The Lessons Learned from My First Driving Experience
One of the pleasurable skills teenagers are curious to learn is “driving.” Some teenagers see it as a way of gaining freedom and independence, as a teenager many years ago, I had a similar feeling which led my mother, a cautious and experienced driver, to insist that I wait until I turned 20 before I start my driving lessons. Though I was sad and felt overprotected, I now got to understand it was made out of love and concern for my safety.
When clocked the age of 20, my eagerness increased and I remember how I spent hours reading the driver’s manual, admiring cars on YouTube, and subconsciously preparing for the moment I would finally sit in the driver’s seat. After several reminders to my parents, they finally agreed I start the car lesson, my mother accompanied me to her car and handed me over to my tutor who was elderly so that I could be of good behavior.
The lesson I got from my driving lesson is that curiosity can cause huge damage - as the car lesson started, I did not pay absolute attention because of over-excitement. At the same time, I felt overconfident because the manuals and YouTube tutorials I've watched could possibly make me a good driver. This was when I knew real-life application differs from online tutorials. When I was two weeks old in the lesson, my tutor guided me on how to steer the wheel and start the engine, meanwhile before now, I was shown how to adjust the driver’s seat and mirrors, fasten the seatbelt, check the engine oil in the vehicle, and familiarizing myself with the controls - the lesson was so boring because my whole aim to drive. When the driving moment came, my first drive was a memorial and a testimony of my survival. Without mixing words, my eagerness caused me a big mistake. Instead of setting the gear to 'Drive,' I accidentally set it to 'Reverse.' As I pressed the accelerator, the car went backward at a surprising speed. Before my tutor could respond quickly, I had reversed into a tree behind me, and a hit caused great damage.
My parents' concern wasn’t on the car but if the tutor and I were ok, I came out disappointed and embarrassed and my heart kept racing when I realized the situation. This incident caused my parents to extend the age to 22 before I could learn to drive; this time it wasn’t out of curiosity I wanted to learn, but it was a necessity because my dad needed an assistant in conveying his good to different places. When the car was repaired, the only I did during that period was to wash it for my mum before she went to work, lol.
At exactly 22 years old, I was a pro in driving despite the little tutor I was given; why? The lesson I got from the previous scene got me to learn secretly. I went as far as learning car racing games to know how to over obstacles. Today, I am grateful to my parents who took a good step in disciplining me; as I look back on my first driving experience it is a mixture of amusement and gratitude. Though I had a good start in watching tutorials online, because of curiosity, my dream was shattered for the next two years. Indeed, the lessons I learned that day have stayed with me, reminding me of patience, practice, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
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Glad to know you learned the art of patience and that singular virtue is vital while plying roads especially here in Nigeria
I’m also really eager to learn how to drive but I don’t have a teacher yet. I hope now you don’t forget to put the stear on drive mode.😂😂
I love that you learned not to drive at that age. Awesome! Where is the place you did you do your training, pls ?