Most deranged thing you’ve done in a driving lesson/test?

[Shania7788]

My test is coming up soon. Been doing really well but I made the stupidest mistake today and I’m too embarrassed to tell anyone I know in real life. But I need to tell someone before I spend the whole week thinking about this before I fall asleep.

I was following a route I’ve done before but never with the satnav. Approached a mini roundabout before dual carriageway slip road and was going straight over/2nd exit. I must’ve heard ‘turn right…’ or something and been daydreaming, because I went the wrong way around the roundabout 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😩. It’s such a stupid mistake that I’m half convinced the satnav showed an anti-clockwise diagram that I followed blindly. So dangerous of me and ridiculous because I live on a road with three mini roundabouts! Argh!!!

My teacher says the rest of my driving is great and doesn’t want to move the test but it really shook me (and him I think!!) obviously I’ve never done it before.

Please tell me your stupid and deranged mistakes/decisions as a learner to make me feel better and push this out of my mind!

In a lesson I stopped at a junction that came out at the bottom of a small humpback bridge. I turned right onto the bridge and thought the turn felt odd, but couldn't work out why.

Driving instructor (calm as anything considering I was going over a humpback bridge and couldn't see what was coming the other way): "could you go on the right side of the road please?"

Me (confused): "I am on the right side of the road"

....

Me: "oh shit"

I passed my actual test first time although got a minor for speeding and a minor for attitude 😬

I had a friend who ran over a lollipop lady during her test.

DH's car broke down on the busiest roundabout near town, during rush hour, in the rain. Some very kind lorry drivers helped push it to the side out of the way (whilst taking the piss mercilessly).

My mum used to have a habit of stalling on busy roundabouts. I think it was when trying to change gear and the same time as sorting indicators and looking in mirrors and steering. My instructor told me just to do the whole roundabout in second if it felt safer.

Not me, but a friend failed her test when she went the wrong way round a roundabout. Not the wrong lane/wrong exit - literally the wrong way.

God I could write a book on my last few lessons...

• Panicked and slammed my brakes at a mini roundabout after giving way to the wrong side of traffic and then not looking. My instructor used his emergency brake. I cried. This was ON THE WAY TO THE TEST CENTRE
• forgot to do the handbrake and loudly questioned why I couldn't start the car. I did this on multiple occasions.
• stopped behind a car just before a junction, thinking it was waiting to turn. It wasn't. It was a parked car.

Last week I passed, 1st time, with no minors.

I'm a good driver, just air-headed apparently. My instructor said the only way I'd fail is if I let my mind wander.

Seriously though, it's normal to start driving really badly right before your test, it must be nerves or the realisation that the stakes are higher. You will be fine. I understand the nerves though. I wanted to throw up while I was waiting for my name to be called on the day at the test centre. 🙃

I got really nervous on my driving test and kept turning right, regardless of what instructions I was given!!

I strongly recommend asking the examiner if they mind you winding down the windows as soon as you have the chance (once you're driving). If they're feeling kind and generous they can count it as one of the things you're marked on, and it's the easiest thing to do.

This one has really tickled me!

and the person stopping at a green light.

I had a lesson in what turned into the thickest fog ever, I just couldn't see a thing. I stopped the car and then discovered I had wandered onto the wrong side of the road and was parked on a zebra crossing😳

I also had a lesson where I was sticking assiduously to the speed limit with a dickhead flashing his lights behind me. He then overtook me on a bend , blaring his horn and I began to cry!
Mind you, I cheered up enormously 5 minutes later when I passed him pulled over by traffic police for speeding!

A lady ploughed....albeit slowly....into a group of college students crossing at a Give Way sign, right infront of me. One lad was knocked to the ground. The woman just drove off! The 'stupid' thing I did was to safely move to the kerb, park, then dash out to check on this poor, shaken lad and call 999. Examiner failed me because he hadn't told me to stop! Fortunately there were no injuries but I thought that was sooo unfair!

😲

Madness!

I passed my test in the 80s, fourth time. On the 3rd attempt my instructor told me to 'have a drink' to calm my nerves. The examiner smelled it and asked me if I had a drink. I said yes and failed on the spot

During my test I nearly ran someone over - just didn’t see them on the zebra crossing. Did the second emergency stop of the test, examiner nearly went through the windscreen and I said FFS 🤦‍♀️

My first test I was given reverse bay park as a manoeuvre which was done in the test centre car park. I got over enthusiastic and reversed straight into the test centre building wall.

I was so nervous, I think I knew I wasn't ready. Didn't attempt again for several years!

My DS failed because he was sat in what he thought was a queue at the traffic lights for ages. It turned out to be a queue of cars waiting to turn into the hand car wash, and he hadn’t noticed.

My second test ( long time ago now) I had a very chatty examiner who seemed more interested in ' where I was going on my
Holidays' than the actual test! Most unusual and I passed !

Whilst doing the parking part of the test, my foot slipped off the clutch and I reversed full on into a lamppost smashing the rear cluster light.

Was it the slap that failed you? 🙈🙈

Long long long time ago... driving lesson early on with learning, instructor got me driving in a very busy City Centre. Mad fool he was. Lots of lanes total nightmare

I drove into the side of a red double decker bus. Slowly. Little damage to the bus. Stopped the traffic.

I will always remember the faces of the people on the bus. Mostly laughing and pointing 🤣

On the way to my first test I got confused at a roundabout, hit the kerb hard and punctured the tyre on my instructors week old car. He couldn't get the wheel off to change it, and had to call his mum to take me home. So I missed my test, and was in tears as well.

Second test - I made it, yay! But had a stomach bug and felt so ill. I didn't cancel as I thought my driving instructor would think I was chickening out. But I was mainly concentrating on not being sick, so didn't pass.

Third test - I got distracted by a squirrel while doing a three point turn and bumped the kerb.

Fourth test - I didn't know where the rear window demister was, so the examiner had to turn it on for me.

Fifth test - perfect, I passed! (On the day I had my scan as I was pg with my now 24 year old! What a fine day!)

And that's quite outing to anyone who knows me!

In lessons - burst into tears because: I had to pull over for an ambulance to get past and there wasn't really space and I panicked; I epically failed to do my first ever hill start on the steepest hill in the area (my instructor was mean) and panicked; I went the wrong way during the independent drive of a practice test and panicked. Are we sensing a theme here ? There were quite a lot more, it's a wonder she ever agreed to put me in for my test.

In a test - didn't shut the door properly when I got in so the car started pinging as I picked up speed, I panicked and stopped dead in the road and opened it without looking to slam it shut. Thankfully a residential street and there wasn't anything coming. I asked the examiner if I'd failed and she just gave me evils and told me to drive on. I drove super cautiously for the rest of the test, but she had obviously decided I was a terrible driver as she used the emergency brake completely unnecessarily twice. I failed (unsurprisingly).
Passed second time with a lovely examiner and couple of minors (one of which was related to pulling over for an ambulance ! I still freak out slightly when I see one coming up behind me)

This could backfire if they think you're passing comment on their personal hygiene, though!

I clipped my wing mirror on a bus, and had to pull over to correct it. Still passed! (Think it was probably the buses fault but not 100%!)

These are all cheering me up (no offence to anyone!) but I bet some weren’t so funny at the time 😅. And I won’t feel so bad if I cry during my test as it sounds like they get a lot of that 😁

I failed my motorcycle test in spectacular fashion, and it still makes me cringe to this day.

As I was leaving the test centre to go out on the main road, the guy doing my test told me to turn right out onto it. I positioned myself on the right hand side of the road instead of the lane. Instant massive fail. I had no idea until (and I was cruelly made to do the rest of the test) I returned to the test centre.

I only had 3 minors too. My instructor watched my downfall and put his head in hands.

Also, during my training, I was so nervous about turning right (I had come off in the past), that my instructor asked if I had a physical disability.

Just remember that if you take a wrong turning when being given directions, don't panic. Apologise and continue safely. You don't fail for that, they'll just start to direct you on a new route.

Same for when they say "follow the signs to..." if you go off route just apologise and they'll say "follow the signs to..." and give you a new destination.

As long as you're safe about it all you'll still pass.