Learning How to Drive

I had been begging my father for a very long time to take me out in our car and teach me how to drive. After a lot of hard work and buttering, he finally melted and agreed to take me out for a test run.

As it was my first time behind the steering wheel, it was essential for us to pick a smooth, deserted road so that I could learn without fear. The only free road in a busy city like Delhi that came to my mind was the roads of suburban Dwarka, an area extremely popular with the younger generation because it is famous for illegal car racing.

Unfamiliar with the peculiarity of the area, my father took my advice and drove towards Dwarka. However, upon reaching there, we discovered that the main roads were under construction and a lot of ditches had been dug out. The functioning road had some amount of traffic on it.

As it was my very first time, my father didn’t want me to drive along with the traffic. We thus chose the relatively smooth muddy track parallel to the main road for my first lesson.

For a while I drove just fine. The feeling was extraordinary. Impressed by my quick learning skills, my father gave me permission to drive on the main road, as the traffic began clearing up.

But as the road came to a dead end, it was time for me to take my first U-turn. My father told me to bring the gear to a neutral position, slow the car down with the help of the brake pedal and gently make the turn. Too young to grasp all the information, I ended up doing the exact opposite, to my father’s horror.

I forgot to change the gear and pressed the accelerator with full strength instead of hitting the brakes and turned the steering wheel with all my power.

All I remembered after turning the wheel was that our car took a full circle, and it felt like we were going to crash into the tree in front of us or fall inside the deep ditch on the road.

I had never felt more terrified than I did in those brief moments. However, thanks to my father, who put his foot on the brake pedal and turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction, the car finally came to a stop.

The horrifying possibility of us crashing or having a terrible accident still haunts me.

It was then that I realized that I need a lot of growing up to do before I can sit on the driving seat again. Our life is very precious and we should not risk it just because we want to be cool.

There is a reason why they give you a driving license only after you turn 18. I learnt my lesson the hard way, how do you want to learn yours?