Rant: Learner's Permit

Some background information:
In the state that I live in (the land down under), you may get a learner’s permit (or a drivers license, but for ‘first timers’) when you turn sixteen years of age. And to drive, you need a supervising driver - which has his or her full license, someone that has passed their driving test and has been driving for at least two/three years (depending on their age) after their test - with you at all times. Also, a couple of years ago, our state government have introduced a law where kids who have their learner’s permit must accumulate at least 120 hours of driving with their supervising driver under a range of different conditions and record it in a log. This 'log’ is then checked when you go for your learners/driving test to see if you have successfully driven for 120 hours. As I have said, the earliest you can get the learner’s permit is when you’re 16 years old. The earliest you can take the driving test - for your probationary license (aka. P-plates) - is when you’re 18 years old. If you pass the test, you’ll be given a license which doesn’t require you to have a supervising driver beside you whenever you decide to drive. But you are restricted to driving supercharged or V8 cars until you reach your full license (earliest is 21 years old).

Alright, now that I got all the background information out of the way, here’s my rant.

I’ve had my learner’s permit for about ten months now. And I am aiming to reach the 120-hour mark on my driving log as soon as I reach 18 - which is about 14 months away - and therefore eligible to get my probationary license.  The problem is, I’ve only accumulated 20 hours. At this rate, I won’t be able to take the driving test for another 60 months. And who do I blame? My whole family.

I’ve heard excuse upon excuse about why my family won’t let me drive them. Here are a few out of millions of excuses that I’ve heard from them.

  • It’s raining.
  • It’s too far.
  • There’s a baby on board.
  • You’ll drive too slow.
  • I’m scared you might crash my car.
  • I don’t trust you.
  • I want you to be my passenger.
  • I want you to show me directions.
  • I’m scared you might get a speeding fine.
  • I’m scared you might get into a car accident
  • Mum and dad’s coming.
  • There’s traffic out there.

My responses to all of them. Fuck you. Seriously. Fucking pussy excuses. I need to have experience in the rain, driving long distances, driving with other people in the car, driving in traffic, driving under different conditions so I can learn to cope under pressure.

The excuses that piss me off the most are the 'No Comment’ and the 'Oh, I forgot’ response. Bull fucking shit. It’s so fucking obvious that you don’t want me driving your car. Just be fucking honest and say it to my face. Is it because my name isn’t under the insurance papers? Is your car too precious, even though it’s ten fucking years old? Honestly, how the fuck am I going to rack up 120 hours when you’re giving me bullshit excuses like these.

These idiots even pretend that they forgot when they obviously do remember and take the steering wheel before I even get the chance to ask them. And then they offer me if they want me to drive the car when THEY’VE successfully reversed the car out of the driveway and got the 'hard driving’ over and done with. Bitch please, you’ve started the car, I’ve gotten comfortable with the seat and NOW you ask me if I could drive? Fucking fall off a cliff then I’ll drive.

Next - when they do end up allowing me to drive - the hogging the steering wheel business. As soon as I make a mistake, they instantly grab the steering wheel and puts it the right way instead of telling me what to do. Now how the fuck am I supposed to learn when I can’t turn the wheel myself? 

I ain’t going to waste thousands upon thousands of dollars on driving lessons where all I do is learn how to accelerate and brake properly in thirty-minute lessons. 

What happens when an emergency happens when I’m over 18 and I’m the only one in the house that can drive. But wait, I need a supervising driver to drive because I’m still on my learners permit. Oh shit, what am I going to do now? Wait and watch them scream their lungs out while I call the ambulance. 

Fuck my life.