I'M 40 AND I NEED TO LEARN TO DRIVE......!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eighteenstonesix]

Am I expecting too much?

No, why? Of course you can learn to drive! Almost anyone can, let's face it.

My mil was 40 when she learned and passed 1st time.

not at all! Do it. I passed at 35. My grand mother passed at 35ish, my mum was a similar age.

My advice is book lessons close together, give yourself a target date to pass, and tell your instructor you want to test by then.

What experience do you have of driving?

I found that being a regular cyclist helped me with perception (and changed my perception of cyclists) and being a backseat driver for years gave me some idea of what to expect.

you can do it and it really isn't that scary. Just don't get a relative to help you

I booked ten lessons at a time and some weeks had 2 lessons a week.

Plujck up the courage and do it now! But if you get a car - perpare yourself for an added financial burden!

I'm 32 and tomorrow will be my 30th lesson. I was absolutely useless for the first 20 or so lessons due to lack of confidence.

I am gradually getting better though.

I will pass my test but I don't think I will ever enjoy driving.

Good luck - it does get easier.

I passed last December at the age of 32 and honestly if i could pass then you can.
Still cant park though and avoid it at all cost.

I'm 38 and thinking of booking 1st lesson tomorrow!!! Was sacked by my first instructor and gave up with my second (this was 10 years ago). Now thinking of getting a female instructor. Everyone's at me to do it, apart from dp who very much doesn't want me to. He thinks it's a huge expense to go thru' with and I'll endanger dd's life(He has no confidence in my road awareness)! My age and his obstruction is a huge issue, but I'm going to try to just for it.
Hope you do well18stone6x

I passed my test at 30.
Very daunting but so worthwhile. Good luck.

Yama - you WILL enjoy driving. I was very nervous in my lessons but once you've passed it gets so much better. i only don't hate it in really bad weather.

maydayanavickaz ! do it. book that lesson and don't listen to your OH. Hundreds of people do it every day and you will soon grow in confidence.

MiL passed her test at 53 , second try. Go on, you can do it!

if youre gonna have lessons then get put on a mates/families insurance so you can practice what you learn. needs to be similar car/controls so you dont get confused...com

i have 4 named drivers on one of my cars policies for kids to learn and doesnt cost too much. at 40 itll be hardly anything.

the extra driving is well worth it.

i was reasonably late learning myself, at 26, but my mum was learning at the same time as me and passed (fourth time lucky) last week. She is 46.

From my pov, I have so much more freedom as a driver than I ever had, particularly with young children. It wsn't easy, but it was worthwhile

One thing to consider is to be realistic when you plan the amount of lessons you will need, and ,make sure you have the time and money for them. My instructor told me that it can take older people 6-12 months longer to learn to drive than an average 18 year old. This is mostly about confidence but also that we are not as open to learning new skills as we get older.

Good luck!

I passed in August at the age of 40! IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE!!

I have control suddenly. It was hard, but not that hard.

I had double lessons, for about 20 weeks I think, so that 'one lesson for every year' held true for me.

OH DO IT! DO IT! It will make you very happy.

I passed at 35, and I had bloody loads of lessons. Probably about 70. I was rubbish. I'm quite good now though.

I passed this year at the ripe old age of 43. Just be ready to spend an awful lot of moneyand do your theory before you start. I passed first time !!!!! Just think of all the really daft people out there who can drive. If they can do it, so can you !!!!!

DO IT

I learned at 29ish.

Be realistic, it will take more lessons than a 17yr old.

Don't under estimate your life experience when it comes to learning to drive. Things like hazard perception will make more sense to you.

Wear something comfortable but that you feel confident in. I actually wore my work uniform for my test even though I wasn't working that day as I always feel more confident at in control at work than as a mum. Did the trick I passed first time with only 2 minor faults even though the dual control was brand new and a bit stiff and dodgy, damm instructor hadn't even tested it, picked up new car day before my test .

I found doing 2 or three lessons a week helped, if I left it a week it was harder to get into it, so probably cheaper in the long run, killed my bank balance at the time though.

LOL

i passed just over 2 yrs ago, and am almost 42

took me 50 hours of lessons to pass first time at 29 (was determined to do it before I turned 30 and was "officially" a grown-up ). My instructor was fab (same age as me, and was relieved to have some adult conversation rather than teen-speak). He reckoned that older first tiem drivers foudn it easier as they had more road awareness than your average 17 year old.

I have a friend in her 50s who learned relatively recently, certainly she was well over 40 at the time.

i passed my test last year just before my 32nd birthday. After lots of lessons and coming to a standstill i switched to an automatic and passed after just three lessons in that. I got to the point where i really needed to be able to drive and just couldn't do it in a manual.
I still don't like driving a great deal but the freedom it has given me is great......i live in the middle of no-where and simple things like being able to do the shopping during the week instead of only at weekends when dp is here, and being able to take my son to the park is worth it.....

Of course you can do it!

I learned at 38. I did a week long course with a test at the end and it was just the thing for me. I now can't believe that I left it so long.