Driving Test

Ammara Qudsia

English 1A

Essay #1

09/18/12

Fear and Struggle with Driving Test

After I graduated from high school, my mom told me that I needed to get my driver’s license right away because it was hard for her to drop and pick me up from college. I spent a long time studying for the driving permit and I got it on my first attempt. After getting my permit, I was as excited as a child would be during Christmas time. As my mom and I walked to the Woodland DMV, my mother told me, “You need to focus more on your driving.” She was worried about my driving since she had taught me how to drive in just two months. At the beginning, I made so many mistakes on every single step but my mom would always correct me nicely. She always pushed me to do much better and I always tried my best to fix my mistakes because this wasn’t just about my life anymore but also others around me.

Two months later, I went to the DMV to take the driving test. When I entered the DMV I saw a big line in front of me with other people who came for the test and some looked nervous. One guy next to me was biting his nails and was rubbing his hands which made me think that he was probably stressed. A woman was standing up and looking nervously at her permit papers and drinking coffee. Not only her but two young girls were sitting on the chair next to the door and talking to each other about what the instructor had asked them to do when they had first come to take the test. This made me extremely nervous thinking about how hard the test might have been that they failed on their first attempt. It was all because I was nervous and I imagined there would be a strict instructor who would ask me tough questions or would make the test harder for me. I was sitting in the waiting room and I was praying to pass my driving test in my first attempt. Suddenly, I heard someone was calling my name. For a moment, I felt like my heart beat was much faster and I was going to pass out. When it was my turn, I went to the front of the line and I felt like my hands were frozen. My legs were shaking so much that for a moment I felt like I couldn’t even walk to the parking lot for my test. As I walked to the door the instructor nicely asked questions for the pre-test. The picture that I drew in my mind about the instructor was the total opposite. The instructor was very nice and he was trying to make me feel comfortable because he could tell from my facial expressions that I was very scared. I answered all his questions and then he asked me to start the car. First, he asked me to make a right turn from the first signal so I made a right turn. Then he asked me to change the lanes. Few minutes later, he told me to pull the car to the curb and reverse. I pulled my car next to curb, but when he asked me reverse I didn't reverse it correctly. He told me he'll give me another chance and if I reverse it straight then I'll pass the exam but if I don't I’ll fail. In my second chance when I reversed it, I still did it wrong. Then he told me to drive back to the DMV and on my way back I could not stop thinking about the reverse part of my test. I was just praying to God in my mind hoping that this small mistake doesn’t fail me. When we arrived to the DMV the instructor told me "These are the minor mistakes that you have made during the test but for having one major mistake you can't pass you’re driving exam. You stopped at some places which were unnecessary and you need to check traffic at all times in mirrors." When we entered the hall way my face was red and I was trying to hide my face in the palms of my hands because I already knew what was coming ahead. When my mom saw me, she asked me "Honey! Did you pass the exam”? Before my reply the instructor told her what mistake I made which made me fail. We made another appointment for the following month and went home.

My mom held my hand and she told me, "It’s not a big deal. You still did a good job but now you have to work really hard". She made me feel better and also helped me realize it's not the end of the world. To make me feel better, my mom told me the story about when she got her license and how she passed the third time but this never made her feel hopeless. She said, "It happens with everyone, you’re not the only one who failed an exam”. She told me, “Instead of getting stressed out, I needed to try to cover my mistakes that I had made on my driving. After that, I practiced even more but sometimes my older brother would tease me that I can't get my license because I'm not as smart as him. He would make me feel even more hopeless and I felt like I can never drive as perfectly as my brother. One day he took me with him so I can practice my driving and learn how he drives. Sometimes having someone as an experienced driver and someone who you are comfortable with can make learning things easier. When he asked to change the lines I checked all my mirrors but I forgot to turn around over the shoulder to see if there’s any vehicle coming behind where it could be hidden in my blind spots. I made that same mistake twice that day with my brother and he made sure he pointed it out twice so I can know for sure what I need to do. There was no rush on the road at that time, but when I kept repeating the same mistake then my brother started shouting at me. He made me feel even more hopeless and I felt like I can never drive as perfect as my brother. When we came home I started crying and my mother hugged me and said, “You need to compose yourself because you still have two chances left so just keep trying and I’m sure you’ll get it this time because you have been working really hard.” she helped to get rid of my negative thoughts. One day my mother asked me some questions about driving and my frustrated reply to every question was "I don't know." May be that was a sign that I was going to fail again. Now, I was not actually failing the driving test perhaps failing to go on the correct day. After failing the first time I practiced more on my weak points especially parking against the curb and reversing the car.

One month later, I went to the DMV again and I was scared I might have a strict instructor this time or I might get nervous. The fear of failure kept popping in my head and I couldn't get rid of it. Then, I asked to myself, "yeah, I can do this as like I get my permit so I can get my driving license too". When I saw the instructor it was the same instructor I had in my first test. I felt relief but when I started the car my hands were shaking. When the instructor saw that he said, "Don’t get stressed. Just follow the right directions, which you study in the book and listen carefully at what I ask you about test and you'll be fine at the end". I tried to make myself comfortable while during the test. After I was done with the pre-test, he took me out for the road test. First, when I came to the first stop, I stopped there completely because my mom told me to make a complete stop because a lot of people fail there test by making these minor mistakes. Then, he asked me to make a right turn and when I saw a car in front of me, I felt safe because I just had to follow the car ahead of me. I paid really good attention on the stops and I checked for traffic at all times during the test. I was trying to cover my minor mistakes as well which i made in past. I saw the instructor was writing something on his blank paper. Every time he would write something on his paper, it would make me nervous as if he was writing my mistakes.

Later he told me to park my car at next to the curve and reverse. I reversed my car and I did well in the first attempt. Therefore, he asked me to turn my car back to DMV. When, we entered in the hallway, I saw that piece of paper was covered with many written things and instructor showed me wherever I made mistakes. I thought I didn’t pass again but he told me to go to the next window for your picture and I thought it would be a picture of shame that I failed again in my test. But, when he printed my picture, he told me, "congratulations you've passed and there's your driving license and to drive carefully". He said I did really well this time compared to the last time. Also, I didn't make any minor or major mistakes this time. I was surprised that all my fears didn't come true this time and I had finally gotten my license. I just felt like I had a new life and my body got its energy back .My mother told me that she is so proud of the entire struggle hard I had done and at last I achieved my goal. I told my brother I had passed the driving test than he said to me that he is so proud that my effort and struggles are rewarded. He said he is sorry about his bad and rude behavior towards me when he was teaching me. After one week of getting my license, my mother bought me a new car Honda Accord and I was happy like a child is on Christmas after receiving his favorite toy. Today, I’m such a good driver and someone who has never gotten any traffic tickets and I have also taught one of my cousins last year on how to drive. If she made a mistake, I would never tease her as my brother teased me. Actually I appreciated her on every single step like my mother had appreciated me. I believe if we make mistakes than we can learn more new things instead of those who never make mistakes. I taught my cousin how to drive in one month and she passed her test in her first attempt, which made me so proud.