Learning to drive

At this day and age it’s a bit outdated for a woman to not be able to drive. Women need to have their independence and having a driver’s license is a sure way to achieve that. At least that’s what almost everyone has been telling me for the past few years or so.

Problem is that it never really interested me that much and I always have a driver available to take me where I need to be. As I told a potential driving instructor last year, the hubster is the real reason why I don’t have my license yet. He is such a patient man and doesn’t mind carting me around wherever I need to be and if he’s not around I always have plan B (who’s name is dad) and plans C and D (my sisters).

What I never really cared to admit to people freely is my fear of accidents. I’ve been in many a minor accident caused by negligent drivers. Luckily it’s never been the drivers of the cars carting me around and I’m blessed that I’ve never sustained any physical injuries. That doesn’t mean that I don’t bear emotional scars.

Turns out all I needed was a little motivation that had nothing to do with immediate needs and all the what if’s that may happen if I didn’t have a license. So a few months ago I bought my first car and I finally decided to get into gear and learn to drive.

I honestly thought that I’d be a natural and drive from the word go seeing as though I’m a fast learner. I’ve heard many people say how easy it is to drive. None of them told me how difficult and positively nerve wrecking it actually is. Not to mention the concentration and co-ordination it requires. At the rate I’m learning, I think that those veteran drivers probably forgot how difficult it was to learn to drive for the first time.

I’ve made my start and as difficult it was initially, I can finally drive. Yay me! It’s a bit of a slow progress. The observations are killing me but I’m getting there. It’s invaded my subconscious too and I am checking mirror, mirror, blindspot, mirror in my dreams too. I even say it out loud when I drive too and it annoys the hubster no end.

When people advised me to let my husband teach me I used to laugh and say that we’d drive straight to the divorce courts. In real life it’s actually the most fun we’ve had in ages. We get some alone time and can laugh at my blips. Men love the opportunity to teach their wives some things, so his ego is getting some major strokes at my expense.

Just the other day a drunk driver nearly drove straight into me and my reflex action was brilliant. Not blowing my own horn here, staying alive was the order of the day. I’m proud to say that there’s not a single scratch on my car. The near miss had me in a tizz and I almost gave up on driving. My biggest fear surfaced that Saturday. I refused to drive any further and held up traffic while I got out the driver’s seat and let the hubster drive us home.

If I thought that he’d go easy on me that day, I was in a for a big surprise. He made me calm down a bit and demanded I drive again. “The best way to conquer your fear is to get behind that wheel again and drive”. I couldn’t believe my ears but like a good wife I obeyed my husband and took another drive.

I’m still nervous when I get behind the wheel but what that Saturday taught me was that no matter how crappy the next person drives, I have control over the vehicle I drive and that is something I should use to my advantage. After all, K53 is all about responsible driving and the safety of yourself and other road users. I still think that people need to start acting more responsibly on the road but hey I’m sure they’ll see the light someday. Hopefully not the ambulance lights.

Right now driving is about conquering my fear and getting my license. I can’t recall taking this long to learn and perfect anything ever. My kids are still deciding if the glass is half full where my driving is concerned, but hey it will give me more time to slip them when I get my license one of these days.

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