Had a disarsterous driving test in the week, come share your test disaster stories and we can mope together.

[Aeroflotgirl]

After failing 4 manual driving tests 22 years ago in London, I gave driving a miss for quite a while, moved to an area where public transport is not that great, so needed to drive. I used to suffer panic attacks, but with the help of hypnosis, I don't get them, and had it in preparation for learning to drive.

Found an instructor for an automatic car and had lessons, booked a test and failed spectacularly. The examiner took me on the worse route possible, and was totally unprepared for an motorway type A road with multi laned and traffic lighted roundabouts that I never seen before. Was a good first introduction to that road. Add to that, I had never done independent driving following road signs with the instructor, so all this was new to me on my test.

Managed to hold it together until after the test, I knew I failed but proud that I did the test, and did not have a panic attack, and it was great experience. Needless to say I am looking for a new instructor, and will be booking my test after a bit more practise.

I knocked someone's wing mirror clean off on my first driving test

I have mine today so I'll probably be back at 12 with my own horror story 😂

Awww I did that in London, 20 years ago, racked up a D fault and had to go back to the test centre .

Ahhhh good luck Doglikeme hope that it all goes well, be prepared that they will probably ask ask you to follow road signs on your own, and take you on the most hardest road a learner can go on barr a motorway.

I went on an unfamiliar route and when he said "turn right at the roundabout" I was so busy thinking "what bloody roundabout?!" (it was a mini one that wasn't apparent when he said it) that I went sailing over a zebra crossing and he emergency stopped. The galling thing was that I had just done a brilliant parallel park!

I have since passed and am a very safe driver now!

I sped up to get through traffic lights that were changing to red. The examiner put the brakes on! . On a different test I failed on reversing round a corner as it was very pointy rather than curved and I went over the kerb. I waited about 9/10 years before trying again and then passed by the skin of my teeth (allowed 15 minor faults and I had 14)

Good luck @Doglikeme!

I passed my test on the 3rd try, just over 5 months ago. You need an instructor who'll take you round the roads frequently used on the test - there were three awful roundabouts near my test centre so my instructor took me round them so many times I was sick of them! We did them over and over again, approaching from every direction, and it really helped on the test as I didn't have to think to hard about it.

On the independent driving bit, remember that you're being tested on driving safely, not finding your destination. So if you go wrong, it's absolutely fine, so long as you do it safely. Better to come off the roundabout at the wrong exit because you were in the wrong lane, than try to move across lanes unsafely to go the 'right' way. If you go wrong, they'll just direct you where they want you to go.

Ahhh reading some of your success stories after driving test disarsters has given me hope. Thanks for the tip Syncope, I think he took me on the A5 as most of the local roads were closed that day due to roadworks .

How I did not not crash that car on the 5 lane multi exit roundabout that I had never been before is beyond me, he did not have to use his dual control, so no D faults so that is good, just got hopelessly confused.

and racked up 4 serious faults, I am quite proud of my assesment sheet, the serious faults were that I was going to slow on that A road as a car had broken down in my lane and I was trying to change lanes, and wrong lanes at that horrible roundabout.

I failed my first test on not looking over my shoulder whilst doing a 3 point turn, only fault but was a 'major' the next THREE I failed on sheer nerves. Stalled the car repeatedly at a junction to the point the examiner asked me to exit the vehicle so he could move us to a safe location
I hit kerbs, nearly took out a bus etc... left it 6 months, got these beta blocker type pills from my gp (to calm me) and finally got through it on test number 5!
Keep going, you'll get there!

Ahhh thanks Mamabear, that is excellent, I went to the GP for beta blockers, but they cannot prescribe them for me because of my asthma, prescribed anti depressents to help instead, which I did not take, but I think I will next time, if they keep me calm.

The one where he pointed out I was exceeding the speed limit.
Followed by pointing out I'd parked up on double yellows at the end. Not my finest hour.

I stalled at a junction on my next test but I was so pissed off at having had a tooth out the day before it didn't phase me, just got on with it, and passed.

@Aeroflotgirl
Give it a go, my instructor (female, very patient and flexible with me bringing 2 babies on my lessons) let me trial run with the meds so see how I would feel driving on them, as with beta blockers it's not a set amount of tablets, you might need one or three depending on how anxious you are.
You need to feel relaxed and comfortable in the car or all your perfected parking moves will be for nothing maybe give the anti depressants a go or get to researching other anti anxiety meds, I know there are some herbal varieties that may do the trick for you good luck

My driving instructor made each lesson as much as possible to be driving test conditions it worked i passed first time (somehow!!)

I failed for the most annoying things, the first one I failed to merge properly onto a dual carriageway and a van had to break to let me in, apparently that was a major fault. The second time I had no other faults and didn't notice a lit up flashing 20mph sign so got a major fault on that. Rebooked for a different test centre because I needed a weekend day which were hard to come by and passed with 3 minor faults. That was last September.

My first test I would have blown through a give way at a crossroads if the examiner hadn't hit the brakes. D'oh!

I also nearly ran a red on a lesson and again as a newly-passed driver, both times because I was looking at the wrong lights.

I failed one of mine on a hill start. Accidentally put it in 3rd I think instead of 1st, I can't really remember but the long and short of it is that I stalled, tried again, ground the gears, panicked, gave it too much gas and did a wheel spin, stalled and rolled backwards before restarting and catching the car with the clutch, having completely forgotten I possessed a handbrake or indeed any kind of brake at all. And got a clap and whistle from the van driver waiting to pull out of the nearby junction.

Ahhh sorry all, this thread has cheered me up no end, and given me the confidence to keep going and not give, up, after the test I felt like jacking it all in.

On my first test I failed because I thought I had room to go around some parked cars but the examiner didn't and grabbed the steering wheel. That was pretty much straight out of the test centre.

My 2nd test went well until I had to do a 3 point turn. It turned into a 9 point turn with a bus, a lorry and a load of cars waiting for me. I hit the kerb so hard that I bounced in to the middle of the road.

I didn't have any lessons with the instructor after my 2nd test; instead I just drove my mum mad everywhere she wanted to go and practised 3 point turns like mad.

On my 3rd test I turned up in a huge old Volvo and was asked to do a parallel park . I had to lean over the instructor to alter the mirror. I thought I'd clipped the kerb and thought, "Fuck it. I've failed now so I might as well get to the end of this and rebook." I passed the test!

Keep at it, not everyone is a natural and can take lots of tries to pass. Like me.....

1st test straight out of the test centre, examiner says 'go straight ahead at the roundabout' but surprisingly he didn't mean go straight through a double roundabout without giving way to anything coming. He had to hit the brakes and I'd failed within 2 minutes of starting my test.

2nd test was doing reverse around the corner and a car was coming to pass me but instead of doing exactly what I knew I should do (stop and let it pass) I decided I could get round the corner fast enough before the car got to me. I couldn't. He had to brake and told me off then and there.

3rd test changing lanes and thought the car in my rear view was further away than it was, it bared the horn on' me and was forced to slow way down so instant fail there.

4th test I was on my way back from the test and got to the roundabout just a few meters from the test centre and got too excited because I knew I'd done a near perfect test and thought I'd passed so when he said straight ahead at the roundabout I got in the left hand land but then went to drive straight into the inside lane of the roundabout (for taking the 3rd exit) which he said he wouldn't have failed me for as I could have just went back round it and off at the correct exit but a car was #coming round the inside lane and he had to grab the wheel and pull me to the outer lane. He said he felt bad having to fail me as I'd proved I could drive well but just got too excited at the end.

5th test I was the most nervous I'd been because I knew how many things can affect how your test goes and I couldn't control a shaky leg but somehow I managed not to rack up any major faults so actually passed that one!

I did pick on the fact that if you booked the slot right before lunch that the examiner wouldn't ask you to go into the city centre as they didn't want to get stuck in traffic and miss their lunch. So I booked that slot every time and did the same route (with a few small variations) every time. I then asked my instructor to just do those routes in the lessons in between.

This is a forum just for me! Ha! I did my driving test five times (YES - FIVE!) before passing. My first test went terribly. I think I failed 30 second after leaving the test centre for pulling out of a junction when it wasn’t clear. I think I received about 3-4 majors and 13 minors . Safe to say - I wasn’t ready for my test!

My third test - I hadn’t driven for over 2 months prior to this test as I thought the brief hiatus would’ve benefited me (oh, how ignorance is bliss) and thought I’d pass! I actually asked the examiner to terminate the test as I had stalled about 3-4 times on a hill start and knew I had failed. She granted my wishes and my instructor wasn’t pleased at all as he had to walk from the test centre through hilly terrain on a hot summer’s day! It was about a 25 minute walk! He said that I was the only student who’s ever done that (I am embarrassed thinking about it now!) my driving lessons were never the same again with him as I felt like he was constantly annoyed at me for doing what I did.

I passed the fifth time with a new instructor with just 3 minors. I’ve been driving for just over a year now and not had any accidents or near misses. I actually quite enjoy driving now as I used to absolutely dread driving lessons but that is another story for another time! Don’t give up, OP. Driving is one of the most fulfilling accomplishments you can gain and the amount of freedom I have now is indescriptible! Good luck to you!

Managed to rack up 4 major faults and a dangerous fault on my first test.

Eventually passed third time. Been driving now for 24 years.

3rd time lucky for me
On my first I cut out every time I stopped, probably 10 times, nerves.
On my second I reversed into bin and knocked it over.
On my third I was pregnant so if all else fails you could try a pillow up the jumper.