LEARNING TO DRIVE A — Chloe I didn't start learning until I was twenty-eight, long after most of my friends already had a licence. I'd always found an excuse to put it off, but when I changed jobs and suddenly needed to drive to a site an hour from the nearest station, I had no choice. My instructor was endlessly patient with me, which I needed, because I stalled the car at almost every junction for the first month. What surprised me most was how quickly the nerves disappeared once I actually passed the test — within a fortnight I was driving to places I'd never have attempted during lessons. B — Daniel My father taught me in an empty car park before I ever took an official lesson, and I think that gave me an unfair head start. I passed my test first time, which made me rather smug for a while. The real learning, though, happened afterwards. Six months in, I skidded on an icy road and ended up in a ditch, thankfully unhurt. That single afternoon taught me more about genuine caution than every lesson I'd had put together. I still drive more slowly than most people I know whenever there's the slightest frost. C — Hannah I failed my test twice before finally passing on the third attempt, and I won't pretend it didn't dent my confidence badly. My instructor kept telling me I was ready long before I believed it myself. Looking back, I think my problem was that I overthought everything — checking my mirrors so obsessively that I'd forget to look where I was actually going. Once I stopped trying to do everything perfectly and just relaxed into it, the driving itself became almost natural. I now drive every single day without giving it a second thought. D — Ryan I learned relatively late, at thirty-one, mostly because I'd lived in cities with excellent public transport and simply never needed a car. When I finally moved somewhere rural, I booked an intensive course — five days of lessons back to back. It was exhausting but effective, and I passed on my first attempt. What nobody warns you about is the cost of actually owning a car afterwards; between insurance, fuel and repairs, I sometimes think I'd have been better off staying in the city and taking the bus.