Learning to drive?

[danni55]

Is anyone currently learning to drive as an older learner? Or just learning to drive in general I guess.

I’m 32 and have had 2 lessons so far, and wondered if anyone else was in the same position so I had someone to chat too? I feel like I’ll never get it and all of my friends passed years ago so don’t really understand how I’m feeling.

I’m 38 and just passed my theory test yesterday. Booked my practical test in a month. So far ive done about 35 hours of lessons with the instructor and hoping for 8 more hours before I do my test. I don’t expect to pass first time but I will look at it as a practice run.

I learnt to drive at 29 and was so nervous! Everyone I know had learnt to drive at 18 so I found it hard starting out driving while I was new and not that great at it, but it improved quickly and I loved my lessons, even if they were exhausting! I passed my test 2nd time and love driving now, definitely better late than never! Hope your lessons go well 😁

@PaperFlowers4 Congrats on your theory! And good luck for your test. I feel like I’m never going to be test ready I’m the kind of person who needs to know everything all at once so the fact that I can’t do everything all at once is really making me feel like I never will.

@HelpMeDrRanj I’m a pretty nervous person so my lessons are a big deal for me, it doesn’t help that I did start to learn when I was 18 and my driving instructor was horrible, he really put me off! I hope I get to say I passed someday.

I learned to drive in mid 30s, I couldn't get away with gears so I learned in an automatic. We live in a rural area so getting a licence changed my life.
I made sure my DD learnt as soon as she was old enough.

I passed my test in December aged 33!

I was and still am a nervous driver (intact I'm also a nervous passenger which is why I left it so long) but I'm so glad I pushed myself and did it. You sound very like me in the frustration at not being able to do it all NOW!! Use this as motivation and keep at it.

It took me 6 months and 4 attempts to get it right but my instructor was amazing which helps so much.

@Thatnameistaken gears are the one thing that I don’t fully understand but I’m going to give it my best shot at coming to terms with them and if not then go for an automatic.

@BlueEyedFloozy I’m glad you understand the need to know everything right this second, when I try to explain to people how I’m feeling they look at me like i’m an idiot.

I’m happy to see a lot of you have passed regardless of nerves, I was really worried that my nerves were going to hold me back from ever passing my test.

I'm 40 and passed last year. I remember how lonely it was, because nearly everyone I knew passed at 18 or so, and had either forgotten the nerves or never really had them in the first place! So they looked when I talked about being scared - helpful!

It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I swear to you, you can do it and it gets so much easier. I'm more or less fine with it now but was terrified for a long time. Keep at it, best of luck, and keep sharing on here with people who understand!

@Lottapianos Thanks! I have my third lesson tomorrow morning and I’m starting to get that slightly anxious feeling I get if I think about it too long. I’m fine once I’m in the car and moving it’s just the anticipation of it all

I don't think theres any way around that feeling - it just gets lesser and lesser over time and with practice. Be proud, and keep at it, and good luck!

re gears.

Do you own or have a friend with a bicycle?
Or can you go to a friendly bike shop?

I think the principle of changing gears on a bike and a car is the same, but with a bike you can see what's happening, so might help you 'get' what's happening so it is easier to understand & do in a car?

Best of luck.

@TeenPlusTwenties My issue with the gears is physically getting it in the right gear My old horrible instructor used to have me rushing everything so I’d end up panicking and knocking it into the wrong gear, stalling and then panicking some more. My new driving instructor seems more relaxed so I’m hoping I won’t have this issue.

Passed at 30. I found it a lot easier than the lessons I had at 19 and common sense and life experience helped loads. I passed within four months first time with one two hour lesson a week with my instructor and then a few hours in the car with dp.

I’m just beginning learning to drive (I’m 30 this week).
Like you op I’m really nervous to the point of nauseous before a lesson. I’ve had around ten hours so far and struggling to get the hang of it.

Good luck!

My lesson went really well today, I made a few mistakes but the positive outweighed the mistakes so I’m feeling like I might actually be getting somewhere

Good work! Mistakes are all just part of learning. You will have good lessons and crap lessons, and that's all normal

I’ve got another lesson today in a couple of hours, and I’m starting to get nervous. I’m just hoping the weather stays fine

My instructor used to joke that she could predict the weather by the timing of my lessons. I swear to you that of my 50 odd hours atleast 45 of those were wet, even on sunny days it would suddenly shower halfway through my lesson!

I've realised now though that it's handy to get some practice in all weathers with your instructor so try not to worry about it and think of it as extra supported practice :o

I drive the same route to school/work every day and still get nervous approaching roundabouts, sometimes I hesitate a bit too long but I try not to stress it anymore! If I'm stopped then the people behind me can't go anywhere haha

Yeah, I guess if we did have bad weather it would be a learning experience. It was really foggy on my lesson last week so that was a first.

I did some what I would call ‘proper driving’ on major roads with some roundabouts today so I’m improving bit by bit

Well done, everytime you go out you'll learn a bit more :)

Looks like it’s due to rain on my lesson tomorrow but I’m going to think of it as practice rather than think about it negatively

How long did it take everyone to pass? I’ve read that older people take a lot longer to pass than if you learnt at 17 but I’m not sure how true that is.

My lesson went quite well today, a few mistakes but nothing major, and I actually feel as if I’m improving every time whereas before I never felt like i was getting anywhere.

I’ve also got my theory booked so I’m moving forwards

Yeay for a good lesson and booking your theory!!

That's great that you feel like you're getting it now - just remember that a bad lesson doesn't mean you've forgotten anything or are bad at it, it just means your having an off day which is only human and next time you'll pull it back.

I had 45 hours of lessons and 5 test hours, some of them were great and others were bloody awful. More than once I cried and almost quit afterwards but everyone does it at their own pace.

I bought this app after trying a few free ones and found it was actually worth it.

I just used to practice whenever I had the chance and found that I remembered lots of the questions and answers during the actual test which meant that I didn't even really need to think so hard 😁