For millions of young adults across the country, the first step to becoming the family taxi man has been completed as we are all shepherded by parents (presumably keen to write off their cars) to take the first driving lesson of many.
Despite stories of dodgy roundabouts, indifferent instructors and their very comprehensible accents by friends at school (all of which were retold in class through manic hand signals and thoroughly accurate accents) I was looking forward to my first driving lesson. After all I was scarcely a beginner…
This delusion of being an absolute pro (Shared by many of my friends) came from spending a previous summer careening down dirt tracks on my uncle’s farm in Australia. Me and my brother were taught by our Australian cousins to drive with phrases like “revs but not too many” all while being given a crash course in Australian slang. The car we were being taught in was small and purple with any other details disfigured by years of abuse along dirt roads and presumably into a couple things along the way as well. It had the habit of seeming to have a seizure as it shook itself apart if you did a sharp turn. However, it was still a functioning car and one capable of some good speeds, even with the handbrake on as my brother found out.
So with this wealth of experience at my fingertips I was ready for my first driving lesson. Then again, driving on dirt roads is a whole different ball game to driving on busy, narrow London ones. One moment, your lovely driving instructor is running through which pedal is which while you’re thinking: “I know this, let’s just get on the motorway already”, then the next moment you’re on a road with cars and OMYGOD what is that cyclist doing, does he know the liability that I am and what even are roundabouts and where are we going and which pedal is which?!?!?
Needless to say, I handled it all with finesse and calm and the driving lesson was an unqualified success. In fact I’m so confident I may even take the final test next week. Or maybe I won't and just do it when everyone else does. Only time will tell...
