Hi lovelies! How is everyone? I recently passed my G2 driving test and I wanted to share my experience. It was a major accomplishment for me, since I didn’t have the confidence to even try for so many years!
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Why was I afraid of driving in the first place?
As a child, I had a recurring nightmare that I’d be alone in a car and it would just start on its own. I would panic, not knowing what to do! I would always wake up before the car crashed. I’ve also never been very good at sports or videogames… basically I don’t have an instinct for hand-eye coordination. For these reasons, I was afraid of learning to drive. I continuously put it off, and I had pretty much made up my mind that I didn’t need to know how to drive. I live in a pretty big city after all, with decent bus service. Uber is also an option. However, I did sometimes feel like a burden to my friends whenever we went on road trips, as I could never help with the driving. I also began to think about the future. Not knowing how to drive would mean I’d depend on my partner to drive our future kids around to appointments, sports, etc. I was also limiting myself on where to live. If I ever decided to move out to the country, I would definitely feel more comfortable being able to get around on my own.
I made up my mind to TRY
Last year, I finally made up my mind to at least give driving a try. If I really hated it, at least I would have tried, right? I took full driving lessons last summer. These included a portion in class and 10 hours on the road with an instructor. I was very nervous being behind the wheel at first, but I slowly started gaining more confidence. I was lucky to have found a calm instructor as well: some of my friends shared horror stories of rude and impatient instructors they’ve had to deal with!
After getting laser eye surgery last fall, I put off practicing for a few months so I culd let my eyes fully heal. I decided it would be easier to practice with my own car, and also use it for the test. Therefore, I bought my first car for my thirtieth birthday this June. My dad helped me choose it as I knew nothing about cars. Having my own car definitely helped me to gain more confidence behind the wheel. I was able to get comfortable with my own vehicle.
I scheduled my test for late August. During the weeks leading up to my test, I practiced driving nearly every day. I also studied like crazy, using my notes from the driving lessons, tips from family and friends, YouTube videos, and even binge watched Canada’s Worst Driver! What helped me the most was doing mindfulness meditation and visualisation exercises. These really helped me keep any nervousness under control.
Try and you shall succeed
I’m so thrilled that I passed my test on my first try! Some of my friends said that even if you’re a good driver, you might fail on your first try for a silly reason. My examiner was strict, but fair. She told me I was slightly overcautious, and that I needed to be a little more aggressive on the road. Otherwise, I knew what I was doing.
Being able to get places independently has been such a treat. I’m so glad I did this before staring a family of my own. Ordering fast food in drive thrus has been one of the most exciting things for me about driving (haha!). I still have a lot to learn: I’d like to know how to change a tire on my own, and to know more about how the engine works. If you lack the confidence to try learning to drive, remember this: you control the car, the car doesn’t control you. That was a very liberating statement for me. I can honestly say that I truly enjoy driving now!
Can you believe we are almost in mid September? I am thrilled that the fall weather has returned! It’s going to be awesome to enjoy the fall scenery as I drive.
How old were you when you learned to drive? Thanks for reading and take care! 🙂
