I never expected to be in a classroom with peers who were four or five years younger than me. As I looked around the classroom that first day, I saw bright, young faces who were excited to drive themselves to their high school and to the mall. I, on the other hand, was tired of nagging my dad or anyone else with a car to take me places. I even felt somewhat embarrassed when my instructor announced to the class that there were two adults in the room. A few days passed and I aced my road and signs test to get my permit. Then, I completed the six hour driving class with my instructor and I have to say that driving is not as scary as I initially thought. Here is my advice to other 20 somethings out there who are learning to drive.
You are not alone. Despite how you think you are the only adult who does not know how to drive, there is a reason why adult driving school exists. No, it is not just a defensive driving course either. While the driving school I attended had a small number of adult students, some driving schools may have 30 adult students. In the end, adults and teens are there for the same reason: to learn how to drive.
Second, practice, practice, practice! As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. You should also know that you will make mistakes. You may drive in the wrong lane, make too wide of a turn or forget when to turn on the blinker. I did all of these things but once I continuously practiced, I made less errors. Practicing at least four days at week will help you get used to driving and improving the way you drive. If you do not practice, your performance will not improve.
Finally, you will feel nervous and that is okay. You do not realize it but, students of all ages will be nervous learning to drive, too. The nerves you feel will actually leave once you start driving. For example, I actually was really scared of the day I had to practice driving on the highway. That feeling immediately went away the moment I was behind the wheel going 65 mph. My advice is to take deep breaths and think positive thoughts. Every driver that you see on the road all started in the same position you are in.
While you may feel like your performance is not improving or that you will never learn how to drive, you will become a better driver over time. You may even become a better driver than your peers and family members. You just have to take every day one step at time and build upon the skills you have mastered. Similar to riding a bike, once you learn, you will know how to drive for life
