Two Years Behind the Wheel: How I Learned to Drive With My Feet
More than two years ago, in May 2024, I achieved a goal that had been on my mind for a long time — I became a driver.
And yes, I drive with my feet.
For me, getting a driver's license was never about proving that I could do something unusual. It was about something much simpler and much more important: independence.
I wanted to be able to get into my own car and go where I needed to go without always depending on someone else.
Today, more than two years later, driving has become a normal part of my everyday life. But when I think back to how it all started, I still remember how many questions, challenges and wonderful people were part of that journey.
The Idea of Becoming a Driver
Because I was born without arms, my way of doing many everyday things has always been different.
I paint with my feet, write with my feet and use them for many of the things other people naturally do with their hands.
So when I started thinking seriously about driving, the question wasn't whether I wanted to drive.
The question was: how can we make it possible?
There were many practical things that had to be solved, including finding a driving school willing to work with me and having a suitable car in which I could learn and eventually take my driving test.
And that is where some very special people entered this story.
The SAT Team Believed in the Idea From the Beginning
From the very beginning, Mladen Alvirović and the team behind the Serbian automotive TV show SAT supported my idea of becoming a driver.
They didn't just say that it was a good idea.
They helped make it happen.
The SAT team donated my first car to me — a Honda Jazz.
That became the car in which I learned, practiced and eventually took my driving test.
It is difficult for me to describe how much that gesture meant.
Sometimes someone believing in your idea at the right moment can completely change what happens next.
I will never forget what Mladen and his team did for me.
Learning to Drive With My Feet
Of course, receiving the car was only the beginning.
I still had to learn to drive safely, prepare for the theory exam and complete everything required to earn my driver's license.
Driving with my feet required finding a method that worked naturally for me, just as I had done with so many other activities throughout my life.
I also needed people who were willing to approach the situation with an open mind.
I contacted driving schools in Novi Sad, and eventually found one that was willing to give me the opportunity to learn and take the exam using my own car.
Then came the driving test.
May 2024: I Became a Driver
On May 10, 2024, I was finally able to share the news:
I had passed my driving test.
Interestingly, the practical driving exam turned out to be easier for me than the theory tests.
And I passed the driving part on my first attempt.
That day, another goal on my list became reality.
I was officially a driver.
It was an incredible feeling, but it was also the beginning of something much more valuable — having another level of independence in my everyday life.
Two Years Later
More than two years have passed since that day.
Something that once felt like a huge project has now become part of ordinary life.
I get into the car. I drive. I arrive where I need to be.
And maybe that is my favorite part of this entire story.
The goal was never for driving with my feet to remain something extraordinary.
The goal was for it to become normal.
Looking back, I am grateful to everyone who was willing to find solutions instead of focusing only on the reasons something might be difficult.
Especially to Mladen Alvirović and the entire SAT team for believing in this idea from the very beginning and for a gesture that I will never forget.
That little Honda Jazz wasn't simply my first car.
It was the car that helped me become a driver.
— Dejana Nežić
Girl With Wings
More about this story:
Read the RTS story about my SAT appearance →
Read the Blic article about the day I passed my driving test →