My rookie era: In my 30s, I went for my driver's licence test and failed four times

"Last year, at the age of 35, I decided it was time to grow up and get my driver's licence. I had considered it before, but it had never stuck. As a teenager, I thought driving was scary and significantly less cool than sitting on the bus, listening to the same eight songs on my MP3 player. As a news reporter in my 20s, not driving was inconvenient to both me and my editors, but so was spending days off learning how to parallel park."

"After a few months, we decided I was ready. The testing officer's monotone voice could have secured him a job in ASMR. For half an hour, we navigated suburban streets, me making nervous quips about pedestrians in a bid to seem confident and aware of my surroundings, him attempting to ignore me. People were running red lights and failing to brake at pedestrian crossings, yet Service NSW seemed to think they deserved licences."

"I was crawling through the mall car park at 5km/h, just seconds from the end, when a car stopped to let out passengers. I dutifully performed my blind spot check, just as Pete had taught me. Good to go! I said cheerily, preparing to pass the car and the test. Suddenly, the testing officer slammed on his breaks. There's a person there, he said, dropping his practised calm. Out of the gloom, an elderly lady had appeared at the edge of the crossing. It was over. I had failed."

"Over the subsequent six months, I would fail three more times, each for a different reason. The second time, I mounted a curb at a roundabout. The third time, I attempted to run a red light. The fourth, I hesitated too long at a pelican crossing. Learning to drive a"

At 35, a new driver decided to get a licence after years of avoiding driving. Earlier experiences included finding driving scary as a teenager, dealing with inconvenience in her 20s, and later feeling driving was essential after moving to suburban Sydney. She worked with several teachers and a new instructor, Pete, who taught her techniques such as blind spot checks. During the test, she navigated suburban streets while the testing officer remained detached. In a mall car park, she performed a blind spot check and prepared to pass, but the officer braked when an elderly pedestrian appeared at a crossing, ending the test. She then failed multiple times over six months for different reasons, including mounting a curb, attempting a red light, and hesitating too long at a pedestrian crossing.

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