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Hey Trisphee!

So, I've had my learner's permit for a while now, say two years? (I got it renewed once.)
Whenever I'm on the road, I get terribly anxious. My palms get all sweaty and I sometimes I make mistakes which pisses people off which makes me even more anxious. Although, I do okay-ish for most of the time, parking is where it really gets me. ;_; 90% of the time, I'm too close to one side of the lines in a parking space or crooked. Oh, and I'm really, just completely, AWKWARD at handling the steering wheel. For some reason, I don't maneuver the wheel smoothly like other drivers? I don't know.

Any tips? I really want to pass my road test before I turn 20 because my mother makes it a big deal that most people my age drive already, which I don't really know if it's true or not but it's not helping my self esteem. (I'm 19, btw.)

Practice. That's all it is. If you have your learner's permit I assume you have another driver with you? If your anxious, maybe see if there are other people you can drive with that might make you more comfortable. Even now after I've had my novice license for 2 years I still get wiggy driving with my dad. He's a terrible passenger and likes to fiddle with stuff. I have no such issues when my stepmother was with me. I was naturally nervous though, and I found that just practicing until I got better was the way to sort that out.

If it helps, do you have another car you could try? Certain cars are harder to drive than others. I don't like driving my mom's van, but I love my little car. Same with my driving instructors' cars. Some I had an easy time in, others not so much. It affected how I thought I was doing.

For the record, I'm over 30 and failed my first attempt at my road test two years ago. Don't feel bad because it looks like you're taking your time. ;)

Here is a tip for parking while I think of it. Try lining yourself up with one line of the stall, rather than both. Depending on how wide a spot is, you can make a guess as to how far away you need to be from each line and focus on hitting that distance on one side. If you take care of one, the other is already fine.

I took a driver's ed course when I was 16. It helped, because all of the other drivers were just as bad, and there was someone with a brake pedal in the passenger's seat.

More recently, it took me three tries to get my motorcycle license.

For me driving is one of the easiest things. Same with parking yet I know a lot of people that have issues with it. So in the end I tell them all the same thing for parking.

1. Pull up so your side mirror aliens with the other car.
2. Start backing in slowly turning your wheel half way of the direction needed to pack up.
3. Once the line between passager and front seat of the car reaches the end of the parallel car start turning the wheel back towards the opposite direction and level the car out as your backing in.
4. Once you reach that point even the car out and your done.

This is the way I was taught and it works every time! I hope you are able to pass and get over your issues!

Parallel parking takes a bit of practice with each car you drive. Different vehicles have different lengths and different wheelbases, so the specific positioning that works for one car might end up with you bumping your back-right wheel into the curb in a different car or with a big gap between the car and the curb in another one. (I had to learn how to parallel park in a van. It took living in Los Angeles for a couple years to get the hang of it in my tiny little Chevy Spark.)

Fortunately, if you actually look over your shoulder like you're supposed to instead of using your mirrors, you can stop before actually HITTING something. (Not counting the curb, but bumping your tire into the curb a little doesn't hurt anything.)

The "formula' for parallel parking worked well for me. And yes, it will need to be tweaked for each car. My stepbrother took me out for that particular lesson and he watched the car enough to tell me that my car's back end would overswing, so if I followed the rules precisely, my rear end would actually start to swing out of the spot again. I have to adjust what I was doing to park properly.

Time well spent, though. The person manning the test complimented me on my parallel park job. :)

Another tip that helped me out a lot for reversing: When going backwards, find something in the middle of your rear window or in the back of your car that you can line up with something where you want your car to go, like a fence post or something. Keep the two in line with each other and keep a straight line. My instructor compared it to sighting a rifle, which I've done enough to know.

My viewpoint on parking spaces: As long as you're between the lines, it's legal, and if you feel like you're too close to another vehicle, you can always carefully back out and readjust. or if you're like me, you can back into the space so you can see what's around you easier when you pull out.

I seriously hate parallel parking. I learned the same formula as Pink Pantzer, but I've found it easier to just not... I live in a small town... and even when I drive in the nearest city, I'll look for parking places where I can just pull in without having to parallel park. Yeah, this means sometimes, I'm a few blocks from where I wanted to be, but walking isn't all that bad, most of the time.

Oh geez, I agree, I'll take a more inconvenient spot over having to parallel park. Living in Los Angeles meant I didn't have that option many times, so I had to learn how to do it, but I'll still skip a spot for an easier one.

I have to use my mirrors for that, since there's a piece of frame in my shoulder check. I had to get those stick on circular mirrors to fix the garish blindspot I had to deal with while changing lanes. Best use of $5.

I make myself parallel park to stay in practice, but having a little, highly maneuverable car helps.

Also, Starry? Don't feel bad about having your permit for so long. I didn't get my full license until I was 17, after getting it at 14 and failing the test twice at that. Go at the pace that feels right to you. That will help make things less stressful. and if anyone tries griefing you for it, tell them to take a hike. Not everyone is ready to drive at a specific age.