18 Jul 2021

Up until I was 20, I thought I would be a professional passenger forever. I had my dad driving me around, my mates and just about anyone I could hitch a ride with. 

Only worrying about how I’d get to and from my part-time job and uni - oh, those were some great times. 

I was missing one thing though and that was freedom. 

 

I’d be carrying a massive duffle bag filled with my meal prep on the bus, train, then bus just to get to uni. I was wasting money on Uber’s if I was late. I moved out to a suburb where the buses came once every two hours. All of my friends made the decision to get their license as soon as they could and I bloody wish I did.

I had about three hours in my logbook and I knew I needed to get a move on. I bugged my dad and sister to teach me whenever they were free. They’d hesitantly sit in the passenger's seat, pushing their invisible car brakes every time I nearly hit the gutter. Hehe, whoopsie daisy.

Clocked up about 50 hours with my dad holding the roof handle for maybe 48 of them, then completed the Safer Drivers Course that earned me an extra 20 logbook hours. It consisted of one three-hour theory lesson in a group and two hours of practical, at the wheel. If I can pass it, anybody can.

I then spent the remainder of my hours practicing my three-point turns and reverse parallel parking with a driving instructor. If I’m ever in a situation where I need to parallel park, just know that I’ll most definitely be leaving. It was worth every cent and I also had good catch up chats with my instructor every time - cheers Michael, you legend.

Fast forward to the test - I passed the hazard perception test with flying colours. All that was left to do was pass the driving test. I roll up in my instructor's Mazda 3, grab a ticket to be called and I’m roaring to go.

A lady calls out my name and my nerves go from zero to one hundred faster than greased lightning. She’s staring deep into my soul with a fresh Karen haircut (a side fringe so sharp it’ll cut you), massive sunnies (you know the ones - coloured, transparent lenses with a massive, metallic logo on the sides) and a loose pencil skirt with a pair of volleys. Yes, I wrote that correctly.

We get in the car, test the blinkers, everything is sweet. I took off from the curb and attempted some banter with my test assessor - I quickly gathered she was not really up for a chat, putting me a bit on edge. The only time she spoke was when she was giving directions.

Halfway through the test, we turned into a quiet street and she tells me to pull up next to a parked car and do a reverse parallel park. I was, quite frankly, sh*tting myself. I never perfected it. I was doomed.

I reversed, immediately turned the wheel and hit the curb. Alright, let’s try again. And again. And again. Until the assessor said “sorry, that was your last go so pull yourself out of here and keep on driving up the street”. I knew I had already tragically failed but I still had to drive around for another 15 minutes to complete my test. Bit of a bummer, really.

I rebooked for whenever a spot was next available. The drive home with my instructor was pretty awks. But I was determined to nail my reverse parallel park better than anyone has ever before.

I took the test in my dad's car the second time - a pretty big, months-old SUV. I probably would’ve felt more comfortable in a beat-up Barina but anyways, a different assessor calls me up this time. A laid-back, middle-aged man introduces himself and follows with a dad joke. I felt blessed.

Hopped in the car, started the test and he told me I was doing a three-point turn. Halle-freakin-lujah. Things are going smoothly, he’s talking to me about what I do at uni, what I do for work, telling me about his daughters in true dad style. Smash the three-point turner. Nothing bad is jumping out at me but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Get back to Service NSW and he tells me I’ve passed. Bought a 2007 station wagon (still driving the same one) and that's all she wrote. I did drive into a 7/11 shortly after though but hey, once you have your first accident, at least it's over and done with.

TL;DR - don’t be silly like me and get your license as soon as you can.