Adrian
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The act of driving a car straight is a, mostly, subconscious act. I used to have this problem during the first couple years of my driving. Let me explain. First of all, you are having trouble doing this because you are consciously juggling MANY tasks of the road at once, including how to drive in a straight line on the road. It is best you learn how to do this subconsciously and master it before you drive on more complex and faster paced roads, like say the highway or multi lane busy roads with speed limits of 45 mph or higher.
Today's cars are built so that you cannot see the hood of your car or the trunk of your car. They are designed to create a kind of visual distortion, mostly to create a cushion of space by fooling the driver into thinking there is less space than there really is. This is for safety reasons. As you practice driving the car, you are going to get a more firmer feel for the spatial awareness of the front of the car. You will notice this when parking the car.
With that in mind, you shouldn't really rely on seeing the hood of your car as judgement. Here is how I learned to do it. The key here, when learning, is using your side view mirrors as a judement to see if you are correct. Use them occasionally, while driving, to see how spaced out you are in between the lane markings. You should be able to see the lanes markings in the mirrors AND the side of your car, if they are adjusted properly. If you have adjusted your side view mirrors to see a wider angle, so they eliminate blind spots, then you might need to tilt your head to the side a bit to see the side of your car. Dont rely on your rear view mirror as that isnt really going to give you a good judgement.
Only look to the side view mirrors as a final judgement, and only when it is safe to do so, like say once every minute. As you learn, you will find you wont need to use the side view mirrors as final judgement, and it is better this way, because you can focus on the road more. Now as you use the side view mirrors, you should also look in front of you to your left side, actually to the edge of your windshield (if this is a left hand drive car). Notice where the lane's marker line is. Now look in your left side mirror and look at the space between the lane and your car (make sure you can see your car in the mirror). Now look through the windshield and notice where the right lane's marker line is, and then look at your right side mirror and notice how far your car is. Correct your steering so that the car has equal space between the lane markings as evidenced by your side view mirrors. When you look at the lanes through the wideshield, look at the very bottom of the windshield so that you can better make a mental note of where the lane marker meets the windshield. Being able to do this will also come in handy everytime you need to park your car parallel to a curb after approaching it from an angle.
You will be doing this for a few months. After that you will notice that your subconscious mind has learned to judge for itself how the car is in the lane, using just your view of the road through the windshield. You will also notice that you will be able to look further up the windshield, expanding your field of view by 10 to 20 feet and using that as judgement to tell how your car is positioned in the lane.
When driving on a lane that is curving to an angle, or making a turn, you will have to use your judgement of the lane marker that is to the right of you (when making a left) or the lane marker that is to the left of you (when making a right). You will be judging how far your bumper is to the edge of the lane or corner of the turn. Of course, if you decide to check your side view mirrors for your position in the lane while in this situation (which I would not recommend), you will notice that the space behind you is narrow, thus not giving you an accurate measurement to see if you are correct. This is why you must learn to, eventually, use what you see ahead of you as your judgement.
Of course, this is all done subconsciously, like as if it is second nature to you. When you get to the point when you can do this without even thinking about it, then you are ready to be on the road. Untill then, it's best to learn this while on a slower road like say one that is or is less than 35 mph speed limit, or better yet.. you can also safely learn this in any empty parking lot that has curbs and parking markings.
The ultimate test comes when you are lucky enough, or unlucky.., to come across a multi lane road that has no lane markings at all. There are some that haven't been painted yet, due to various reasons. Even a snow covered road that normally has lane markings will give you this same effect. You wont have any lane markings to use as judgement, you will have to use the space around you as judgement. The space you can see with your windshield and side door windows. If this is the case, also use the land barriers around you as judgement. It's also good practice to do this even if there are lane markings so you can further advance your skill. If you ever do get to the point where you can drive and be in the lane without even needing to look at the lane markings, just the space between you and the land barriers, and you are perfectly in the center of the lane.. then you, my friend, will have truly mastered this skill.
As you learn this skill, try not to ONLY focus on the lane markings by themselves. Focus on the totality of what you see. Focus on the lane markings, but also what is around them, for example, other cars, and even the lane markings of the lane beside your immediate lane. Remember, your primary focus is ALWAYS what is DIRECTLY in front of you. But dont worry, this skill will be subconscious to you in time, which will allow you to focus more easily on what is in front of you. |
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Adult 
Gambling
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Deception
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