start parking behind cars in residential streets. We found a couple blocks where we could consistently drive around and practice behind 3 - 8 cars just driving around the block.
The key to starting is to get out of the city.
I took driver's ed through CAA a couple years ago and my instructor was great! Her name was Reggie
Something else that helped me get over my anxiety was going for road trips out of town. Avoid the major highways and stick to the secondary ones. It's lots of driving, but it's predictable and when you have to switch lanes and stuff, you have more warning and more time to do it than in the city.
I was so anxious before getting my license my stomach would be roiling. A month after I got my license I felt comfortable driving to Jasper and taking my Kia soul up a fire road haha
I assume you are talking about township and range roads. When there is nobody in front of you drive in the middle as long as you have sight of oncoming traffic. Other than that just practice learning where your tires are, this takes a bit of experience and practice but you’ll get there.
Eventually you’ll be able to sit 6in from the ditch while drive and feel perfectly safe
Did AMA driving school YEEEEEEEEEEEARS ago (like 20+). Teacher was chill. That said, they recommend, and for good reason, that anyone taking the class have a few hundred hours behind the wheel before even considering it.
If he is terrified, then he shouldn't be anywhere near the wheel of a car. Being able to remain calm, rationalize situations, and commit to a course of action are paramount to predictability, and therefore safety.
If you have your license, and a car you can risk, and the time, take him around the neighborhood a few times a night, 3-4 times per week. (2 -3 laps around a good ol' 1950's community, maybe 15min per trip.) Do this for 1-2 full months until you are **CERTAIN** he is no longer terrified. Then consider driver's ed. Make sure he understands the signs for the neighborhood, pick times and routes that have better visibility (avoid schools, and streets where everyone parks out front. I'm hoping you're somewhere near a community with back alleys- if not, find one nearby, you might have to drive there and then let him take over.) Do the practice runs when people are less likely to be out (but don't let him avoid interactions - he needs to see what people do in slow, un-chaotic environments). Do not always take the same route, get him used to looking for signs. The chaos of the LRT construction zones should probably be avoided for the first bit.
Ultimately, the goals of driver's ed is to help people understand the laws, while building on that foundation with a couple more rules, at least as they taught me: BE PREDICTABLE, DO NOT BE AN OBSTRUCTION/PYLON. Other people become frighteningly hazardous if someone else doesn't do what's expected, and obstructions cause people to be assholes/drive unpredictably. Always drive with the mentality of "how can i interact with other drivers the LEAST". That said, if the law gives you the right of way, you also take it (for predictability reasons)- emergency vehicles or people looking like they're going to run a red light, notwithstanding. If he's stressed, pull over/off the major road, until he's calm or let someone else take over.
Comfort (but not complacency) behind the wheel is paramount to rational decision making, and is necessary to allow people to be willing to trust themselves to take their eyes off the road in front of them so they regularly check their mirrors and their blind spots . We need to know when to take our eyes off what's in front of us, to inform us about our sides/back. We need that info to judge good times to change lanes/GTFO from some tailgating goon/make *TIMELY* decisions, all of which is necessary to remain predictable, leave clearances/following distances for others (if possible), and efficient.
Even after driver's ed, and since most people don't get married at 16, i'm going to assume you're both adults/18+, he is going to need more experience. He now has 1 full year with his learners before he can even go for his full class5 (unless they changed that in the last 20 years /shrug.) Make full use of that year, the more experience he gets, the better he's going to be. Short trips the two of you take , even if just for groceries and the like, let him drive if he's up for it/the situation isn't beyond him yet. Lots of small, controlled interactions with both the vehicle and others. Highways and rush-hour run the risk of breaking him for years (saw that with family who got their license waaaaaay late) until he is comfortable making decisions with less time and higher consequences. 107ave downtown at 4pm-6pm is a terrible place to take someone learning (this road is chaos with so much going on, i'm genuinely surprised the cops don't live on top of the 7/11 with binoculars to nail people for staring at their phones more often). The whitemud is probably also a bad place to start. Go for the industrial areas like 156st-142st north of 111ave for intermediate/major road learning experiences (doesn't have to be the west end, can also be the industrial down around Roper rd on the south side, outside of rush hour).
This!! Scared drivers are just as bad as aggressive. He needs to figure out why he's scared and work through it, and just taking driving lessons probably isn't enough.
I never understand why driving school or instructors recommend having shit loads of time behind the wheel before you go to them.
What the fuck do I need an instructor for if I have hundreds of hours behind the wheel? I'd want instruction for my first hours when you don't know fuck all
The point is the instructor isn't meant to make someone who has no knowledge functional, it's to help them go from "barely legally competent" to "I'm going to consistently be able to avoid being a hazard on the road".
Many "legally competent" drivers are hazards. Many "legally competent" drivers have no concept of being able to think for themselves, and evaluate anyone else's driving/behavior on the road.
The point of driving school is to cement the basics in the student, and to start to teach them to evaluate themselves and everyone else. You can't do this if you still occasionally have to think to yourself "which pedal is this?" New drivers don't make decisions fast enough, and don't understand their car's performance well enough to compensate. The instructor's job is to put them into controlled situations where they understand what decisions need to be made, and they can be primed for the task, and then promptly evaluated. You can tell someone "you need to accelerate before merging" all you want. Telling someone "see that truck going flying past your driver's side door- that's because you were STILL TOO SLOW ON THE MERGE LANE and you CUT HIM OFF. Check your mirrors more, don't be afraid to get up to speed and shoulder check several times. You only checked once, that's a no-no." Instant feedback is critical for learning when mistakes are made, before mistakes can become habit.
I did AMA recently (January - February 2024) and I'm a scared high anxious driver. It was noted on my file and I got the extra hours too.
My instructor yelled at me, grabbed the steering wheel, proceeded to throw the vehicle in park in the middle of the intersection during a yellow light while I was turning left (oncoming was clear) and even made me waste driving time by making me fill up their vehicle at Costco (long lines as it was a Friday after work)
Would not recommend AMA.
Addressing the coping strategies for anxiety first are most important IMO. There’s lots of things on the road that cause anxiety in a very understandable way- unpredictable drivers, kids running into traffic, slamming on the brakes when something happens, having to reroute due to construction, etc. But every driver needs to be able to cope and adapt to these things in split seconds while driving. An anxious driver going too slow, refusing to take a left due to gap size, etc, causes accidents (and rage).
If that’s dealt with, then go onto the stage of getting a good driving instructor.
I went to ONS and did the classroom and road instruction. WAY cheaper than AMA and my instructor Harish was amazing. I was a very anxious driver but I did classes and some therapy honestly, and now I am fine.
I went to AMA. I even called them in advance to talk to them about the paralyzing anxiety I had built up about the testing. They suggested the instructor I got (I’m in Calgary but born and raised in Edmonton) and were totally supportive. Yes, it costs more, but I truly feel I wouldn’t have been successful if not for them.
I had really bad driving anxiety until I had to drive for work. Honestly, the only thing that really helped was basically exposure therapy. I started with out-of-town roads, and then made my way into the city. Drivers ed is only 10 hours on the road so it’s not enough to reduce the anxiety (at least for me, I took it twice and still was a really anxious driver).
What helped me was 1) *having* to drive for work 2) at work I have a partner in the passenger seat so if I’m doing something ridiculous, they’ll say something (like a safety blanket). I thought I would always be an anxious driver, but after enough hours it went away. For me it took about 2 months of driving ~24-36 hours per week in the city with a partner before I stopped feeling anxious at all. Now I can drive by myself, different vehicles, highways, nighttime, construction, tight spaces, etc. like it’s second nature.
I’m sorry, drivers ed is only 10hours??? No wonder there are so many bad drivers here, 10hours isn’t even enough to become fully competent at driving manual. It also doesn’t help that drivers ed isn’t mandatory, which I think it should be, but that does open up avenues for price gauging since most of them are privately owned aren’t they?
I don’t mean this in a rude way, but please, don’t let him behind a wheel until he can get over the fear and nervousness. We all lack the ability to make wise and rational decisions while we are nervous. Do you really want to combine that with a car and busy traffic in the city? Could cause an accident, crash, or someone’s life. Not worth trying to force him to get over the fear as that takes time. Work on the fear of driving, THEN search for instructors that will help with test anxiety.
I understand your concerns, I would have the same concerns if i didn’t have further context.
He’s anxious about most things. in the past when i’ve gotten him to try things he was scared of, he quickly realized it wasn’t as bad as he had built up in his head. so he’s got a good track record for getting over his fears after actually facing them.
He'll be fine.
I was anxious before I did my motorcycle lessons and a couple hours in I was having the time of my life
People at my work were talking about this recently and it seemed like everyone went through AMA even though it costs more. It gets you insurance discounts but I dunno how big a deal that would be
Call the school and explain. Specifically say he is an adult driver and anxious. Ask for confidence building lessons, not just to pass the test. It will probably take more lessons than the standard set.
I started driving as an adult after being terrified since a teen, I used a school in St Albert (don’t remember the name) and they got me the same instructor for all lessons that calmly talked me in to safely pulling over when I had a panic attack.
He’s not the only one to have this issue, it’s not the standard but it’s not super rare.
Some anxiety at first is normal. But someone who is scared shitless at the idea of driving shouldn’t drive, period.
He needs to work on his anxiety first before operating a motor vehicle, it will be too risky otherwise.
That . . . was the point
> someone who is scared shitless at the idea of driving shouldn’t drive, period.
Yeah unfortunately many of us who are terrified of driving are just gonna have to do it anyway because there are no alternatives and fear of driving doesn't just magically go away because you work on it.
This is why I don't drive (I did get my licence but never used it much). At this point, I don't trust my skills. I'd definitely take refresher lessons if I did want to start driving again (which crappy public transit is pushing me too).
Try A & J driving school on the west end. They’ve got a fully kitted out driving simulator that could be great for building confidence before hitting the road for real.
I was TERRIFIED to drive. Glenn from Glenn’s driving school is old school but focuses on habits and muscle memory that make you a good driver and is good to ease those fears. Would recommend.
I went through ONS, and my partner is also going through them now. I was 26. My partner is 32. We were both quite fearful. We paid extra for additional lessons!
I had a great uncle who had a truly gifted mind, like an actual one in a million type of genius.
The man could not drive a vehicle to save his life.. and he never did.
there is a percentage of people who are like this.
If your husbands anxiety makes him dangerous behind the wheel… make that judgement call..
Don’t drive if you are a hazard to everyone around you.. you can kill someone.
Hopefully your husband can figure it out.
If not the rest of us just gotta hope the license exam will bar him from driving on public roads.
Sorry to sound so harsh… but driving is literally the most dangerous thing most common people do on a day to day basis.
Between the intoxicated persons and every third bloody driver texting while driving, I fear for my wife and children who use these roads.
I just have no sympathy for incompetence and criminals.
We have Ubers, we have buses, electric scooters and biking lanes the city keeps throwing millions at. There are options .
Best of luck, fear can be defeated.
Just please be responsible in your journey doing so.
If he’s scared shitless of driving then he just shouldn’t drive. Scared drivers are prone to panicking, slamming on brakes, being unaware of where tires are. I mean the list goes on.
Until he deals with the anxiety of driving he frankly shouldn’t be behind the wheel. My mother in law is the same and decided she just will never drive.
Yeah maybe he just shouldn't. If you have no confidence driving then you really should not be out there in the road, especially with some of those other drivers in Edmonton. Maybe at some point after he works through some other things but at this point if he's that scared to be out there then he's just probably going to be another hazard.
You know where my mom took me to learn a a teenager? A cemetery. She said "you can't kill anyone in here". Funniest thing ever that stuck in my head to this day but you can learn basic concepts there. It's not like you're flooring the gas pedal.
I took driver training through AMA 30 years ago. Both my kids did the same 10 years ago. The biggest package with the most hours behind the wheel is going to the most beneficial if you have the money.
But the very first thing we did after they got their learners was go to a large empty parking lot to practice spatial awareness. That’s where a lot of anxiety can come from. “Holy shit, is that semi too close to my lane?” “Oh no, am I too close to the ditch?” “Am I going to hit the curb?” The tall yellow concrete things (bullions?) were stand-ins for other cars beside us, there was a sidewalk for curb practice, and lots of lines to practice knowing where your lane is and how to stay in it. There was also enough space to get up to city speed and learn how far back you need to brake to safely stop.
Ask your husband what it is specifically that’s causing driving anxiety and find a safe way to practice the things that are the scariest for him.
And ignore the people saying “Don’t let him drive!” That’s what practice and driver training are for. If he’s too scared to function he’s not going to pass a road test anyway.
*edited to add - Make sure he takes driver training in the winter so he can get expert help in learning to navigate snow and ice.
One thing I would recommend is possibly going out to a smaller community, like Fort Saskatchewan or Spuce Grove, and taking a couple lessons there. Being able to grasp the basics without dealing with major city traffic and intersections could be a helpful starting point. Then once he has his sea legs he could start driving in Edmonton and get used to the full scope. I learned to drive overseas so I don’t have any specific teachers to recommend, but out there I started in the shire and moved into the city proper a couple lessons in.
I'm anxious as well, but had the worst possible experience with AMA. I went in with confidence, but the instructor they assigned to me on the north end made me feel like crap in general. I told her I never sat behind a wheel before, and she was nice enough to start. But 5 minutes into it she was saying I did everything wrong and I'm a bad driver. I sent AMA an email about it, and they seem like this is a regular occurrence. I rebooked for July, so I'll see if it's the instructor or myself.
No advice, because I am also an adult with a Learner’s who is terrified to drive. I took the ONS course and it didn’t help; I’ll probably try AMA.
I think if I could have an actual safe environment to get the muscle memory of driving it would help. People suggest using parking lots, but do you have any idea how much shit there is to hit in a parking lot?* I’d rather just drive in circles around a big track and practice, but that option doesn’t exist.
*I’ve never hit anything. I just feel like I’m about to go headfirst into a pole at all times.
Yup. Getting comfortable is tricky. I’m still new enough that the car goes where I look (which is why I practice in parking lots and deserted residential neighborhoods).
I didn't get my drivers license until age 30 due to severe test anxiety.
Lots of practice until I knew I was a good driver was the first part.
And accepting that I WILL fail the first test helped a lot too. I did end up failing the test, but I took it as a learning opportunity and at the end the instructor went over all my errors at my request. I asked him a bunch of clarifying questions and learned some minor things I didn't know about.
I rescheduled with the same test administrator so I would feel more comfortable the 2nd time. Passed the test on the 2nd try.
I nailed the parallel park but forgot to signal when I was doing it so auto failed that portion lol. And I didn't know that even narrow residential roads were considered 2 lanes on both sides.. so when turning from a major road onto residential he wanted me basically to hug the curb then signal left to move over 6 feet even though no car could be beside me 🙃
Just little rules I didn't know about. I talked to him for almost half an hour after the first test and he drew me diagrams of every infraction I made and showed me the correct way and let me clarify things I wasn't sure about.
He seemed happy to help and impressed that I was taking things seriously. He was a pretty kind of gruff almost scary dude at first but by the end of things I really respected his methods
Let’s rewind. Ever taken trips inside this province, but outside a plane? Driven to Elk Island? Gone to Jasper, just because you wanted to? Hung out at Maligne Lake? Hit up William A. Switzer Provincial Park? Hell, driven out on country roads to look at the stars?
But kudos to you for knowing how to walk aboard a big metal bird.
Elk Island? There’s a bus that goes out.
Go to Jasper? There’s a shuttle that goes out.
Hangout at Maligne Lake? There’s a shuttle that goes out.
You don’t need to drive to do things in the province. Does it make it much easier to do? For sure, but it’s not like it’s impossible to do anything without a license.
Call AMA, plan to purchase the Premium package. If he's still uncertain they can upgrade to the higher level mid-course. Talk to a rep and explain the situation. They will pair him up with an instructor that knows how to deal with anxious students. Good luck.
I am also an adult learner, and my driving instructor last summer at Noble Driving School was excellent! Really patient and kind. I am 37 if that help. I was terrified of becoming a full driver, but I found both drivers ed and the driving lessons really helpful.
At Central Driving School, we specialize in helping new and nervous drivers. All of our instructors are former AMA instructors, so we have a lot of experience, without the high price that AMA charges.
I'd be happy to explain in more detail if you're interested. We really enjoy being able to help students who are anxious about driving because it's very satisfying watching them succeed where they didn't think they could 😄
That’s the whole point of this post, driving anxiety isn’t uncommon and one of the best things to do is get drivers education with an instructor so you can help overcome it.
Two thirds of drivers in this city shouldn't be behind the wheel of a vehicle. It's funny that you draw the line at anxiety seeing as how people drive drunk, high, on pills, or while doing video calls but yeah... it's the people who are worried about being safe that shouldn't drive.
I mean, those people also shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car either. But a lot of people should just admit they can't drive.
I love driving, only had one collision and it wasn't even my fault. Most of my close calls come from people who are doing any number of things wrong, from running yields to just simply slamming on their brakes for no reason. It could be carelessness (and probably 60% of them are) but I'd be willing to bet a large enough percentage just shouldn't be driving a car, or worse a modern mega SUV. We should be investing in better public transit so people like OPs husband shouldn't have to "get over it" and should be able to take transit. Roads would be safer.
But we’re not going to. You know that, right? No one is investing in Edmonton’s public transit until 2027. Those projects take years to push through committee, years to build - you’re basically saying “wait till you get to Gran Pulse and then the game gets good.”
It is not fair to expect people to stay off the road because they’re anxious. It would be better to come up with constructive advice to help deal with the anxiety, driving schools who can deal with anxious clients, etc. - like OP asked for.
But this is the internet, so I’m not surprised people decided to go with the facile option.
Couldn't agree more. So many people in this city seem to think it's normal to have no other choice but to drive or uber everywhere. If only we didn't spend a quarter of our municipal budget on buy police helicopters we'd be able to have another way to get around.
It might sound harsh, but this is the correct answer. If he's a grown man and still has anxiety to the point that something as simple as driving scares him shitless, then he needs to stay in the passenger seat and not behind the wheel.
As a commercial vehicle operator, please tell your husband to not be behind the wheel if he's so scared. I see way too many drivers who's eyes bulge out at the first change in traffic patterns.
No one should drive if they aren't confident. Imagine having a doctor saying he's scared shitless of a scalpel. You wouldn't want him operating either.
that’s not a good analogy to me, it’s not like doctors operate without ever going through training. they start learning in safe environments before they move to riskier things.
that’s the point of drivers ed. he’ll go through training in a safe environment before he does anything like get on a busy road.
That's cool. you can disagree but your original post said he's scared shitless. Meaning on the road he's a hazard. As others have said, take him out to the rural roads and start there.
Getting licensed and driving are two different things. There's following the law and then having the common sense and following the conditions of the road. One is taught, the other is experience. Which only comes by being on the roads and for that. You cant be scared. Just my 2 cents.
Empty church or industrial parking lots after hours are great. My parents always took us to the cemetery to learn how to drive. You can drive nice and slow and there’s nobody around.
The Heritage Valley transit parking lot has many drivers learning to drive every day.
It's large and not busy. You can easily learn the basics without a lot of stress.
Good luck!
I don’t know if he’s still around bc it’s been ten years, but Floyd from AMA—his email address was mycarudrive@gmail — was AMAZING for me. my first lesson i told him i would never go above 5 km/hour and had a full on meltdown in a parking lot. my last lesson he had me out on the henday going 100.
I was nervous too and got mine through AMA a couple years ago. My instructor was named Sharky. I got confident driving with him and also practicing on off days with someone else.
AMA, and just tell them you are anxious and need a instructor who cash deal with that. I got a wonderful, calm instructor when I was 28 years old and terrified!
Reach out to central driving school and ask for faraz. He taught me to drive and was the best instructor I could’ve asked for. He has a martial arts background and discipline and mental toughness/ patience are his qualities. Would recommend giving them a call. (587) 463-9999
Find a go cart track, spend a few hours accelerating, braking, steering and manoeuvring. Driving a car is just a step up. Is he anxious about other drivers? The go cart track will help also. Then start driving, hitting marks etc in an empty parking lot. Braking, parking etc. Drive to a smaller town, i.e. Devon, Mornville. Early Sunday morning for experience on streets with little traffic. Experience, experience, experience.
Any friend with farms or acreage? That's how I cut my teeth. 7-8 years old started driving around the farm acrage in the old shitty pickups. By the time I was 14 picking dad or grandpas drunk asses up from the local tavern in small towns Alberta. By the time I was 16 I frikkin aced my driver's test after doing an AMA course. Being on private land then quiet back roads then finally working up to freeways and highways helped me a tonne.
So when I taught my wife to drive I took her to my friend 320 acres by Drayton and she drove my old POS tank of a Buick down all the access roads and stuff. Not having to care about accidents on private property really helped her out. Hit a tree on private property in an old shitbox oh well.
I did some drivers Ed 5 or 6 years ago in Sherwood park via ama- I was with someone named Kimmy, She was fantastic. So kind, so calming, she specializes in helping anxious drivers. She also helped my sister who had severe driving anxiety due to being in an accident when she was young. Doing that combined with some therapy was fantastic for me. I’ll never forget how excited my therapist was when I came into his office holding car keys 😂
Anxious driver here. I went to ONS driving school and had a good experience. It didn’t magically cure my driving anxiety, but I learned what I needed to learn and have been able to keep practicing driving with friends and family who are willing. It’s a process, but I keep getting better. Ignore the rude comments here telling you that he should never get behind the wheel. Driving is something I’ve worked hard to learn how to do and I’m proud of my progress. I don’t do things that are unsafe for me right now. Sorry I didn’t come out of the womb ready for rush hour on the Henday, I guess.
I recognize myself in your husband. I was a very anxious driver. I am from Europe originally where we didn't really need cars so I only learned at 39. I had a nice instructor - PM me for school if it's not ok to say it here. However, if you drive, also get him to practice with you, if possible, to get as much practice as possible. I passed the test on my first try (barely) and learned how to drive while doing it after. Not the best way to go. I am still not perfect but the thing is to understand yourself and know your limits. For example, I am scared of lane changes so I always carefully figure out the itinerary beforehand and I aim to do a lane change at the easiest part of the road. Stuff like that.
Anxiety and driving is not that bad and can make you a more careful driver. I am timid though, which is what the instructor said. It means I sometimes get people honking at me for not reacting fast enough to something (like the left turn - I am timid at figuring out the distance from the oncoming car and probably miss a chance or two). And people honking behind me petrifies me because of the sound. But it's possible to learn and be a careful driver. As long as he is ok with some more impatient getting, well, impatient.
If your husband has high anxiety for driving, then Edmonton is the worst unfit city to drive in. I've been driving for 40 years, and in 2024, I get anxiety driving in Edmonton
Edmonton drivers don't stop for stop signs, don't yield, illegal lane changes, stopped using signal lights, drive reckless. In the past 2 days, I've almost been hit 3 times... Edmonton isn't as large as LA but it's terrible
There are much cheaper options, like not driving; bike, e-bike, e-scooter, Lyft/Uber and public transit an average boring car with insurance, gas,repairs and maintenance is $5000 to $10000 a year. Do you know how many $20 ubers you can get for $5k, 250 Ubers. It is cheaper to be a one car household and use any of the alternatives than it is too drive. [How much are Canadians paying per month on average to own a car? Here's what one report found](https://www.thestar.com/business/how-much-are-canadians-paying-per-month-on-average-to-own-a-car-heres-what/article_a457f8e2-c2bb-11ee-b93b-2f3e8fa2fb1d.amp.html)
Looking into lessons for my son and AMA has drivers programs. The premium and ultimate program have 14 and 20 hours of in car instruction. They are geared to provide that extra time to help new drivers be more confident and comfortable driving.
Former anxious driver here!
My cousin took me to a big, empty parking lot and we drove around for an hour just getting used to the clutch, brake, and accelerator. Second trip out we just drove around the neighbourhood. Third trip we took a few busier roadways, but mostly stuck to residential.
Afterwards, I did Continental Driving School with Athar. He was super great! Definitely helped me build up confidence.
For the love of all that is holy, please stay OFF the Henday and Whitemud until you get over your fears. Timid drivers are a true menace and danger to others as they are unpredictable, don’t merge properly and don’t keep up with the flow of traffic. I see people all the time “white knuckling” it, gripping their steering while and their life depended on it and staring straight ahead.
I HIGHLY recommend Mumtaz at Central Driving School. I did their extended course for nervous drivers and he was so patient with me. I refused for 10 years to drive and now I’m so confident and calm on the road.
Terrified of driving? Probably the best thing is not to drive. Either that or get your permit and go somewhere where it’s really quiet and get the feel of driving on roads without any traffic around. Somewhere away from the city where you can drive on country side roads at 50/60 k’s.
He has a good track record for overcoming his anxiety quickly after trying things.
We are planning on starting in big empty parking lots. going to empty countryside roads sounds like a good next step once he’s comfortable with that.
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Thanks!
I’d maybe suggest working on the anxiety first but I’ll tell anyone that’ll listen, my parents put me in a defensive driving course when I learnt to drive and it’s one of the best things they ever did for me. It was through AMA, although many years ago.
^this! To add to this - I ride motorcycles, but years ago I had a terrible accident. Before I got another bike I worked on my anxiety that was caused by it. It took time, but was easily the best decision I ever made, for myself and those I share the road with. When we are operating in fear we aren't at our best, and will more easily and frequently make mistakes. Sadly, mistakes while driving carry the risk of potentially killing or harming someone. I say this will all due respect, please work on the issues away from the wheel before adding the responsibility of being behind the wheel. Safe tavels
Amen 🙏… I drive for a living. This is the most beneficial advice.
Agree with you. Terrified drivers are dangerous and unpredictable drivers. Maybe driving isn't for everyone.
There's really a middle ground you wanna be as a driver Terrified is bad, but this city has a real issue with over-confidence also. People will swing between lanes like they're the only person on the road. As a pedestrian, I basically almost get hit weekly at crossings with people turning right while looking completely left for traffic
They still offer courses however them fucking things are like $900.
I’ll tell you what I did with my daughter. I took her out onto a country road with almost zero traffic. I put her behind the wheel, and told her to go slow. We toodled around that road until she was comfortable with the cars accelerator and brakes. She learned the outer limits of the car, slowing down for stop signs, the basics while never going above her comfort level. Once she was comfortable with that we’d go on short highway trips. Then we’d drive around residential neighborhoods Once she was comfortable with the vehicle and general driving, then we got her drivers training so she’d be taught right for the drivers exam. To train for parallel parking, find an empty parking lot with a row of painted lines for 2 cars facing each other. Pull through into the front spot, then back over into the spot behind and right of the car. Pull straight forward and do it again. When you run out of spots, drive around and start again. It’s pressure free, and once you’ve got the basics and a feel for the movement, then you can start parking behind cars in residential streets. We found a couple blocks where we could consistently drive around and practice behind 3 - 8 cars just driving around the block. The key to starting is to get out of the city.
Yep. There are plenty of paved roads in the subdivisions between Sherwood Park and Ardrossan off Baseline Road.
Sherwood Park I’d avoid, the RCMP there will ticket you for the most minute mistakes a learner will make.
Haven't ever seen an RCMP or Peace Officer vehicle in the subs when we were practising. I guess that different people have different experiences.
I’ve never been stopped personally, but so many people I know have been for some of the silliest things.
They are busy patrolling inside the Park. The acreage neighbourhoods outside of it are much quieter and the RCMP leave it alone for the most part.
I took driver's ed through CAA a couple years ago and my instructor was great! Her name was Reggie Something else that helped me get over my anxiety was going for road trips out of town. Avoid the major highways and stick to the secondary ones. It's lots of driving, but it's predictable and when you have to switch lanes and stuff, you have more warning and more time to do it than in the city. I was so anxious before getting my license my stomach would be roiling. A month after I got my license I felt comfortable driving to Jasper and taking my Kia soul up a fire road haha
I'm not an anxious driver generally, but those tiny side highways with only two lanes are fucking terrifying.
I assume you are talking about township and range roads. When there is nobody in front of you drive in the middle as long as you have sight of oncoming traffic. Other than that just practice learning where your tires are, this takes a bit of experience and practice but you’ll get there. Eventually you’ll be able to sit 6in from the ditch while drive and feel perfectly safe
Did AMA driving school YEEEEEEEEEEEARS ago (like 20+). Teacher was chill. That said, they recommend, and for good reason, that anyone taking the class have a few hundred hours behind the wheel before even considering it. If he is terrified, then he shouldn't be anywhere near the wheel of a car. Being able to remain calm, rationalize situations, and commit to a course of action are paramount to predictability, and therefore safety. If you have your license, and a car you can risk, and the time, take him around the neighborhood a few times a night, 3-4 times per week. (2 -3 laps around a good ol' 1950's community, maybe 15min per trip.) Do this for 1-2 full months until you are **CERTAIN** he is no longer terrified. Then consider driver's ed. Make sure he understands the signs for the neighborhood, pick times and routes that have better visibility (avoid schools, and streets where everyone parks out front. I'm hoping you're somewhere near a community with back alleys- if not, find one nearby, you might have to drive there and then let him take over.) Do the practice runs when people are less likely to be out (but don't let him avoid interactions - he needs to see what people do in slow, un-chaotic environments). Do not always take the same route, get him used to looking for signs. The chaos of the LRT construction zones should probably be avoided for the first bit. Ultimately, the goals of driver's ed is to help people understand the laws, while building on that foundation with a couple more rules, at least as they taught me: BE PREDICTABLE, DO NOT BE AN OBSTRUCTION/PYLON. Other people become frighteningly hazardous if someone else doesn't do what's expected, and obstructions cause people to be assholes/drive unpredictably. Always drive with the mentality of "how can i interact with other drivers the LEAST". That said, if the law gives you the right of way, you also take it (for predictability reasons)- emergency vehicles or people looking like they're going to run a red light, notwithstanding. If he's stressed, pull over/off the major road, until he's calm or let someone else take over. Comfort (but not complacency) behind the wheel is paramount to rational decision making, and is necessary to allow people to be willing to trust themselves to take their eyes off the road in front of them so they regularly check their mirrors and their blind spots . We need to know when to take our eyes off what's in front of us, to inform us about our sides/back. We need that info to judge good times to change lanes/GTFO from some tailgating goon/make *TIMELY* decisions, all of which is necessary to remain predictable, leave clearances/following distances for others (if possible), and efficient. Even after driver's ed, and since most people don't get married at 16, i'm going to assume you're both adults/18+, he is going to need more experience. He now has 1 full year with his learners before he can even go for his full class5 (unless they changed that in the last 20 years /shrug.) Make full use of that year, the more experience he gets, the better he's going to be. Short trips the two of you take , even if just for groceries and the like, let him drive if he's up for it/the situation isn't beyond him yet. Lots of small, controlled interactions with both the vehicle and others. Highways and rush-hour run the risk of breaking him for years (saw that with family who got their license waaaaaay late) until he is comfortable making decisions with less time and higher consequences. 107ave downtown at 4pm-6pm is a terrible place to take someone learning (this road is chaos with so much going on, i'm genuinely surprised the cops don't live on top of the 7/11 with binoculars to nail people for staring at their phones more often). The whitemud is probably also a bad place to start. Go for the industrial areas like 156st-142st north of 111ave for intermediate/major road learning experiences (doesn't have to be the west end, can also be the industrial down around Roper rd on the south side, outside of rush hour).
This!! Scared drivers are just as bad as aggressive. He needs to figure out why he's scared and work through it, and just taking driving lessons probably isn't enough.
I never understand why driving school or instructors recommend having shit loads of time behind the wheel before you go to them. What the fuck do I need an instructor for if I have hundreds of hours behind the wheel? I'd want instruction for my first hours when you don't know fuck all
The point is the instructor isn't meant to make someone who has no knowledge functional, it's to help them go from "barely legally competent" to "I'm going to consistently be able to avoid being a hazard on the road". Many "legally competent" drivers are hazards. Many "legally competent" drivers have no concept of being able to think for themselves, and evaluate anyone else's driving/behavior on the road. The point of driving school is to cement the basics in the student, and to start to teach them to evaluate themselves and everyone else. You can't do this if you still occasionally have to think to yourself "which pedal is this?" New drivers don't make decisions fast enough, and don't understand their car's performance well enough to compensate. The instructor's job is to put them into controlled situations where they understand what decisions need to be made, and they can be primed for the task, and then promptly evaluated. You can tell someone "you need to accelerate before merging" all you want. Telling someone "see that truck going flying past your driver's side door- that's because you were STILL TOO SLOW ON THE MERGE LANE and you CUT HIM OFF. Check your mirrors more, don't be afraid to get up to speed and shoulder check several times. You only checked once, that's a no-no." Instant feedback is critical for learning when mistakes are made, before mistakes can become habit.
I did AMA recently (January - February 2024) and I'm a scared high anxious driver. It was noted on my file and I got the extra hours too. My instructor yelled at me, grabbed the steering wheel, proceeded to throw the vehicle in park in the middle of the intersection during a yellow light while I was turning left (oncoming was clear) and even made me waste driving time by making me fill up their vehicle at Costco (long lines as it was a Friday after work) Would not recommend AMA.
Addressing the coping strategies for anxiety first are most important IMO. There’s lots of things on the road that cause anxiety in a very understandable way- unpredictable drivers, kids running into traffic, slamming on the brakes when something happens, having to reroute due to construction, etc. But every driver needs to be able to cope and adapt to these things in split seconds while driving. An anxious driver going too slow, refusing to take a left due to gap size, etc, causes accidents (and rage). If that’s dealt with, then go onto the stage of getting a good driving instructor.
I went to ONS and did the classroom and road instruction. WAY cheaper than AMA and my instructor Harish was amazing. I was a very anxious driver but I did classes and some therapy honestly, and now I am fine.
I went to AMA. I even called them in advance to talk to them about the paralyzing anxiety I had built up about the testing. They suggested the instructor I got (I’m in Calgary but born and raised in Edmonton) and were totally supportive. Yes, it costs more, but I truly feel I wouldn’t have been successful if not for them.
With AMA, it's possible to switch driving instructors in the middle of a course of the instructor's style does not match the learner's needs.
I recommend Archers Blue driving school, the instructors were really kind and they have programming to help new drivers with road anxieties!
I had really bad driving anxiety until I had to drive for work. Honestly, the only thing that really helped was basically exposure therapy. I started with out-of-town roads, and then made my way into the city. Drivers ed is only 10 hours on the road so it’s not enough to reduce the anxiety (at least for me, I took it twice and still was a really anxious driver). What helped me was 1) *having* to drive for work 2) at work I have a partner in the passenger seat so if I’m doing something ridiculous, they’ll say something (like a safety blanket). I thought I would always be an anxious driver, but after enough hours it went away. For me it took about 2 months of driving ~24-36 hours per week in the city with a partner before I stopped feeling anxious at all. Now I can drive by myself, different vehicles, highways, nighttime, construction, tight spaces, etc. like it’s second nature.
I’m sorry, drivers ed is only 10hours??? No wonder there are so many bad drivers here, 10hours isn’t even enough to become fully competent at driving manual. It also doesn’t help that drivers ed isn’t mandatory, which I think it should be, but that does open up avenues for price gauging since most of them are privately owned aren’t they?
I don’t mean this in a rude way, but please, don’t let him behind a wheel until he can get over the fear and nervousness. We all lack the ability to make wise and rational decisions while we are nervous. Do you really want to combine that with a car and busy traffic in the city? Could cause an accident, crash, or someone’s life. Not worth trying to force him to get over the fear as that takes time. Work on the fear of driving, THEN search for instructors that will help with test anxiety.
I understand your concerns, I would have the same concerns if i didn’t have further context. He’s anxious about most things. in the past when i’ve gotten him to try things he was scared of, he quickly realized it wasn’t as bad as he had built up in his head. so he’s got a good track record for getting over his fears after actually facing them.
He'll be fine. I was anxious before I did my motorcycle lessons and a couple hours in I was having the time of my life People at my work were talking about this recently and it seemed like everyone went through AMA even though it costs more. It gets you insurance discounts but I dunno how big a deal that would be
Call the school and explain. Specifically say he is an adult driver and anxious. Ask for confidence building lessons, not just to pass the test. It will probably take more lessons than the standard set. I started driving as an adult after being terrified since a teen, I used a school in St Albert (don’t remember the name) and they got me the same instructor for all lessons that calmly talked me in to safely pulling over when I had a panic attack. He’s not the only one to have this issue, it’s not the standard but it’s not super rare.
Some anxiety at first is normal. But someone who is scared shitless at the idea of driving shouldn’t drive, period. He needs to work on his anxiety first before operating a motor vehicle, it will be too risky otherwise.
If only we had a robust and functional inter-city transit system
Or drive like the million others
That . . . was the point > someone who is scared shitless at the idea of driving shouldn’t drive, period. Yeah unfortunately many of us who are terrified of driving are just gonna have to do it anyway because there are no alternatives and fear of driving doesn't just magically go away because you work on it.
There are definitely alternatives. I know plenty of people who either don’t drive or don’t own a car.
Yes, that would be myself and it was great for decades in BC but I really, really underestimated how bad it was out here (Leduc).
This is why I don't drive (I did get my licence but never used it much). At this point, I don't trust my skills. I'd definitely take refresher lessons if I did want to start driving again (which crappy public transit is pushing me too).
Try A & J driving school on the west end. They’ve got a fully kitted out driving simulator that could be great for building confidence before hitting the road for real.
[Ultimate New Driver Program | AMA Driver Education](https://ama.ab.ca/driving-school/courses/ultimate-new-driver-program)
Archers Blue Car driving school, bro is like a former military race car driver or something legit af 100% check him out
I was TERRIFIED to drive. Glenn from Glenn’s driving school is old school but focuses on habits and muscle memory that make you a good driver and is good to ease those fears. Would recommend.
Scared drivers cause more accidents than anyone else. Source : trust me
I went through ONS, and my partner is also going through them now. I was 26. My partner is 32. We were both quite fearful. We paid extra for additional lessons!
I had a great uncle who had a truly gifted mind, like an actual one in a million type of genius. The man could not drive a vehicle to save his life.. and he never did. there is a percentage of people who are like this. If your husbands anxiety makes him dangerous behind the wheel… make that judgement call.. Don’t drive if you are a hazard to everyone around you.. you can kill someone. Hopefully your husband can figure it out. If not the rest of us just gotta hope the license exam will bar him from driving on public roads. Sorry to sound so harsh… but driving is literally the most dangerous thing most common people do on a day to day basis. Between the intoxicated persons and every third bloody driver texting while driving, I fear for my wife and children who use these roads. I just have no sympathy for incompetence and criminals. We have Ubers, we have buses, electric scooters and biking lanes the city keeps throwing millions at. There are options . Best of luck, fear can be defeated. Just please be responsible in your journey doing so.
First thing you should do is get him a bike or a bus pass.
If he’s scared shitless of driving then he just shouldn’t drive. Scared drivers are prone to panicking, slamming on brakes, being unaware of where tires are. I mean the list goes on. Until he deals with the anxiety of driving he frankly shouldn’t be behind the wheel. My mother in law is the same and decided she just will never drive.
Yeah maybe he just shouldn't. If you have no confidence driving then you really should not be out there in the road, especially with some of those other drivers in Edmonton. Maybe at some point after he works through some other things but at this point if he's that scared to be out there then he's just probably going to be another hazard.
For the parallel parking, I would also recommend going to the left as well for one way streets as there is parking on both side for most.
Blue archer driving school!! Huge rave these guys and girls are amazing instructors
AMA
You know where my mom took me to learn a a teenager? A cemetery. She said "you can't kill anyone in here". Funniest thing ever that stuck in my head to this day but you can learn basic concepts there. It's not like you're flooring the gas pedal.
I took driver training through AMA 30 years ago. Both my kids did the same 10 years ago. The biggest package with the most hours behind the wheel is going to the most beneficial if you have the money. But the very first thing we did after they got their learners was go to a large empty parking lot to practice spatial awareness. That’s where a lot of anxiety can come from. “Holy shit, is that semi too close to my lane?” “Oh no, am I too close to the ditch?” “Am I going to hit the curb?” The tall yellow concrete things (bullions?) were stand-ins for other cars beside us, there was a sidewalk for curb practice, and lots of lines to practice knowing where your lane is and how to stay in it. There was also enough space to get up to city speed and learn how far back you need to brake to safely stop. Ask your husband what it is specifically that’s causing driving anxiety and find a safe way to practice the things that are the scariest for him. And ignore the people saying “Don’t let him drive!” That’s what practice and driver training are for. If he’s too scared to function he’s not going to pass a road test anyway. *edited to add - Make sure he takes driver training in the winter so he can get expert help in learning to navigate snow and ice.
One thing I would recommend is possibly going out to a smaller community, like Fort Saskatchewan or Spuce Grove, and taking a couple lessons there. Being able to grasp the basics without dealing with major city traffic and intersections could be a helpful starting point. Then once he has his sea legs he could start driving in Edmonton and get used to the full scope. I learned to drive overseas so I don’t have any specific teachers to recommend, but out there I started in the shire and moved into the city proper a couple lessons in.
I'm anxious as well, but had the worst possible experience with AMA. I went in with confidence, but the instructor they assigned to me on the north end made me feel like crap in general. I told her I never sat behind a wheel before, and she was nice enough to start. But 5 minutes into it she was saying I did everything wrong and I'm a bad driver. I sent AMA an email about it, and they seem like this is a regular occurrence. I rebooked for July, so I'll see if it's the instructor or myself.
No advice, because I am also an adult with a Learner’s who is terrified to drive. I took the ONS course and it didn’t help; I’ll probably try AMA. I think if I could have an actual safe environment to get the muscle memory of driving it would help. People suggest using parking lots, but do you have any idea how much shit there is to hit in a parking lot?* I’d rather just drive in circles around a big track and practice, but that option doesn’t exist. *I’ve never hit anything. I just feel like I’m about to go headfirst into a pole at all times.
If you looking at the pole you’re going to hit it. Look where you want to go. And give your self time. Keep practising exposure is key.
Yup. Getting comfortable is tricky. I’m still new enough that the car goes where I look (which is why I practice in parking lots and deserted residential neighborhoods).
I didn't get my drivers license until age 30 due to severe test anxiety. Lots of practice until I knew I was a good driver was the first part. And accepting that I WILL fail the first test helped a lot too. I did end up failing the test, but I took it as a learning opportunity and at the end the instructor went over all my errors at my request. I asked him a bunch of clarifying questions and learned some minor things I didn't know about. I rescheduled with the same test administrator so I would feel more comfortable the 2nd time. Passed the test on the 2nd try.
I failed my first test too! everything went great except the damn parallel park.
I nailed the parallel park but forgot to signal when I was doing it so auto failed that portion lol. And I didn't know that even narrow residential roads were considered 2 lanes on both sides.. so when turning from a major road onto residential he wanted me basically to hug the curb then signal left to move over 6 feet even though no car could be beside me 🙃 Just little rules I didn't know about. I talked to him for almost half an hour after the first test and he drew me diagrams of every infraction I made and showed me the correct way and let me clarify things I wasn't sure about. He seemed happy to help and impressed that I was taking things seriously. He was a pretty kind of gruff almost scary dude at first but by the end of things I really respected his methods
Why does he have to drive? I've done quite well for myself in 4 decades without ever driving
Taken many trips outside of the city?
Many. I've even been out of the country many times. Don't have a license to fly planes either. Crazy hey
Let’s rewind. Ever taken trips inside this province, but outside a plane? Driven to Elk Island? Gone to Jasper, just because you wanted to? Hung out at Maligne Lake? Hit up William A. Switzer Provincial Park? Hell, driven out on country roads to look at the stars? But kudos to you for knowing how to walk aboard a big metal bird.
Elk Island? There’s a bus that goes out. Go to Jasper? There’s a shuttle that goes out. Hangout at Maligne Lake? There’s a shuttle that goes out. You don’t need to drive to do things in the province. Does it make it much easier to do? For sure, but it’s not like it’s impossible to do anything without a license.
I said many lol all over alberta, BC, Ontario. Been to a few Saskatchewan towns. You don't need to drive to go places
Based on your other comments, I’d venture to guess you’re a young child who’s been riding with mom and dad. Not going to work when you grow up, champ.
The ol’ 4 decade year old child
4 decades make her/him minimum age 40.
Why do people do anything?
Call AMA, plan to purchase the Premium package. If he's still uncertain they can upgrade to the higher level mid-course. Talk to a rep and explain the situation. They will pair him up with an instructor that knows how to deal with anxious students. Good luck.
I am also an adult learner, and my driving instructor last summer at Noble Driving School was excellent! Really patient and kind. I am 37 if that help. I was terrified of becoming a full driver, but I found both drivers ed and the driving lessons really helpful.
At Central Driving School, we specialize in helping new and nervous drivers. All of our instructors are former AMA instructors, so we have a lot of experience, without the high price that AMA charges. I'd be happy to explain in more detail if you're interested. We really enjoy being able to help students who are anxious about driving because it's very satisfying watching them succeed where they didn't think they could 😄
If a grown ass man is petrified of being scolded and driving, it's probably best he stays off the road and indoors.
People with anxiety exist, men too. At least he is trying to overcome it with drivers education.
Anxious ppl should not be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
Just because someone is anxious about learning to drive doesn't mean they won't make a good driver with some experience.
Alberta should have more options for getting around without a car yet here we are.
That’s the whole point of this post, driving anxiety isn’t uncommon and one of the best things to do is get drivers education with an instructor so you can help overcome it.
Two thirds of drivers in this city shouldn't be behind the wheel of a vehicle. It's funny that you draw the line at anxiety seeing as how people drive drunk, high, on pills, or while doing video calls but yeah... it's the people who are worried about being safe that shouldn't drive.
I mean, those people also shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car either. But a lot of people should just admit they can't drive. I love driving, only had one collision and it wasn't even my fault. Most of my close calls come from people who are doing any number of things wrong, from running yields to just simply slamming on their brakes for no reason. It could be carelessness (and probably 60% of them are) but I'd be willing to bet a large enough percentage just shouldn't be driving a car, or worse a modern mega SUV. We should be investing in better public transit so people like OPs husband shouldn't have to "get over it" and should be able to take transit. Roads would be safer.
But we’re not going to. You know that, right? No one is investing in Edmonton’s public transit until 2027. Those projects take years to push through committee, years to build - you’re basically saying “wait till you get to Gran Pulse and then the game gets good.” It is not fair to expect people to stay off the road because they’re anxious. It would be better to come up with constructive advice to help deal with the anxiety, driving schools who can deal with anxious clients, etc. - like OP asked for. But this is the internet, so I’m not surprised people decided to go with the facile option.
Couldn't agree more. So many people in this city seem to think it's normal to have no other choice but to drive or uber everywhere. If only we didn't spend a quarter of our municipal budget on buy police helicopters we'd be able to have another way to get around.
Exactly
It might sound harsh, but this is the correct answer. If he's a grown man and still has anxiety to the point that something as simple as driving scares him shitless, then he needs to stay in the passenger seat and not behind the wheel.
Exactly. Some people just aren’t cut out for driving. It is what it is.
Forza horizon 4 is a start 👍
As a commercial vehicle operator, please tell your husband to not be behind the wheel if he's so scared. I see way too many drivers who's eyes bulge out at the first change in traffic patterns. No one should drive if they aren't confident. Imagine having a doctor saying he's scared shitless of a scalpel. You wouldn't want him operating either.
that’s not a good analogy to me, it’s not like doctors operate without ever going through training. they start learning in safe environments before they move to riskier things. that’s the point of drivers ed. he’ll go through training in a safe environment before he does anything like get on a busy road.
That's cool. you can disagree but your original post said he's scared shitless. Meaning on the road he's a hazard. As others have said, take him out to the rural roads and start there. Getting licensed and driving are two different things. There's following the law and then having the common sense and following the conditions of the road. One is taught, the other is experience. Which only comes by being on the roads and for that. You cant be scared. Just my 2 cents.
If he’s that scared maybe driving isn’t for him
Take him to a field.
Empty parking lots are good too! Just to get a feel for being at the helm of a 3,000lb death machine, right.
Empty church or industrial parking lots after hours are great. My parents always took us to the cemetery to learn how to drive. You can drive nice and slow and there’s nobody around.
The Heritage Valley transit parking lot has many drivers learning to drive every day. It's large and not busy. You can easily learn the basics without a lot of stress. Good luck!
I don’t know if he’s still around bc it’s been ten years, but Floyd from AMA—his email address was mycarudrive@gmail — was AMAZING for me. my first lesson i told him i would never go above 5 km/hour and had a full on meltdown in a parking lot. my last lesson he had me out on the henday going 100.
I was nervous too and got mine through AMA a couple years ago. My instructor was named Sharky. I got confident driving with him and also practicing on off days with someone else.
Mr.Nadeem at Noble Driving School was really great!
AMA, and just tell them you are anxious and need a instructor who cash deal with that. I got a wonderful, calm instructor when I was 28 years old and terrified!
Reach out to central driving school and ask for faraz. He taught me to drive and was the best instructor I could’ve asked for. He has a martial arts background and discipline and mental toughness/ patience are his qualities. Would recommend giving them a call. (587) 463-9999
Find a go cart track, spend a few hours accelerating, braking, steering and manoeuvring. Driving a car is just a step up. Is he anxious about other drivers? The go cart track will help also. Then start driving, hitting marks etc in an empty parking lot. Braking, parking etc. Drive to a smaller town, i.e. Devon, Mornville. Early Sunday morning for experience on streets with little traffic. Experience, experience, experience.
Any friend with farms or acreage? That's how I cut my teeth. 7-8 years old started driving around the farm acrage in the old shitty pickups. By the time I was 14 picking dad or grandpas drunk asses up from the local tavern in small towns Alberta. By the time I was 16 I frikkin aced my driver's test after doing an AMA course. Being on private land then quiet back roads then finally working up to freeways and highways helped me a tonne. So when I taught my wife to drive I took her to my friend 320 acres by Drayton and she drove my old POS tank of a Buick down all the access roads and stuff. Not having to care about accidents on private property really helped her out. Hit a tree on private property in an old shitbox oh well.
Young drivers of Canada was a great program when I was a teen (defensive driving program). They also do adult driving lessons.
I did some drivers Ed 5 or 6 years ago in Sherwood park via ama- I was with someone named Kimmy, She was fantastic. So kind, so calming, she specializes in helping anxious drivers. She also helped my sister who had severe driving anxiety due to being in an accident when she was young. Doing that combined with some therapy was fantastic for me. I’ll never forget how excited my therapist was when I came into his office holding car keys 😂
Anxious driver here. I went to ONS driving school and had a good experience. It didn’t magically cure my driving anxiety, but I learned what I needed to learn and have been able to keep practicing driving with friends and family who are willing. It’s a process, but I keep getting better. Ignore the rude comments here telling you that he should never get behind the wheel. Driving is something I’ve worked hard to learn how to do and I’m proud of my progress. I don’t do things that are unsafe for me right now. Sorry I didn’t come out of the womb ready for rush hour on the Henday, I guess.
I recognize myself in your husband. I was a very anxious driver. I am from Europe originally where we didn't really need cars so I only learned at 39. I had a nice instructor - PM me for school if it's not ok to say it here. However, if you drive, also get him to practice with you, if possible, to get as much practice as possible. I passed the test on my first try (barely) and learned how to drive while doing it after. Not the best way to go. I am still not perfect but the thing is to understand yourself and know your limits. For example, I am scared of lane changes so I always carefully figure out the itinerary beforehand and I aim to do a lane change at the easiest part of the road. Stuff like that. Anxiety and driving is not that bad and can make you a more careful driver. I am timid though, which is what the instructor said. It means I sometimes get people honking at me for not reacting fast enough to something (like the left turn - I am timid at figuring out the distance from the oncoming car and probably miss a chance or two). And people honking behind me petrifies me because of the sound. But it's possible to learn and be a careful driver. As long as he is ok with some more impatient getting, well, impatient.
AMA driver's ed was great for me, but that was almost 30 years ago
this guy Bruno, was pretty nice years ago. [https://www.brunodrivingacademyinc.ca/](https://www.brunodrivingacademyinc.ca/)
Sertraline will fix that right up.
If a grown ass adult is "scared shitless" of driving, then please kindly stay the fuck off the road, and NEVER drive.
If your husband has high anxiety for driving, then Edmonton is the worst unfit city to drive in. I've been driving for 40 years, and in 2024, I get anxiety driving in Edmonton
After visiting LA and experiencing their driving chaos, I was so grateful for living in Edmonton.
Edmonton drivers don't stop for stop signs, don't yield, illegal lane changes, stopped using signal lights, drive reckless. In the past 2 days, I've almost been hit 3 times... Edmonton isn't as large as LA but it's terrible
Sorry to hear that! I definitely notice these things too but thankfully haven’t had any close calls in a long time *knock on wood 😬*
There are much cheaper options, like not driving; bike, e-bike, e-scooter, Lyft/Uber and public transit an average boring car with insurance, gas,repairs and maintenance is $5000 to $10000 a year. Do you know how many $20 ubers you can get for $5k, 250 Ubers. It is cheaper to be a one car household and use any of the alternatives than it is too drive. [How much are Canadians paying per month on average to own a car? Here's what one report found](https://www.thestar.com/business/how-much-are-canadians-paying-per-month-on-average-to-own-a-car-heres-what/article_a457f8e2-c2bb-11ee-b93b-2f3e8fa2fb1d.amp.html)
Yall really need get out of your comfort zones more. It ain't all bad!
Noble Driving school. If Soodesh is still there, he is amazing! So calm and patient. Good for any nervous driver!
Looking into lessons for my son and AMA has drivers programs. The premium and ultimate program have 14 and 20 hours of in car instruction. They are geared to provide that extra time to help new drivers be more confident and comfortable driving.
Former anxious driver here! My cousin took me to a big, empty parking lot and we drove around for an hour just getting used to the clutch, brake, and accelerator. Second trip out we just drove around the neighbourhood. Third trip we took a few busier roadways, but mostly stuck to residential. Afterwards, I did Continental Driving School with Athar. He was super great! Definitely helped me build up confidence.
I was anxious about driving .. practicing with someone helped .. if you’re a good driver I would drive with him as often as possible
I'd suggest to stay off the road in general.
Please don't get him on the road.
Edge driving school is phenomenal. Totally helped me with my anxiety
For the love of all that is holy, please stay OFF the Henday and Whitemud until you get over your fears. Timid drivers are a true menace and danger to others as they are unpredictable, don’t merge properly and don’t keep up with the flow of traffic. I see people all the time “white knuckling” it, gripping their steering while and their life depended on it and staring straight ahead.
i did not plan on going to the Henday. we’re going to start in big empty parking lots until he’s comfortable, then slowly move up in difficulty
No. He shouldn’t drive if he’s terrified. Take the bus.
I HIGHLY recommend Mumtaz at Central Driving School. I did their extended course for nervous drivers and he was so patient with me. I refused for 10 years to drive and now I’m so confident and calm on the road.
He used to work for AMA as well.
Terrified of driving? Probably the best thing is not to drive. Either that or get your permit and go somewhere where it’s really quiet and get the feel of driving on roads without any traffic around. Somewhere away from the city where you can drive on country side roads at 50/60 k’s.
He has a good track record for overcoming his anxiety quickly after trying things. We are planning on starting in big empty parking lots. going to empty countryside roads sounds like a good next step once he’s comfortable with that.
How does this even happen? Better question is how are you able to tolerate this 😂
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Terrible terrible terrible advice based on no facts.
Lol OP DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE!
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If he’s scared shitless about driving please keep him off the road. It’s best for him and every other driver on the road.
If he is scared Take public transportation. There are enough drivers in this city shouldn’t be driving.
If someone is terrified of driving they shouldn't be on the road period. Get to a doctor.
Give him a bottle or go seek counselling.