Diamonds 'n' Pearls: Learner Driver Booby Blunders: More Than Telematics

So I am fast approaching 31 years old and I have a confession to make, I AM STILL LEARNING TO DRIVE! Yep that's right, it's out there. I have been learning to drive on and off since I was around 18 years old and I still haven't quite made it to passing my practical test

My years of learning to drive haven't been without their trials and tribulations. There have been tears, many, many tears, tantrums, laughs, sobs, swerves and swears but yet I still carry on in the hope one day I shall no longer have to ride that damned old peasant wagon, I am so over public transport!

Being the little fatshionista that I am everything I do is an opportunity for an awesome outfit and that's including my driving lessons! Who'd have thought they'd also be a place for a huge fashion faux pas too? Cue the day I inadvertently flashed a whole busy road of oncoming traffic and had absolutely no idea...

On this particular day it had been dress down Friday at work and I had a driving lesson booked in for when I finished at 4pm. That morning I'd donned my favourite double denim outfit consisting of skinny jeans, trainers (comfortable footwear for your driving lesson, of course) and my absolute favourite popper buttoned denim shirt. My driving instructor turned up at 4pm on the dot and I hopped into the drivers seat, started the engine and began following the instructions I was being given.

It all seemed to be going really well until I reached a small busy road full of parked vehicles on either side of it meaning that I had other vehicles approaching me. It slowly became a game of who was going to give in and let the other one through and of course, me being the learner driver I ended up being the one to let EVERYONE through. As each vehicle passed me I became more and more perplexed by the barrage of hooting, tooting, stares and glares, I just couldn't understand what the problem was. Was I doing something wrong? If I was my instructor hadn't told me so I just carried on. I began to think to myself 'have these people never seen a learner driver before?' but then as a large white transit van drove past me with two chuckling, overall clad fella's shooting each other glances and then shooting them back at me I was beginning to get really frustrated.

Being a learner driver is pretty stressful as it is without all of a sudden becoming the unbeknownst subject of ridicule of every other driver on the same road as you. I finally got fed up of the stares, put my foot down and ensured there was no way I was giving way for any one else, I wanted out of that road as quickly as possible!

My lesson carried on until I finally got home and pulled up outside my house. At this point at the end of a lesson, my instructor usually sits and chats to me about how I thought the lesson went and what we were going to do in our next lesson; however this time something was different, he seemed to hurry me off out of the car. Feeling totally annoyed I walked up my driveway where my brother was fumbling about with his own car, tools strewn across the concrete and oil stains everywhere. 'Alright' he shouted 'how'd your lesson go' and looked up at me from underneath the bonnet of his gleaming white Honda Civic. Before I had chance to reply I heard him let out an almighty roar of laughter, that was it, I'd had enough!

'Nomi, button your shirt up! Your bra is on show to EVERYONE!' my brother cackled. I peered down at my bleached denim shirt only to see that pretty much all of the popper buttons were completely open, exposing my battered old off white but now slightly grey bra to the world and that's when I realised, my buttons had been open that whole time! No wonder I had become the joke of the local roads! Learner driver fashion faux pas? I think so!

Fashion disasters aside, whilst being a new or learner driver I'm sure there are much more important things to worry about, like affording your new set of wheels (and still being able to afford an awesome wardrobe!). That's where the More Than Telematics Driving Style Score comes in. Driving safely can now save you money which means more pennies in your pocket for new fabulous outfits (hopefully ones which don't cause terrible embarassment!).