Is it too late to start driving in your 40s?
Most learner drivers are teenagers. As soon as they’re legally entitled to do so, they pick up a provisional license, start taking lessons, and begin their journey toward life as a motorist.
But for many of us, it doesn’t quite work out that way. You might have started learning to drive and then never got around to finishing – or, you might simply never have bothered, because your personal circumstances didn’t demand (or allow for) it.
If you’ve reached your 40s, you might wonder whether it’s too late to start driving, or whether there’s any benefit to making an attempt. The answer, generally speaking, is yes: it is worth learning to drive in your 40s. Doing so can provide a range of benefits, many of which aren’t often spoken about.
The benefits of learning to drive later in life
Adult learners have a few major advantages over teenage ones. You’ll be older, wiser, and you’ll probably have a greater knowledge of the road and how it works. You’ll be more patient at those junctions, and you’ll be more capable of assessing risk – generally speaking.
One of the more quantifiable benefits stems from your insurance premiums. Insurers will perceive you as presenting a lower risk, for many of the reasons we’ve just touched upon. Therefore, you’ll have to pay lower premiums.
Financial considerations and insurance
Another advantage you might have is that, as an older driver, you’ll statistically have more money available to commit toward lessons, tests, and fuel. This will allow you to practice more often, and to accelerate your progress. Having passed, you’ll have access to new career opportunities, which might help pay for the tests in the long term.
You can optimise your costs in many different ways. Telematics, multi-car insurance and a second named driver can all help. When practising in a family member’s or friend’s car, it’s important to arrange appropriate learner insurance to ensure proper coverage during your learning period.
Overcoming age-related challenges
On the other hand, there are a few natural disadvantages that come with coming to drive later in life. Your reflexes might be slightly slower than they otherwise would be – but this applies also to drivers who passed as teenagers and subsequently aged.
You might also have more difficulty retaining new information. In many cases, however, these differences are not noticeable from the driver’s seat. Learning to drive can be a challenge, whatever your age – and thus, it’s important not to attribute every difficulty to your age.
What really matters is that you practice consistently. This is where you may have an advantage over younger learners: you’ll probably be more serious about the project of becoming a qualified driver, and you might also have experience of building toward a long-term goal.
