I passed my test beginning of feb this year, after being a qualified nurse for 25yrs+ (big change, iknow.) I have recently got my first driving job, which is working for a popular frozen food store, doing multi drop store deliveries, some trunking involved too.. i have been driving on my own for two weeks now, im absolutely loving it, but in that two weeks i have had two accidents, first one was 50/50 i indicated left on motorway to get back into first lane, and a car in my blind spot was moving across to the right. Second accident was a weird one, turning right and a medium sized roundabout, as i indicated left to leave roundabout a car suddenly appeared in front of me trying to go across me as i was leaving the roundabout, but then he drove off!! I also went dow a one way street in the first two weeks.
My question is, is this normal because its really knocking my confidence, and im going into work thinking im about to get sacked, i realky need to shake this off and get on with the job, but i cant help constantly thinking about it all..
Take a good deep breath as you press out into the traffic at the start of your shift, thinking, ‘I’m in charge. I’m in the driving seat. This is all my responsibility.’ And then drive as if you were on the test, using all the anticipation and observation that goes with it. You’ll be fine. Feeling responsible is the key. By the end of the morning you’ll feel skilful. Once you’ve got through a week without incident you’ll feel appreciated too. Feeling responsible, skilful and appreciated are the three legs of your stool of self-confidence. Your self-confidence will return quickly.
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on passing your test and getting a good job so quick!
As has already been mentioned, use the skills you showed on passing your test and the confidence will grow with driving time (avoiding any more accidents).
Some might argue that the first one wasn’t a 50/50. It sounds like you have missed a car in your blindspot. It happens, but be sure to set your mirrors at the start of each shift for the best possible view, to make the blind spot as small as possible. Consistent mirror checks will also help you to see when there is something in the blind spot. It’ll become instinct in time with good mirror checks.
The second one again could have been avoided with good mirror checks I suspect. Expect car drivers to cut up your nearside on exiting roundabouts and check your mirrors accordingly. If there are 2 lanes when exiting the roundabout, stay in your right lane until you have a space to come over.
It only takes one lapse in concentration and you’ll usually find there is somebody there ready to bump into you with how much traffic there is nowadays.
If they haven’t sacked you yet you should be safe, so keep using the skills you have learnt and you might go years without another accident
I disagree with you there although I realise that I have always followed a different practice which conforms to French teaching but possibly not British.
IMO, in Britain, you should stick to the outside of a roundabout indicating right until you pass the last exit that you do not need, then indicate left to take that exit. That way you only have to concentrate on one side and it is unlikely that someone could pull through to the left of you.
I never took a test in Britain because I got my HGV experience before such things existed but I have lived in France for 25 years and am very pleased to report that the above is the way French lorry drivers are taught. Obviously switching the above according to the different rules of the road.
That was the Highway Code advice in the '60s when I took my test. However, when the Highway Code was rewritten in the early '70s that advice was reversed. To this day you should stick to the left-hand lane and indicate left after the first exit to go straight on; or if it’s a two-lane entry and exit, use the outside lane (but NEVER indicate right because that means you’re heading for the third exit). However, in a lorry, unless it was a really major multi-laned roundabout, I always entered by the inside lane, going deep into the ‘hole’ on the left to keep the trailer neatly out of the way, and indicated left to depart in the second exit (straight on). This meant that I would never be trapped in the outside lane on departure from the roundabout by faster moving traffic crowding the inside lane. I also applied exactly this modus operandi when driving in France.
Don’t worry about it too much or dwell on it, I had loads of incidents when I first started, one was doing a U turn in a restaurant car park in Portugal and as the trailer turned it took off the front of a coach.
I dropped a full load of ceramic tiles from Valencia in a yard but the surface was too soft and when I pulled away with the tractor unit to unhook from the trailer, it went down like the Titanic with the front dropping down, I had to hand ball the load off to get a fork lift out to lift up the trailer.
I once wrote off a lorry on my first drop of my first shift with a company on the agency. It was a double run, each one being a trailer swap. I arrived for my first swap, and basically had a runaway on a downward slope because I hooked up without checking the trailer brake, plus I left the handbrake off. I been working for them for just 3 hours It was a total insurance write off. The bloke at the agency was fuming.
But, the reason I tell you that, is because I learnt massively from it. I never again, over the following 21 years, ever came close to that happening again. I regard not the incident itself as normal (it felt horrible), but the fact I made a mistake within months of passing my test was very normal.
I’d say not having incidents of some kind isn’t normal actually.
Employers know this, which is why it’s very hard for new drivers, and why they often (but not always) end up with those firms that are always advertising and pay crap.
Try not to worry too much mate. Just treat it as an opportunity for learning. We have all made mistakes like that.
I see what you mean but a lot of the multi lane roundabouts have arrows on the ground for the outside lane to be a left turn and the inside lane to be right etc. Most work well but there are some that send you into the right hand lane of your exit leading to the sort of problem mentioned by the OP.
Thats exactly what i did, the roundabout did t have segrated lanes as it wasnt that big, so i went round on the right concentrating on the right, after i passed the exit prior to mi e i i dicated left to exit the roundabout, thats when the car tried to come in front of me, then drove off.. there wouldnt have been much room on the roundabout other than me, so he should have waited until had exited and then come onto the roundabout, give way to the right?? Which he clearly did not do, if he was at the side of my trailer when i indicated left i would not have seen him.. but then he drove off, me thinking no insurance or stolen! But none of that helps my case with the transport manager…
Ah that sounds more like a case of him driving into you than anything you have done wrong. What has the transport manager said to you after the 2 incidents?
If you have a permanent contract with them and he hasn’t given you any sort of warning then you should be fine. Just try to stay out of trouble until it’s forgotten about
I’ve damaged 2 tail lifts, done the side bars in on our rigid and today the nearside trailer foot caught a curb whilst reversing into a stores delivery area (because residents are now blocking are drive in drive out access) it got repaired and I continued. Think I caught a camber as it’s not happened before.
Don’t dwell on it and just crack on. If you deliver to the one in billericay you’ll see our drivers deliver next door
I’m a bit puzzled because on the one hand you say that the advice I follow was changed in the '70s and now the advice is to stay in the left hand (ie outside) lane of the roundabout 'till you approach your exit then signal left.
Isn’t that exactly what I said? The only difference is that I advocate using the right indicator until the last non-required exit is passed. I do that, and, unless it has changed since I was working, that is what the French advised. The reason for that is to try and stop other vehicles passing on the roundabout, not always successful which may be why I see the French often squeezing even dual carriageways into one lane on entry to roundabouts.
To my mind there should be no lanes on roundabouts and it should be illegal to overtake on them. Which seems to be the way French thinking is heading.
I can think of nothing more dangerous than a large vehicle, especially an artic, hugging the inside of the roundabout and then have to cross other traffic to get to their exit. If I have read the OP correctly, isn’t that what happened there?
That’s exactly where it all goes wrong: the left hand lane ISN’T the outside lane. Are you mixing up French and UK which side of the road you’re thinking of?
No I am not but I see what you mean. I mean the outside lane on the roundabout, that is the lane furthest from the centre. I did make it clear when I said
Whatever the correct terminology I simply cannot understand why anyone should think it a good idea for an artic to be near the centre of a roundabout and then suddenly switch indication and head across traffic on its blind side.
So much easier to be next to the outer edge of the whole construction with only the need to watch one side which happens not to be your blind side. Happily for me, the French authorities agree.
A quick question for @star_down_under, do you still have those ‘diamond turns’ in Queensland. I always thought they were a good idea after my initial surprise at them.
Also, less good to my way of thinking, give way to the right, even when on a main road. OK here in France (though many French people ignore them which makes me even more alert) where we drive on the right, but in a state where you drive on the left, very strange.
Before I worked for Buntine, I had a local delivery job in Darwin and one day had to head out south on the Stuart. Away to my right a saw a dust cloud headin SE thus slowly closing on my route. Imagine my alarm when this turned out to be a ute at speed and he entered my road just ahead of me without slackening. He had the right of way.
It was a total insurance write off. The bloke at the agency was fuming.
