For most people turning seventeen means one thing – learning to drive. For not for everyone and there are many people who, for one reason or another, don’t feel that urge. They hit their twenties and still never get around to learning to drive. Then they reach their thirties and the irritation with public transport reaches fever pitch or the person they relied on to drive for them can’t do it anymore. So they start looking for a driving instructor. But is it harder to learn to drive in your thirties?
The positives
For many people, starting to learn to drive in your thirties may seem unimaginably hard when they have driven since they were eighteen. But there are some clear advantages that older learner drivers have that the younger ones don’t.
For starters, you have years of accumulated road knowledge, whether you thought you were paying attention or not. Drivers have a habit of telling non-drivers what another driver did wrong, why they were in the wrong lane or what that wacky sign post really means. And you do take information in. This means when you come to put it into practice, it can be surprising how much road etiquette and knowledge you have already amassed. As opposed to a seventeen-year-old who was likely playing with their smartphone most of the time while driving and has no idea!
Insurance is cheaper as a learner in your thirties and this often means you can be added to someone’s policy to get practice without needed to remortgage the house as you do when you are in your teens. More practise is always good away from your driving lessons and obviously, costs less too.
Awareness and confidence
Awareness of consequences and self-confidence are two areas that can go either way for thirties learner drivers. Because you realise that you could kill someone through your driving, hit a kid on a bike or crash into some pedestrians, you have a natural caution that kids often lack. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your personality.
The same applies to self-confidence. Teens think they are indestructible and often drive like that. Older drivers know they aren’t and this can make them more cautious but again, this can be a good thing. As long as it doesn’t become a paralysing caution that causes them to doubt themselves.
The negatives
Both the above can become negatives in some situations. As we get older we have more worries and things happening with our lives than can make learning to drive more stressful. This, in turn, can make the process more difficult.
Adjusting the being the one who needs to be watchful all the time rather than a passenger gazing out of the wind can also take some adjustment for older learner drivers. This means learning to focus on potential hazards can take a bit more work!
Protek Driving School is based in Port Harcourt and Offers competitively priced and Quality driving lessons in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and surrounding areas.