For most people, turning 17 meant one thing - YOU CAN START LEARNING TO DRIVE! For me, not so much. My parents offered to get me driving lessons for my 17th and honestly, I couldn't of been less interested. No particular reason why, I just remember not being bothered about it. As you can imagine, I soon regretted this, whilst everyone else was passing their tests and getting cars, I was still stuck getting the bus everywhere and asking for lifts. Then I went to uni and didn't actually need to drive/own a car. I knew I had to learn at some point, but by this time (nearly mid 20's) I felt more scared than ever.
Learning to drive is daunting for everyone, but I think you just have to be brave and do it! And know that everyone is a learner at some point and everyone has felt how you're feeling. Its never going to not be scary. Don't get me wrong, I put this off for years, but as terrifying as it was, I just had to book a lesson and DO IT! So thats exactly what I did, a year later, I can legally drive a flipping car!! That is still absolutely mad to me, I never ever thought I would be able to do it and yet here I am. I hope that doesn't sound dramatic, I know driving isn't that big of a deal to some people, but it really was/is to me!
I wanted to share this incase any of you are going through the same things I did, not as young and fearless as you once were, or maybe you're in your teens and starting to drive - this applies to you too!
(grab a cup of tea, its probably gona be a lengthy one)
I also wanted to talk about learning to drive after you've learnt to drive, because thats something I've really struggled with and I don't think many people really talk about that (maybe its just me that feels this way!). More on that later! For now, heres some things I learned along the way -
Think of the bigger picture
I can't tell you how many times I came in crying/mad/upset/frustrated after having a lesson and how many times I'd said "I'M NEVER DOING IT AGAIN!". But just think, after all the shitty times you have learning to drive, once you've passed, thats it! You never have to do it again!! Just reminding yourself of that end goal makes all the crappy lessons you have worth it.
Have patience
Something I don't have a lot of, but something that is so necessary with learning to drive. It won't happen over night, you probably won't feel like you can do it after 4 or even 10 lessons, but know that eventually you will! I promise! I remember my sister telling me this and I would just roll my eyes and think whatever, I won't - but you do, and I did! It took me nearly a year, it might take other people less, other people longer, and thats fine!
Don't be so hard on yourself!
No one knows what they're doing when they start driving, it feels really alien and there are so many things you're like "eh?" at. But don't get too annoyed at yourself, you will have good days and bad days with lessons & learning, don't beat yourself up because you did a few things wrong and your driving instructor was like ?!!?! at you. It happens, you're there to LEARN! I wish I hadn't got so frustrated at myself at times.
Try not to be too disheartened if you fail your test
I failed my first test and it felt like the world was ending hahaha (yes, a tad dramatic but it wasn't nice let me tell you!). Its very very shit after you've worked so hard and you know you can do it, to then have someone tell you nope, not happening today! What I learnt from this is that it is LITERALLY what happens on the day, it has no reflection on how well you can drive or how ready you are to pass. My instructor told me to go and book another test when I got in, I remember being like yeh ok and thinking, hell no, I'm not bloody doing that again. But I got in, had my few hours of sulking and then booked another one, reluctantly might I add but I wasn't about to let one stupid thing ruin my many months of hard work!
Buy the Theory app and learn from your phone
SUCH a good way to learn & revise. In a way, I'm glad I waited until now to learn, this gal would've been learning on a cd at a desktop computer back in the day otherwise!
Lastly, try and treat your test like its a normal lesson with a different instructor, be as prepared as possible (practise the test routes, they also have videos on youtube!) and don't forget to just breathe!
I hope this was somewhat useful for anyone learning and I didn't waffle too much (definitely did).
- Driving after you've passed -
Woooo! So you've passed, your excited to drive and also slightly skeptical about how it will be driving on your own. For me, I never expected to feel how I've been feeling. I knew it would be weird driving on my own and everyone says you actually learn to drive after you've learnt to drive, but I just thought I would fall back into it and it would be fine - NOPE! Not for me.
I finally got a car after months of searching Auto Trader and Gumtree (absolute nightmare 12/10 would not recommend). I felt like I'd waited for this day for SO long, I was even more excited because it was a fancy new one (well, a year old, but felt & looked brand new!) and I never expected to have the car that I do have for my first one.
ANYWAY, I digress, the point is, I felt like this would be the best thing ever and actually, it felt like the total opposite. The thought of driving made me want to vom, I couldn't think of anything worse. I didn't like it and felt so incredibly anxious to even set foot in it. It made me feel awful, like I was being ungrateful, here I was with a car of my own ~finally~ and I didn't even want to go in it. I thought I would love it! Was I weird?! Was I just going to be one of them people that didn't like driving?! Ugh no! I felt so embarrassed when people would ask me how it was going, I was supposed to be excited and happy, but I just wasn't. Everyone was telling me to go easy on myself, I hadn't driven in 4 months it was bound to feel strange! Any new driver would feel a bit odd, but I felt like I was having the toughest time with it, I didn't remember anyone else being like this.
So I've had my car for nearly 2 months now, I feel much better about it and I'm actually starting to like it! Thank god! I knew I would get there but a part of me was worried I would just hate it forever! Just wanted to pop this extra bit in here as its something that had really gotten me down for a while (I know, absolute first world problems right) and maybe other people have felt this?! I don't know, but if you have, I feel you!
If you got to the end of this, well done!
Corinafay x
