Driving test at 20

[MACgirl]

Hey all, I have something i feel like i should get off my chest, kind of a sad story (not in a tear pained kinda way but a i cant believe it bad way lol). Well as the title suggested yes I'am 20 years old as of june 10th 2007, and no i have not driver's license!. I know, i know what you're thinkin' OMG i cant believe it, or how do i get around?, well trust me i really cant find an awnser to why i havent done it, and i do have family and a boyfriend to drive my no driving ass to work (trust me i hate this). I've put it off so long, and i cant find an awnser as to why, given that i'am scared to get in a wreck and the freeway but i really NEED to jumpstart this ladies! I'm taking my test on the 24th this month, i have my permit already, and im nervous becuase i would love to pass and to think that Im this close to having my freedom to drive anywhere anytime!. It was a cutesy thing at work when all the girls knew i didnt drive but know i feel like a loser and really want to drive!, anyho i wanted to ask you all iif you have any tips for a new gal on the road, anything to help ease me into it, as of rite now i cant picture myself driving like its nothing becuase the times i have been out driving i get all tense and nervous. thanks guys!

 

[MACa6325xi]

Your story is not a sad story. Not everyone knows how to drive. I didn't learn to drive until I was 21 years old. I was from New York City and never had a need to drive. When I left NYC, and moved to Washington, DC I decided to learn to drive. I went to driving school, but my husband really taught me how to drive. If you have a desire to drive, then you will do it. I had so much fear to get over when I first started. I also got tired of waiting on people to pick me up. Good luck, and I know your next post will be: "I finally got my driver's license."

 

[la.petite]

One advice I can give you is: Don't make yourself nervous. Even though something doesn't work out the way you want it to - don't get nervous.
While driving you need to keep a clear head.
That's one thing I haven't done in the beginning - thank god nothing happend to me or my car.
I think if you get used to driving it's not a big deal anymore.
I now have my driver's license for almost one year and a half and driving is routine to me. I love driving and I couldn't do without it.

Well, I wish you luck for your driving test and I know you can do it

(I hope you can understand me.. my English sometimes is a bit hard to understand ^^)

 

[nunu]

Don't be nervous, I'm 21 and i never trained or had a test!

 

[xbrookecorex]

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[_su]

Don't worry your pretty little head.

I took my drivers test at 19 and nailed it. I kinda think that the DMV isn't as hard on the older test-takers. I waited until I was 19 to drive because I was scared to death and knew, at 16 years old, I was not ready for such a responsibility.

I even told the DMV lady that while I was driving with her! She laughed and said it happens more than you'd think.

Also, the driving portion wasn't very hard. She didn't even make me parallel park hahaha


Good luck, you'll do great =)

 

[Dreamergirl3]

Let me just say I completely relate to what you're saying. I'm 21, no license and have never even passed a permit test, yet I know how to drive. I used to be deeply embarrassed that I don't have my license, especially with all of my friends saying "Why don't you have it? You're 21!" blah blah, and let me tell you, what they were saying is exactly the reason I felt so insecure about not having it and gave me anxiety about going to get it. So my biggest piece of advice would be to try and tune anyone out that's making you feel inadequate for not having your license. I can honestly say that if I had not let their opinions and their views on my personal matter, I wouldn't have felt so ashamed for not having it.

Basically, all the naysaying has made me very nervous and scared to take my permit test again. I know the answers and have read the guide 12312times, but it's the fear of failure that gets me. To overcome that, I've been trying to motivate myself and outweigh the fear of failure with a deep want for freedom. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what I'm going through...dying to not beg for rides anymore, yet terrified of failing and being discouraged even further. So what I did was google a bunch of images of girls driving and having fun with their friends, or on a beautiful road. I copied them and made a collage, so whenever I get nervous about studying for my test or making an appt with the DMV, I look at my collages and it really motivates me and gives me a little push. It helps me realize how much I'm holding myself back because I'm scared and nervous, when I should relax and when I get it, can be out there doing what I've always wanted to! Only BEHIND the wheel this time!

I'm almost out of the woods, I have yet to take the test but am getting there with the support of my friend. She constantly assures me I'm just worrying myself silly, and that it's normal even if I don't make it the first time. Preparing myself mentally is the hardest part, but now it's certainly less scary than it was when I was 19. Good luck, and don't be too hard on yourself for not having it...I was like that for 4 years and all it did was make me more nervous. Learn to be OK with it and perhaps your anxieties will diminish, esp since you already have your permit and are sooo close! You can do it!

 

[CantAffordMAC]

I can relate. I'll be 19 next month, with a permit, but no license or car or driving skills. I wish you the best of luck...

 

[newagetomatoz]

I feel like I will be in the same boat! I'm 17, but I have only started seriously driving in September, even though I got my permit in 2006, but the car went way over inspection. My dad's idea of teaching me how to drive is to throw me on the thru-way...in rush hour traffic. Or on one of the most clustered, commerical loaded roads in Buffalo (for those of you from there, Niagara Falls Blvd.) in heavy traffic. Then he proceeds to yell at me and never explain why he's yelling or what I did wrong.

You'll be fine! Trust yourself and in the right environment, driving can be a lot of fun!! Just try to think that you've done this hundreds of times so its nothing special. Maybe try a lavender or vanilla roomspray for the car for aromatherapy purposes? LOL!

 

[macface]

I'm 24 and I still don't have a license I'm scared I dont know why.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I don't have a license (22, almost 23) and have no reason to get one yet. I live in a city where I don't need a car. No one would teach me when I was 16 and I didn't have the money for driver's ed.

Driving is one of those practical things most people should know how to do, but it isn't anything to be embarrassed about not knowing.

 

[MiCHiE]

I was 20 when I got my license. I didn't actually get on the interstate until about a month after I got my license. Yeah, it took me a while to get everywhere, LOL.

 

[eastsidesunset]

Don't worry! I was 21 when I got my license and my boyfriend was 23. We were late bloomers I guess!

 

[AlarmAgent]

I can't tell you how pleased I am about seeing how many of you girls are in the same, or were in the same boat. I'm 19 and just got my permit about a month ago. I was terrified to drive pretty much until a month ago, haha. My first "road test" during my driver's education class (at 16) I cried ten minutes in. And really, I'm not an easy crier. The old fellow administering my test just gave me a few pats on the head and told me to steer it back into the parking lot, haha. He was sweet about it but said I definitely should wait to learn if I was really that scared. I thought, and still residually hold this fear a little, that I was certain to die while driving a car. It's just like I knew it for a fact.

I think it came from someone telling me during my first plane trip that "You're 10,000 times more likely to die in a car than on a plane!" Well thank you for that, but I wasn't so scared of the plane, and now I'm mortified by cars! I actually even get nervous just being a passenger sometimes. I'm scared to die, I didn't even learn how to ride a bike when I was a kid because I thought I'd get hit by a car and die. It's a ridiculous worry, I know.

The worst thing is, I live in a small town in Indiana, which is about the worst place to be for public transportation. I'd have to walk over 100 miles just to get to a bus stop that wasn't going to a middle or high school. I'm learning finally, albeit slowly, and I can get myself all the way to a convenience store maybe 2 minutes away from my house. I actually considered just allowing my life to center around that convenience store, haha. Get a job there, meet a nice young man, grocery shop, fill up my tank... A whole new beginning waits at the Village Pantry!

All my friends and family of course were sooo eager to drive and started at like, 13. I always felt like the odd bird out, but now I know I'm not alone!

 

[ginger9]

Don't worry, we've all felt nervous when we first started driving. You mentioned getting over your fear, (although this is probably too late as you're taking your test on the 24th)... BUT I highly recommend taking driving lessons with a reputatable driving school. They'll know exactly how to ease you into gaining confidence on the road. Also from my experience, having other classmates in the car is great for support and encouragment which will put you at ease as well. Good luck!!

 

[MACgirl]

thank you all! I thought i was the only one at 20 with no lisence! a good point made above that stuck in my head it that i have to just tune out the people who are negative to me about it and ill be ok. I couldnt agree more, now that i think about it, the only time i get furstrated/nervous is when people give me crap about it. I cant wait to let you all know how it goes!!!

 

[CantAffordMAC]

I just really hate the fact that a driver's license is like, the only form of ID acceptable.

 

[ArsenicKiss]

I have actually been behind the wheel of a car since I was about eleven years old. My step-father was from a really rural town in upstate New York and that just didn't seem so weird to him. He would take me out to an old airport sort of out of the way from most stuff and let me drive his car. That being said, I actually didn't even wind up getting a learner's permit until I was seventeen years old. In the time in between, there were periods where I just didn't want to get behind the wheel of a car at all. The only thing that I can say to make yourself more comfortable about driving is just to drive.

It sounds weird, but the only way I felt better about driving was to drive. I started out driving in my family's neighborhood, and then around town. I got my license right after I turned 19. I wound up getting a car a few weeks later and now I regularly find myself driving all over the place. Over the summer I drive home from college (1300 miles each way) and sometimes during the year I go out of town on small trips just because I can.

Also, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't get my license the first time I took the test. I had to take it a few times, and I had felt fairly confident in my skills as a driver at the time. It wasn't the end of the world, because I eventually managed to get the license.

 

[QTAllStarGurl]

I just got my license this year and im 18 and I got my permit like 2 weeks b4 my 18th birthday...i learned how to drive in 3 days and passed the test...if ur focused and know what ur doing you should do fine...but not having a license isn't really that big of a deal b/c I think if you have a way of getting around then what does it matter if you don't have ur license??

 

[Bronxcutie]

I'm 28 and I don't have my license yet! I've had my permit for years! Keep in mind, I live in NYC where I don't need a car. My father paid $100 toward a driving lesson package for me for my birthday last month. 2008 is the year I will finally get my license. I work and attend school full-time in Manhattan, so I definitely won't be driving during the week. I just need something on the weekends when I need to get to the mall, grocery stores, etc. The plus about becoming licensed driver over the age of 18 is that you save on car insurance rates. It's assumed that the older you are, the more cautious you are.