Can't help much more than indigo about the driving part - I only drive mom's car and carshare cars. I hate driving places I do not know because I don't drive too often.
Whoever would have been held up might have notice you just had a run-in with the pole. I know drivers are more impatient these days but they CAN wait those couple seconds. So never mind, it's better not to make dangerous moves.

But feeling like a dork is not good - don't put yourself down. I once put myself down so much over a watch I'd lost - I was unconsolable for a day - and particularly because it was a gift from dad, and the down-putting was exactly a reaction to how my dad acts in such situations - I got even more pissed off at myself.

Re the GPS, I think you should not use it all the time.

Sitting down to plan an unknown route makes you less dependent. Works your grey matter too. Yes, sometimes following directions sucks but practice makes you better.