Driving Lessons
Posted on June 23, 2009 | Categories: Life | Tags: driving, opinions
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I mentioned needing to get my driver’s permit in early May, in order for me to take my driving lessons and start the process of getting my driver’s license. Well, I got the permit in mid-May, and I finished up my initial hours with my driving instructor yesterday. Hopefully I can get my license this summer, as that was the plan when I was booking my driving lessons for this month!
At 18, it’s unusual for me to not have my license when the driving age is 16/17 in the US. US public transport is infamous for being crappy and/or non-existent, so countless teens go to the DMV on their 16th birthdays to get their driver’s licenses. However, I moved to the US from Australia right before I turned 16, and there was so much going on in my life that learning how to drive in addition to dealing with everything else really wasn’t an option. Plus, Americans drive on the right side of the road and Australians drive on the left, and I had to deal with getting used to the change in driving direction too!
I turned 16 the first summer I was in Chicago, so the tentative plan for my license was to get it the next summer, the summer of 2007. However, that summer was when I went to France on my exchange trip, so then I thought I would get my license the next year. Yet I was traveling again in the summer of 2008, this time to China. By then, I knew the earliest I could get my license was the summer of 2009, because I was living away from home in the 2008-2009 academic year without any access to a car, so there was no way I could learn how to drive during the school year.
Now that the summer of 2009 is here, I am well on my way to getting my license. The initial hours are done, so now I just need to practice driving lots before I go and take the driver’s license test. Driving is not as hard as I thought it would be, which is a relief, and I know the driving exam is not hard as I did a practice run through it twice with my driving instructor. However, people on the road are idiots! Now that I know the rules of the road, it’s alarming to see how many people blatantly disregard them and put everyone’s safety in jeopardy!
Annie
This post about driving licenses makes me look forward to turning 16 so much. I’m from Toronto, and in our province there are so many rules for young drivers it’s crazy.
Good luck on your driving test! Make sure you master parallel parking :P
Lee
I’m 24 and I just booked in my driving lessons today! I also know many people who are much older than me and do not have their license. It makes me all warm inside knowing that I shall get mine before they do :P I had a good reason too for not getting my license, I lived in the city all my life and the bus was my main form of transportation so I never felt a need to get my license. Then I moved out to the country and well you need it here or else you are stranded (like I have been since I moved here in Jan 2008) :(
Best of luck to you! You’ll do great! :)
Ruby
Ahhh driving, the joy of driving in America where stupidity basically rules the road. Don’t get me wrong, it’s honestly not THAT bad, but there’s those everyday moments that you just have to *face palm*. My biggest peeve is when people don’t put their direction signals to switch lanes. Not only is it freaking dangerous, it’s just dumb NOT to.
I learned how to drive when I was 11, but I didn’t get my actual license until a couple months after I turned 16. For some odd reason, when they handed me the Driver’s Manual/Rule book, everything just made SO much more sense and clicked! :D
Good luck on your practicing your driving skills and on your test! Believe me, learn every trick in the book because you never know when you’ll need it. :)
Nate
I don’t think my best friend has his license yet. He turns 20 next week. I find merging onto the interstate one of the most rewarding parts of driving; it makes you feel like you’ve made it as a driver. Congratulations.
Regina
I’m hopefully getting my license this summer too! Good luck to you and I hope you pass!
Clarisse
if you think that US public transpo is bad, wait till you try it here in my country. but then, not everyone can afford cars so most deal with commuting. oh and here, traffic rules are optional, it’s crazy!
anyway, good luck in getting that driver’s license. hopefully you’ll still like driving after several years.. because i don’t. :P
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