My foolish assumptions almost caused my own downfall. The concept of driving always seemed so simple to me until I had the chance. At first, being rather excited, I had expected the concept would be much like what I observe from my parents. Driving on the road so often for vacations, I have had much time to observe many aspects of driving. All my assumptions, however, crumbled once I finally had a chance to get behind the wheel. Always fearing mistakes, I often became nervous at the wheel. Thankfully, I could start out slowly and pace myself, but mistakes helped me learn.

Much like countless others before me, I suspected that driving was as easy as it looked. Also, like many others, I discovered after only a few minutes that it is much more difficult than anticipated. From watching my parents, as I normally did during vacations and long drives, I never learned the concept of stopping distance or how to “aim” for a turn. There were also some unspoken rules of the road that I had simply never thought of. Learning to drive was like learning to ride a bike to me. I had difficulty at first, but I eventually ironed out my quirks on the road. After some practice, I started to learn how to “aim” for turns and how to stop without having to slam on the brakes at the last minute.

Having spent so much time on highways, I wasn’t very well versed with city driving. Although I was plagued with errors in proper turns, situational awareness, and other simple mistakes, I began to practice and improve. After some discipline and practice, however, I finally managed to iron out many major flaws.

Months ago, during the only snowy day of the season, my mother took me driving to get a grip on slippery conditions. After a short crash course on winter driving hazards in the parking lot, my mom took me out to run some errands. Already slightly nervous at the wheel, I could feel a worm of doubt at my driving skills. As we headed out of a side street, someone pulled out in front of me. I immediately slammed on the brakes to avoid the man. Oblivious to my situation, the man who pulled out continued on. Unfortunately, after repeated use, the few inches of snow on the street packed down into a sheet of ice, providing no significant grip on the situation. Sliding like a curling stone across the ice, I steered toward the curb so as to use it to slow my momentum. Feeling no evident deceleration, I feared for a collision. Heart racing, I came within feet of the man’s car; I was close enough to see the lines on his rear window as they warmed it. My mom, who sat next to me, seemed completely oblivious to my situation as I assessed my actions. When I reasoned it was all I could have done to avoid the collision, I congratulated myself on reacting correctly. After explaining what happened, she was surprised I acted so calmly and decisively. My encounter with the man in the snow is essentially the most traumatizing experience I’ve had behind the wheel.

I’ve never understood how others don’t enjoy being able to drive. With some obvious hazards to look out for, it can be easy to drive with proper care. To me, it represents independence and being able to go out on my own along with opportunities to travel to work if no other means are available. Being on the road often for vacations, I have grown used to being in a car and on the road. Although I find the long road trips a rather grueling time, I can cope and drive through the night, giving me much time to get familiar with how driving works.

Generally, driving for the first time is stressful. Assuming I’d be a master with driving from the start, I became overconfident. Initially, I was pressed with continuous errors that only succeeded in making me nervous. I began to misjudge simple aspects of driving, but I drove on and continued to iron out my miscalculations. By the end of sessions, I found myself tensed up and exhausted. It is foolish of people to assume they’ll do fine when they drive.