Top 10 biggest fears of new drivers

Whether you learn to drive as a fresh-faced teenager or wait until you’re a little older and wiser, all learners go through the same experiences.

From the sense of fear as you first drive down a slipway to join a motorway, to the challenge of trying to parallel park on a busy road – every new driver faces their own set of fears and worries.

New research from Car Parts 4 Less has revealed just what these fears are, as well as how long it takes Brits to learn how to drive.

A staggering 70% of UK adults said they were not confident driving alone immediately after passing their test, with 4% claiming they still don’t feel confident to this day.

The biggest concern for a third of new female drivers was driving on the motorway (35%) whereas the biggest worry for men was crashing (28%).

The average licensed driver (19%) only needed 16 to 20 hours of lessons on average (including driving with a friend or relative) before passing their driving test.

However, one in five (17%) needed over 41 hours – proving that for some, learning to drive isn’t a walk in the park. Most took 6-8 months to learn (22%).

Men were more likely to require fewer lesson hours than women – 20% of men took 16-20 hours whereas 22% of women needed more than 41. Men were also more likely to pass their theory and practical tests the first time compared to women.

Nationwide, more than half (58%) passed their theory test first time and 44% passed their practical test on the first go too. One in 10 (10%) took five or more attempts to pass their practical test.

Top 10 biggest fears of new drivers

1. Motorway driving (31%)
2. Crashing (28%)
3. Driving in bad weather, eg rain or snow (26%)
4. Parallel parking (26%)
5. Stalling (22%)
6. Reverse parking (20%)
7. Driving at night (19%)
8. Driving on new or unknown roads (14%)
9. Driving alone (14%)
10. Car maintenance, eg replacing oil or petrol (13%)