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!

I passed at my third attempt 2 months ago in an automatic as I found it incredibly overwhelming to manoeuvre, change gears , use clutch all at the same time.

My first attempt had examiner forcing me to go right when I couldn't change lane due to traffic. Which was very weird. I think sometimes they just "feel " like they don't want to pass the lot.

Wish you the best OP! 🍀

On a lesson, stopped to pick up an injured blackbird and took it to a vet.

First ever lesson, I was v nervous. Set off on a country road, big lorry thundering in the opposite direction. Instructor suddenly reaches over and grabs the wheel, I panic thinking I'm about to hit the lorry so steer left. Turns out he was trying to steer me away from the kerb. I punctured the tyre on his car and had to sit red faced while he spent much of my lesson changing the tyre..

Unfortunately yes 😂😂 my mum failed one of her attempts.....the examiner was rather large and she couldn't get to the gear stick!!! He failed her for being overcautious 😂😂

This was just over 40 years ago when I was still learning. I was 17 and at school. At lunchtime I was going downstairs and looked out the window and saw my instructor parked up. I'd forgotten I had a lesson that day. I rushed over and got in the car, feeling all panicked. The car was one of the old minis, so not a lot of room inside. My hand was clammy and as I went to grab the gear stick my hand slipped and I grabbed his knee instead. The embarrassment! He said "you'd better not do that on your test, it won't get you anywhere ". Worst thing for me was me being a teenager and he was probably in his. 60s 🤢

Went through a red light, hit a curb, didn't check my blind spot going onto a duel carriageway and the examiner had to yank the wheel as I was going into the side of a lorry 🤦‍♀️ I may add all this was on the same driving test and I passed with 5 minors 😅😬

Not me but I know someone who was turning right across traffic in a box junction - say travelling on a South to North road and turning to the east. As they turned to face the road they were going into, they saw a red light in front of them (which was for the traffic on the east - west road that was stopped as the south north road was green/go) and in a mental blurb thought it applied to them so stopped dead and put the handbrake on.

How do you go the wrong way around a mini roundabout? They aren't really roundabouts as such, you don't really go round them in the same way as a normal roundabout, the action is only mildly different to turning a corner.

Someone was pulled over by the police in front of me on a driving test but I didn't realise and thought it was a queue of traffic so I just sat there for ages before I realised and moved around them. I also drove on the wrong side of a traffic island on my first test and the examiner used the break (I failed). On my second test I stayed behind a very slow tractor for about a mile as I was too worried to overtake, I passed that time though.

Not me but when I was leaving the test centre, about to start my test, I noticed that the driver in front of me (also heading out to do their test), never indicated as they were exiting the car park!

I had the same driving examiner all 3 times.

On my 2nd exam, he grabbed the steering wheel off me when I was attempting to join the dual carriageway - he clearly felt very unsafe.

When he walked out of the centre for my 3rd driving test, I felt like giving up and going straight home.

I took my advanced driving test about 30yrs ago. Lasted about three hours as you have to show your skills on every type of road including motorways and single carriageway lanes. I also had to do the typical manoevers in your usual test.

Anyway, I was busy reversing round a corner and hit the kerb. Only very gently, but I hit it. I shouted something like bugger or shit and the instructor looked at me and asked what the matter was. He hadn't realised what I'd done. So I started scratching my shoulder like a lunatic and said an insect had flown through the window and stung me 😆

I passed!

I've done an awful lot of tests in my time but I think the worst thing I've done was turn right up a hill with my handbrake still on. Nothing majorly stupid but lots of small stupid things. Finally passed a couple of years ago. I drive very well on my own but somehow things go to shit if someone is watching or judging me 😞

God so many dumb things I was happily driving down the road when the instructor told
me to take me next right… swerved left as I got the two mixed up and was just about to pass the left hand turn. Car nearly went on two wheels around the corner…. I was also awful as keeping space on my left hand side and hit so many wing mirrors that in the end my (slightly pervy) instructor would call any I hit but didn’t actually end up smashing off a wing mirror kiss. He ended up having a stroke… not during my lesson but still haunts me I probably contributed to it! Managed to pass my test in the end!

Just remembered my DM! She didn't learn to drive until her late 30s. She was so proud when she eventually passed and she was keen to show me what a great driver she was by taking me to the nearest city for a mooch around the shops.

Anyway, off we went, next thing we know is blue lights and sirens. Yep. She got pulled over by the police. They breathalysed her because her being drunk was the only excuse they could think of as to why she was driving at 20mph on a 70mph limit dual carriageway! She waved her shiny new license at them and they suggested she might want to consider a few more lessons.

She doesn't drive anymore. I don't think she ever really took to it!

It’s quite a busy roundabout so there’s a lot of space around it for proper turning and to fit more than once car. So instead of turning with the roundabout to my right I went anti-clockwise with the roundabout to my left ☹️

Not anything I did, but about 10 minutes into my driving test my examiner announced “I don’t mean to worry you, but there’s a police car behind us”. He then proceeded to spend the rest of the test turning round to look out of the back to watch the police car. I swear they were after him 😂 I did pass though!

@ArsMamatoria I said my hormonal hot flushes are brought on by stress, so I was sorry if he froze but it was that or I melted.

He was very sweet about it. And about me accidentally groping his leg repeatedly during the test because it was a very tiny cat and he was as generously proportioned as me, and it was hard to grab the gear stick

And yes, crying doesn't matter (though I'd advise safely pulling over if it affects your driving) and they don't care if you take a wrong turning. They literally only care that you are safe on the roads - that you won't endanger yourself or anyone else. That's it. So if you are in the wrong lane and can't change in time, just apologise and keep going the way you're headed. It's fine. No problem at all.

I cut up a dust cart and then started heading towards a road junction. I was panicking waiting for the examiner to tell me left or right. The nearer we got the worse my brain addled. I took a punt and signalled left - he then said 'did I tell you to turn left driver?' I said no then he bellowed 'straight on'! I hadn't thought of that option!
My parallel parking was dodgy as the Instructor had just got a new clutch but that day it was awesome.
It was a busy town with a huge amount of traffic but I passed.

2nd test, made it back to the test centre. Examiner asked me to park on the right so I stupidly decided to reverse in. Ran over the flower beds full of daffodils and other spring flowers and yes I failed.

When I learned to drive, parking in bays wasn't part of the test, so my instructor never taught me. Of course, getting back to the test centre at the end, we had to park in bays. I was so panicked that whilst I did manage to park neatly within the lines, I also nudged the wall we were parking by. I am not sure if he noticed, but as I had already failed on parallel parking, it didn't really make a difference.

My other regret is that my previous instructor had been a bullying arsehole and I was too young amd conditioned not to make a fuss that I didn't complain. I actually ended up walking home as I couldn't face being in the car with him any longer, but still just called the company and asked for a new instructor as I "needed different hours". Wonder how many other people he terrified.

I had to do a hill start during my test. Adjusted clutch and accelerator, couldn't find the bite, panicking a bit I let of the handbreak - and went whizzing backwards down the hill. I hadn't put the car into gear. Reader, I failed.

The examiner asked me to do the '3 point turn ' on a narrow road with a camber. I did it in 9! I passed......

I completely lost control of the car on a lesson when a massive bumblebee flew in and was buzzing around the windshield 😩 I really hate them so was screaming and the car was stalling and the instructor had to use the dual controls! Luckily it was a very quiet road but he gave me a telling off 🙈 I now always drive with windows shut lol