You can certainly learn how to drive a van without having any prior experience with that kind of vehicle. Driving is very much a learning as you do it, kind of skill and driving a van is no different. All you need to do is practice until you feel comfortable driving a van in public places.
Many people are intimidated by the size of a van and think that it must be very difficult to drive, but that isn’t always the case. More often than not, many vans are just as easy to drive as a car is.
A van may drive a bit differently, but it really only takes minimal practice to get used to driving one. With a few hours of practice driving, you should have driving a van mastered and be able to hit the road.
You Can Learn to Drive a Van
You most certainly can learn how to drive a van with little to no previous experience. Like anything, you can teach it to yourself and learn the ins and outs of driving a van like you would any other vehicle.
Driving a van is not particularly difficult; it just takes some time and patience until you get the hang of it. It will feel different at first, but you can easily get used to it.
Vans may be larger vehicles, but they still run similarly to how a car runs and can be driven in much the same way. A van will feel different, but that is something very easy to adjust to.
All you really need to learn how to drive a van is a few hours, a van, and a space to practice at. Ideally, this would be an empty parking lot or another isolated area.
Within a few hours of driving around, you should be able to get the hang of driving a van with ease.
It is Not Difficult to Drive Most Vans
Most ordinary vans are very easy to drive and do not require any special set of skills. Commercial vans are a different matter, but you aren’t going to be buying a commercial van for personal use anyway.
The smaller the van, the easier it is going to be to drive as it will feel like a car, but most vans will drive very much like a car.
Most of what sets a van apart from a car are its size which can make navigating a bit different and make it feel different to drive. Once you have driven a van a few times, it becomes very easy to adapt to these small differences.
You Do Not Need Experience to Drive a Van
Some people may think that you have to have experience before driving a van, but that actually is incorrect. Though you may think that there are special requirements around driving a van, there really aren’t.
Anyone can drive a van if they want to, and you can even buy one without having any special driving skills. Anyone can own and drive a van if they wish to, it is just up to them to learn how to safely drive it.
Like any vehicle, it is up to you to be responsible and learn how to drive it. Though you can always hire someone to help you learn, you can just as easily do it on your own.
Driving is one of those things that you learn as you do it and the rules are the same as when you go your car license. So simply driving around in a safe area is a great way of teaching yourself how to drive a van.
This simple and low-stress way of learning is very effective even if you have no prior experience driving vans.
Basic Van Safety for Beginners
Even though driving a van is not that different from driving other vehicles like a car, it has its own differences. Driving a van also requires a little more thought on safety as you are wielding a larger vehicle.
With any vehicle, safety is something that you should always keep in mind, especially when driving around other vehicles. But it is especially important in a van as it is larger and can do much more damage if you aren’t careful.
If you are just starting to learn how to drive a van, here are a few safety concerns to keep in mind. They will help you to become a more responsible and confident driver.
Be Aware of Blind Spots
Blind spots will be the biggest thing you need to watch out for when driving a van. With a bigger vehicle comes bigger blind spots than other vehicles, that people and bicyclists can hide in.
This can be a real hazard if you do not remain aware of these blind spots as you drive. You will want to make sure that your van has high-quality mirrors to help you find your blind spots and keep an eye on them.
When you first start to drive a van and are learning how to do it correctly, this is something to always keep in mind.
Watch Out for Size
One of the first things that you will notice when you start to practice driving a van is the pure size of it. Though most ordinary vans are not exceptionally big, they are a great deal larger than a car is.
This can be the hardest thing to get used to as you practice driving your van. It can also be a safety hazard if you do not learn how to properly manage the large vehicle.
Vans are generally longer and taller than other smaller-sized vehicles, making them a little more difficult to navigate. This will take some getting used to as taking turns, and parking will be some of the hardest skills to learn.
Anytime you drive a van, you will need to be aware of the size and drive more cautiously because of that. This is purely because you want to make sure you are navigating the vehicle safely and not getting too close to other vehicles on the road.
Be Aware of a Van’s Slower Braking
Braking is another thing about driving a van that may surprise someone who has never driven one before.
Braking on a van is going to be different than on a car since a van is considerably heavier than a car. This will cause a slight delay or drag with the brakes, making the van come to a full stop a bit slower than you might be used to.
Because of this, you will need to get used to braking sooner rather than later to come to a full stop in time. This is an important habit to create in order to remain safe and have enough distance as you drive.
This will be important for stop signs, traffic lights, and when you have to stop behind someone.
Pros and Cons of Learning to Drive a Van
If you want to learn how to drive a van there are a few pros and cons to practicing how to do so. Some people don’t like to practice and would rather jump in and learn by experience, and this does work for some.
In general, practicing beforehand is the smart and responsible thing to do when you are not familiar with a certain vehicle.
Practicing allows you to better understand how a van works and what you need to drive one. It will also help you become more comfortable and confident behind the wheel of a van.
So, if you want to learn how to drive a van, here are some of the pros and cons.
Pros
- It will give you more driving confidence, and you will have more experience from it. The ability to drive a van will also make you more capable of driving other large vehicles like trucks or an SUV.
- You will be able to safely drive a larger vehicle on the road and feel more confident doing so.
- Practicing will help you become more skilled much faster as you practice at one time instead of trying to practice as you have to drive somewhere.
Cons
- You may not have access to a van before buying one, which would mean that you would have to make the big investment first. It is always ideal to first use someone else’s van to practice with before buying your own, just make sure you are covered by insurance when you do.
- You may not be able to find a secluded place to practice, which would still mean that you have to practice around other vehicles. This is not ideal, but it may be your only option depending on your area.
- Practicing takes time that you will have to set aside purely for practice driving. This should only take a few hours and should be done in the daylight.