Driving!??

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Okay, so like the title says, I'm learning how to drive now. 🙃

In the UK you can get a provisional licence at the age of 17, and if you have this licence it means you can legally drive an insured car, as long as an adult with a licence is sat in the passengers seat. (Idk what the rules are in other countries feel free to share)

Anyways, two weekends before my birthday my parents decided to let me drive around our driveway to get me used to the car, gears, clutch, etc. We did the same thing one weekend before my birthday.

Then, I turned 17 on Tuesday 5th Feb, and that weekend my mum said, "right Lucy, we're driving in the road today. Bearing in mind the roads near my house aren't really the best to be starting on.

Please enjoy this artist's recreation of where I live:

So on the single lane road you're more likely to meet a tractor than a car, but when you do meet an oncoming vehicle you have to find a place to pull over, and next to the roads are ditches which are very easy to drive into.

On the 60mph roads there are a lot of cars and they're all going really fast, so that's scary. If you carry on going along the red road going down and then turn (right if you're travelling down the road, left if you're looking at the drawing) you go onto an even BUSIER road, then if you keep going along there you reach a huge roundabout and then a bypass. And then the biggest roundabout in the world. Yay I love where I live😰😰

So yeah, after my first time in the road (only the green ones) and having a guy honk his horn because I stalled the car I decided I hated driving and it was too scary.

My mum still made me go driving with her on the following Monday and Tuesday, where she made me practice starting, stopping, and changing into second gear. That went okay I guess.

I also went driving today, but my dad took me this time, and he has a lot less patience than my mum. He told me to go onto the red road, but I said no and pulled into a lay-by because I was too scared. He then got mad and turned the car around for me, and because he was mad I got nervous and stalled the car whOOps.

Anyways the next time we came up to the red road he said "you're trying it" so I was like eek okay. It was terrifying. Whilst practicing with my dad I got into 3rd gear a few times, so we went about 30mph in this 60mph road, and SO MANY cars overtook me.

As you can see on the top left corner of the picture there's a corner connecting two red roads. Well, it's a tight corner, and the first time I did it I was going too fast and went over to the other side of the road; luckily there wasn't another car there. The second time I went round the corner I went slow enough, but the car juddered and I panicked and it stalled again🤧

But hey ho that's my driving experience. I definitely have not conquered my fear of driving and I'm still absolutely terrified but my grandma payed for my insurance and my parents said they'd pay for my official lessons so there's no backing out now🤠

Oh I also forgot to mention that Q wished me a happy birthday when I turned 17 which made me happy because I woke up to the message on my phone and yeah uwu

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