Learning to Drive: A Demoralizing Burden?

There's a test that most of us take in life which is completely different to going into a hall full of lined up individual desks and chairs. It's a test where you're not clenching that plastic wallet full of pens just in case one decides to run out as the hands on the clock tick down that final menacing minute. It's a test where you can't flick back through a paper to make sure you've answered every question. A test where you can't look back and scribble out a mistake. It's a test where everything around you affects your success, and ultimately whether you pass or fail. Of course, I am talking about the dreaded driving test.

I've thought about writing a blog post about this for a while now, but after failing my test for the THIRD time, I figured there wasn't a more appropriate opportunity. I am not a negative person. However, learning to drive can be a life ruiner. Not only does it gobble up time and money, but failing the test is demoralizing. When you go from getting decent grades in school to failing a test which you've pretty much paid almost two grand for in preparation (yes I will have hit the two grand mark now), it just shatters your confidence, and makes you question; what have I done to deserve THIS? It's even worse when everyone else in your friendship group has passed first time and says 'Oh don't worry, you'll pass third time'. Third time lucky... yeah right.

In all fairness, I could understand why I failed my first two tests; the first time I conked up my 3 point turn, and the second time I may have kind of gone through a red light... (don't ask). However, this time, I made a mistake which everyone makes in every day driving. I was driving on a roundabout, but I realised I was in the left hand lane instead of the right hand lane. I said to the driving instructor 'oh I'm in the wrong lane' so I indicated to the right, checked my mirrors, and made sure the man in the car behind on the right knew what I was doing. I thought he'd even gestured for me to come in. Anyway, I ended up in the correct lane, and thought the problem was safely solved.

Driving back to the test center felt great, this time I genuinely felt I'd passed. I'd nailed my reverse around the corner too, and at the end of the day, what I'd done on the roundabout was the safest thing to do right? Wrong. My hopes were shattered with the words 'I'm really sorry but you haven't passed'. It's the fact they don't even say the big F word; 'FAILED'. Instead, they give you a sense of false hope through the emphasis of the first word of the contraction 'HAVE... n't'. She even had the cheek to say 'oh if the car was a few metres back you'd have passed'. Excuse me, but how is this morally acceptable? Anyhow, apparently signalling, using my mirrors and changing lanes was in fact just too dangerous for the examiner's liking...

It doesn't really help how I've had the same one three times now. It's actually quite embarrassing really. Next time I may pocket a gun or a shovel in case the same examiner decides to fail me again... ;)

I guess I decided to write this post as a shout out to any other girls who feel that learning to drive has physically drained and degraded them; YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I won't stand defeated by driving though; guess I'm just going to have to keep telling myself that it's not the end of the world, book another test, and try, try and try again.

Speak soon!

Alex

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