Anyone else learning to drive as an older woman?

[NorthEastNancy]

I'm 48 - i so wish I'd stuck it out when I was 18!

I've had 8 two hour lessons and I'm struggling less but I just can't see it being something I enjoy!

I was doing crossroads with traffic lights where you have to wait in the middle last lesson and oh my, they're tough!

Do you need to drive?

2 hour lessons? Just go for 1 hour ones

I learned earlier this year and passed three months ago at 38 so I feel your pain! We forget that as we get older, we naturally get more risk averse and being 17 and 38 are a lifetime apart. But, I love driving now, somewhere in the middle of the lessons it just clicked and became fun rather than a chore / nerve wrecking. Some things that really help are if you can get out with someone in between lessons, it makes a huge difference to your confidence. And chew gum if you’re nervous (weird I know but it works!) and generally just keep going- it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself (I barely have to drive anywhere but knowing I can, makes such a big difference). Good luck with it and well done for giving it a go!

I'm sick of relying on dh.

He drops me off at work - 2 days a week I work in a completely different direction to him which means we're both out of the house for an hour and a half more than we need to be if I could drive

I want to be able to nip here and there too (Ikea / Costco are days out for me, dh hates them!)

Thanks @distrussful and congratulations!

I'll try the gum - and I could do with buying a car so dh can take me out (I'm learning in an automatic, he drives manual)

So I did the same, I learned in an automatic as my husbands cars are all automatic (I’m married to a petrol head so this elongated period of not driving has been interesting)! I was v reluctant to go out with him to start with and only really did it at Christmas as my instructor had to cancel a lesson last minute. But it changed everything, you’re very much in control when you’re out with your own car, and the lack of the dual controls just means that you KNOW you can do it. We ended up driving somewhere every day in the month before my test. I did all of the family driving. We practiced the routes etc. the only thing that doesn’t work is trying to do the manoeuvres in two different cars, I wasted a lot of time trying to bay park in his Audi when I was learning in a T-Roc which was much smaller. In the end my instructor told me to stop! Oh, and do a mock test when you’re coming up to your test. I dreaded mine but knowing what to expect makes a huge difference too. And finally, on test day have a banana an hour before the test- it’s a natural beta blocker (and some people actually do take Propopanal too- it’s allowed). DM me if you want to chat about anything specific!

I'm 39 at the end of the year and Ive set myself the target of learning to drive by my 40th. I'm extremely nervous but know it will really help me and my kids if I can drive

I learnt at 37 and passed at 38 @NorthEastNancy - took me a year of lessons at least twice a week! But I’m really pleased I did it and it’s very useful. I learnt in a manual but now drive an automatic - it’s much easier and I find it far less stressful.

Good luck!

A friend’s mother, who was suddenly widowed in her 60s, decided she would need to learn to drive and passed first time. It’s never too late.

I passed a year ago, a week after my 56th birthday.
I wish I’d done it years ago but we always lived in a town with good public transport so driving wasn’t necessary but that was scaled back post-Covid and I felt quite restricted so decided to learn. We moved house to a new area a month after I passed and I’d be so cut off from everything if I didn’t drive as we’re now in a village without a shop and 3 miles away from the nearest town.

I hated the whole process of learning, my lessons were always on Wednesday mornings and I’d feel elated after coming home, knowing it was over for a week, but once I got to Sunday it’d constantly be on my mind, nagging away that my lesson was only a few days away.

I failed three times before passing and the real game changer was getting lots of practice in my own car in the month before my final test. I’d go out every nights. I hadn’t really liked driving with my husband before that but had to do something as I had five months to wait between tests 4 and 5 and gave myself a break from instructor lessons to reduce the stress, only having a couple in the two weeks before the last test.
It made all the difference.

The only thing I did differently in my last test was to chew gum, so I’ll second the previous poster who mentioned doing that.

I passed in my late 30s. It was the steering I found the hardest; finding where you're supposed to be positioned on the road. And after I passed (second time) I did some really mental things while driving on my own as I couldn't work out road markings and which way to go etc. Seems mad now. But I persevered and now I love driving. The secret is loads of practice in quiet lanes and roads just to build confidence. And at least with an automatic you don't need to worry about the dreaded hill starts.

This is all so positive! I can't believe I didn't stick it out when I was younger (someone crashed in to me on a driving lesson - their fault but put me off then time disappeared!)

It'll make such a huge difference if I can pass. Not looking forward to paying for a car etc but public transport is ££ as I need 2 buses and 2 metros the days dh can't drop me off so it'll be worth it i hope

Good for you, OP. Stick with it. The freedom and independence it will give you will be transformational.