Late learner: Why I started driving lessons at 27

Aine Kenny shares her experience of becoming a fully licensed driver at 27.

I have always been afraid of cars. Prone to an anxious disposition, if one of my parents was ever late coming home, I feared the worst: a tragic car accident must have claimed their life. It was the only logical explanation for a child with an overactive imagination and a penchant for Jacqueline Wilson books.

By the time the Leaving Cert approached, I still wasn’t behind the wheel. After my parents suggested I start lessons, I argued that I needed to knuckle down and study hard. Perhaps this was just a convenient excuse to avoid facing my fear.

I lived in cities during college and after graduation, which pushed driving further down my agenda. That isn’t to say I enjoyed relying on public transport; ghost buses, people blaring TikToks at max volume, and the dreaded hen/stag party on the train (maximum fun for the participants and ultimate hell for fellow passengers) were par for the course.

To this day, nothing will instil dread in me like the sound of a can cracking open at 9am.

Two things happened in my late 20s that brought a newfound sense of urgency to my driving: my 21-year-old younger sister picked me up from the train station on a trip back home, and my parents had to drive me and my fiancé to visit wedding venues, as neither of us had our licence.

So, my fiancé and I made a vow (before our wedding ones) that we would learn to drive before we tied the knot.

We weren’t alone in this mission. Road Safety Authority (RSA) stats show that 93,723 people aged 30-39 had learner permits as of June 2026, just slightly more than those aged 17-20.

Paul Kenny, an Irish School of Motoring driving instructor in the Dublin North area, has noticed an uptick in older learners. “For some people, there wasn’t a need for them to drive, particularly if they lived in an area with good public transport. Other times they had jobs which involved lots of travel, or family commitments.”

My fiancé and I learned to drive in Dublin, which is not for the faint-hearted. We didn’t have access to a car or an experienced driver to sit with us, so instead we did way more lessons than the required 12, and we also sat our tests back in our hometowns to avoid the long wait times in Dublin.

For the first few lessons, I was petrified, inching along the road at 5km per hour. What I found challenging was other people: cyclists weaving in and out, road-rage-fuelled drivers overtaking me on a 30km ramp-laden road in the middle of a housing estate, only for me to catch up with them at the lights.

I was very hard on myself if I made a mistake. I kept thinking that there were 18-year-olds who were better at this than me, aged 27, and I had no excuse for not being as good as them.

As we grow older, we don’t have as many opportunities to learn new things. I was out of education for a few years and settled in my career, so driving was the biggest challenge I had faced in a long time. Being patient with myself was another lesson I had to learn.

Paul says a lack of confidence is a common issue for older drivers. While younger drivers don’t overthink their mistakes, older learners often come to Paul feeling like they are already behind.

“They tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves. My job as an instructor is to make them understand that everyone learns at their own pace.”

The day of my test was bright but not too sunny – perfect driving weather. I had a pre-test right before where I did some of the worst driving imaginable as I was so nervous. I went into the test centre shaking like a leaf.

The test was going pretty well until it was time to reverse around the corner and make a three-point turn. I had never struggled with these before, but when pulling up, I brushed off the kerb. Turning to the no-nonsense moustached tester, I whispered, ‘Sorry’. He stared back, stone-faced. I completed the manoeuvres without further incident and headed back to the test centre.

The kerb incident made me believe that I had failed, which made the rest of the test strangely easier as I wasn’t under so much pressure. Back at the test centre, I was stunned and overjoyed to learn I had passed.

While older learners aren’t necessarily better than younger ones, Paul has noticed older drivers tend to be more cautious.

“They have more life experience; they tend to be very responsible as they already have families and careers. They understand the consequences of taking a risk, which can lead to a safer driver. They are very focused on their observations and their checks before moving off.”

The RSA echoes this sentiment. “Learners in their late 20s and 30s frequently demonstrate a mature appreciation of road risk, greater life experience, and a heightened awareness of the potential consequences of errors. This contrasts with the statistical tendencies toward overconfidence often observed in younger novice cohorts.”

Learners in older age brackets (50s, 60s, and 70s) face entirely different, often physiological factors that can influence the learning process. Conditions such as arthritis, changes in eyesight, or altered hearing can restrict physical movement, making critical manoeuvres like blind-spot checks more difficult, while specific health conditions or medications may impact cognitive processing and reaction times.

“The RSA acknowledges the vital role that Approved Driving Instructors play in adapting their educational delivery styles to support these varying needs.”

Paul adds that you’re never too old to learn: he had a 67-year-old learner last year.

“Her husband had passed away, and she had a car sitting in the driveway. She decided to learn, as she always told her husband she would.”

What advice would he have for older learners? “Don’t confuse your lack of confidence with a lack of ability. Some people start off very nervous, and they go on to become great drivers.”

So, did we both pass our test before we got married? While I passed a few months before the big day, my now-husband passed on his first go three days before the wedding.

You couldn’t ask for a better present than that!

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ