Get the survey done, with corner points set and a map provided. Get a copy of your assessment (County Assessor's office). It may mention something about the driveway.
Go to your neighbor with this and any other info that definitively shows that it is a shared driveway.
Don't threaten any legal action until after you guage your neighbor's response. It may simply be a misunderstanding that proper information and friendly discussion will clear up. As you said, "I don't want the neighbors to hate me right off the bat".
If they refuse to yield your half of the driveway to you, then you may have no other viable option than to threaten and pursue legal action.

