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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Brittney Rigby

‘They’re tougher on themselves’: the trials and triumphs of adult learner drivers

Anxiety
a hand on a steering wheel
‘I wanted the freedom, but the embarrassment, shame and inconvenience never came close to outweighing the terror of driving.’ Photograph: Mari Nelson/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Three weeks before my 29th birthday, and four days before my honeymoon, I got my driver’s licence. It feels bigger and more celebratory than anything else I’ve achieved.

I got my Ls at 16, learning to drive on the country roads of the New South Wales southern highlands. The nearest highway was 20 minutes away. There were no traffic jams.

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