Success!

[lizbee]

I decided late last year that I was going to learn to drive and get my licence before my 40th birthday.

And, as of yesterday, I am [provisionally] licensed to drive in Victoria!

Frankly I feel like I have pulled some sort of scam -- not quite thirty hours of practice, yet I can legally drive a car without supervision. On roads. With other cars.

On the other hand, the tester said my driving was perfect aside from needing to check the rear and side mirrors more, and when I made a mistake, I corrected smoothly and safely, without panicking or breaking the law. And I really should have done this years ago, if only so as to enjoy a brief period where I could do a head check without neck pain.

I would quite like to own a car, but the whole car market is a complete mess right now, thanks to covid -- used cars are going for almost as much as they cost new, and new cars can take months or even years to arrive. (And I am not buying a new car as my first!) Plus, I particularly want a hybrid, so as to ameliorate the cost of petrol -- and I had some lessons in a 2018 Prius, which was amazing -- so that reduces the range I'm looking at. I'm sticking to my plan of paying off my credit card and then saving, and maybe in a couple of years prices will be back to normal and I can get a modest loan.

In the meantime, there is my flatmate's Beetle (and I owe her SO MUCH for all the supervising she has done, for not murdering me every time I try to park, and for her patience as I figured out the art and science of the speed bump), and the many hours of designated driver karma I am due to repay.

Comments

[musesfool]

Congrats!

[sabotabby]

Yay congrats!

[tellitslant]

CONGRATS!

[pauraque]

Well done! I'm curious, on the test did they have you parallel park? That used to be standard in the US but many states don't require it anymore. (Personally, I learned it for the test but have forgotten how to do it properly and never try anymore.)

[lizbee]

Here you're tested on either a reverse parallel park or a three-point turn. I got the three-point turn, but it was a trick -- the street was too narrow and I needed to do it in four in order to avoid hitting the kerb, which is an instant fail.

(My instructor's car has a reversing camera, which made the reverse park easy -- I've never tried to do one in the Beetle.)

[pauraque]

I was surprised to learn that in my state they actually don't let you use a rear camera for the test! My kid took the test in a car that had one, but was required to cover up the screen with a piece of paper taped on, if you can believe that.

[lizbee]

I can! I was surprised that I was allowed to use it, to be honest -- and my instructor didn't actually teach me to do any of this without the camera, which feels like an oversight. (I mean, I've figured it out, but that level of spacial awareness is a whole different skillset.)

[delphi]

Congratulations!

[goodbyebird]

That's awesome, congratulations!!

[forestofglory]

Congratulations!

[laurenthemself]

Huzzah!

[starlady]

Congratulations!

[fred_mouse]

Congrats!

I'd say that 30 hours is significantly more than many of my contemporaries had. I paid for at most 10 hours (I think it was more like five), and had about that much time with a very considerate friend supervising. But, ah, I also learned on a farm at 14, and bombed around the paddocks some, so working out the numbers is impossible!

[jesuswasbatman]

Congratulations!