Life is a Highway

I wanna ride it all night long

If you’re going my way

I wanna drive it all night long 🎵

Remember, kids, it was Tom Cochrane who sang that song first. A lot of people today think the original performer was Rascal Flatts who did a cover of the song for Cars, one of my favourite Pixar movies. But because of its huge success, everyone has come to associate the song with that group rather than Tom and if you google the song, it’s Rascal Flatts version that shows up first.

Anyway, that’s not what this post is about. I have written before how I felt about driving and right now the open road feels like it’s right before my eyes.

I wasn’t ready to get my license when I turned 16, so I got a laptop instead. Then when I was between school and jobs in late 2014 I thought about getting my license and practiced with my dad and went to Young Drivers. By the time I had finished my lessons, I never got around to doing the G2 road test because I had started a new program at college. So from there I just commuted via transit and carpool. I convinced myself at the time that I didn’t need my driver’s license.

But several years into my career, after my G1 expired I thought long and hard about driving. At first I panicked remembering a few bad memories behind the wheel but I also didn’t want to burden my parents forever with asking for lifts to appointments, outings with friends, etc. so eventually it just hit me like a sack of potatoes, that I thought it was best if I did start driving after all. Transit wasn’t very punctual in my town either. So I went back to the test center, passed the G1 again, enrolled in the same driving school, and started the process again.

As much as possible, my dad and I practiced in parking lots, and then on the road, I did my driving lessons whenenever I was free and it took me three attempts to pass the G2 road test.

By then, I was working in a bigger city so I needed a car right away. My dad helped me purchase my first one, a 2015 Chrylser 200S. A decent car indeed, I crowned it Motorizer as you know. He also taught the basics of taking care of it and what I could do myself to save money. Eventually I was driving myself to work so had lots of highway practice before taking the G test the following December. The first time I failed, which surprised me but I learned my lesson and got back up and tried again.

Actually, my second attempt at the G was last month. I took the examiner’s feedback very seriously as it turns out the first time I failed for not being observant enough. When I went for my second attempt at the test, to my surprise, the examiner who walked up to me, was the same guy from last time. Once I handed him my license, he said he had had me before and asked me if I wanted someone else. I was initially surprised because I thought no one got a say in who they had for the test but I just told him it was fine and gave him another chance.

As soon as he sat in my car again, we started talking about what happened last time and what I had learned and I felt much more relaxed as we started the test. I exaggerated things by tying my hair in a ponytail and wearing my dangly jinglebell earrings. I was a fucking bobblehead. There was one moment where I thought I did something wrong but turns out it wasn’t and by the time the test concluded, I was happy to be informed that I had passed this time. The examiner was pleased as well how I learned as we shared a fist-bump and he had told me that no one likes to fail candidates. Many people, especially new drivers might see them as the enemy when they fail a road test, but they are human just like you and me.

How many people like me do you know who now have their driver’s license? I’m glad that I pursued it, it’s super useful to be able to go wherever I want without relying on other people or schedules.

So here I am in 2024 a fully licensed driver in my province and proud of it. Totally worth it.

👽Emily