Your driving test fails

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Lighthearted thread..

I am a later in life learner! Early 40s.
And I have my first ever driving test this week. I’m extremely nervous and scared that I am going to make a silly mistake on the day due to nerves.

I thought it may make me feel a bit better to hear if others have made mistakes (including silly mistakes!) but then after failing they have gone on to pass and be good drivers!

I would love to hear your stories to help me feel more positive

Tailgated a bus through a red light 🙈

Dont speed up to get through lights before they turn red 😆. Once the examiner puts on your brakes for you, you know you've failed!

On returning to the test centre the examiner told me I pay a road fund licence to drive on one side of the road only. I nearly said something very rude only to be told I had passed. I’m attaching a pic of the offending road. To this day I can’t see how to stay on one side. 😂😂
Good luck.

First test I failed because I clipped a kerb and mounted a pavement, not my finest hour. Second test I stalled the car as we left the test centre so in my head I was convinced I’d failed. Got to the end, examiner said you’ve passed, I asked if he’d got the right person 🙈 Grabbed that piece of paper and ran before he changed his mind 🤣

Good luck with yours!

I passed first time but I nearly failed if I hadn’t caught myself in time.
Hill start:
Mirrors (& blind spot), signal, manoeuvre ✅
Rev car.
Car didn’t go anywhere.
Repeated it all again.
Car still didn’t go anywhere.
Wondered what was going on.
Then, out loud, I said “oh you fucking idiot…” as I released the handbrake 🙃

So yeah, check your handbrake 😂 good luck!

My test I had to reverse round a corner - but it was also a very steep hill. I checked my rear view mirror and there was a horse and rider coming down the road.

i debated going, but was really unsure. So thought it best to wait. Seemed like the longest wait of my life and I was certain I was going to fail (I was staggered when I was told I’d passed).

I had to take evasive action after going round a corner to find a car oarked in the midfle of the road.

In my second test (which i passed) I gor a minor for speeding.

I failed twice in our local test centre and at least one of them was on a hill start. We lived in a notoriously flat area of the Midlands and there was only ONE hill suitable (I think there were a couple more in the mediaeval town centre which is single lane if you're lucky!).
I couldn't get another test in good time at the same one so went to the next town where (as I remember it) it's so flat they didn't make you do a hill start.
It was the same examiner as no 2 so I was really nervous but I passed (I can do a hill start now, honest, though we have an automatic so I had to remember fast when driving my mum's car earlier this year).

My friends daughter was arrested - I'm not joking - her (own) car was stopped by the police as it came up as stolen and been involved in an accident - it was mistaken identity (I don't know if it was wrong information or cloned plates) but she failed.

Failed a few times...off the top of my head it was just too many minors. However one clanger it was pissing down and I had the first test of the day about 5 mins away from the test centre some dick sped across the road infront as i was going and the instructor just got to the break before me. I was so pissed off I ended the test there and then and he had to walk back to test centre in the rain.

The time I passed I was jacked up on rescue remedy and when i was driving around the one way system it split into 3 lanes which I know as I live by them the very kind instructor advised me of this and I was like "yeah, I know" but it came out really shitty and I quickly said sorry my husband does that when I drive 😂

Finally when doing a parallel park I was talking to myself saying "to me, to you" when steering and the poor bloke was trying not to laugh, he ended the test after that and we went back to the test centre I was convinced I'd failed as he'd ended the test early but I passed and asked if he was sure.

Good luck!

Drove over one of those mini roundabouts but didn’t realise and started complaining about how ridiculously slopey the roads were and why do we pay road tax 🙈

Pulled out in front of a van hurtling down a dual carriageway - the tester shouted NOOOO and slammed on the brakes on the (luckily for us) dual control car.

I passed second time round!

I drove around someone on a zebra crossing instead of waiting for them to get across. The crossing was on a hill and I didn’t know if I could do a hill start under pressure 😳

passed the second time though!

Failed the eyesight test….
On the next test I asked the examiner to measure the distance to the number plate he asked me to read.

Hey op, i failed 5 times before passing my test. One was because I got confused on a massive traffic light controlled roundabout about which traffic light was for me and I tried to stop for a red light that was for someone else 🤣.

Not had any accidents since i passed my test, done loads of driving as well. I passed about 14 years ago.

Speeding 😳

Totally missed the 30 sign while trying to negotiate exiting a big roundabout and then tipped along at 39 for quite a while until the examiner asked me what the limit was.

Reverse bay parks were done in the test centre car park.

When learning I was quite confident on them. Absolutely fell apart with nerves before the test, I was literally shaking.

I reversed into the bay fine, perfectly aligned and then decided against stopping reversing once I was in the bay.

Happily, the test centre was in the way to stop me!

That was my first attempt. I didn't try again for over ten years, failed my next one for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign (my bad, I could see the road was clear but those are the rules) and then passed.

I think the first one I was just too young and scatty! Fared much better with the nerves as an older driver.

It was a long time ago, so I don’t know whether this would still mean a fail, but but…

My instructor made me do what I thought was a perfect hill start, over and over- at least 6 times.

I hadn’t a clue what I was doing wrong, but eventually he said, ‘You didn’t look over your shoulder. That would be an instant fail.’
(I passed).

I did this 🙈😂

Went through a no entry sign in the test centre car park on the way out! Didn't even realise that I had failed before even leaving the car park!

I convinced myself I’d failed as I turned right rather than left about five minutes into the test. That obviously took the pressure off as I drove really well after that. When the examiner said congratulations you’ve passed I was very surprised. Apparently because I’d completed the manoeuvre safely and correctly, it was okay. I’d written L and R on my hands as well because I was worried I’d get them wrong!

I failed when the examiner told me to parallel park up a hill with only room for one car (there were parked cars on either side). As I was reversing into the spot, a van appeared over the brow of the hill & slowed down, presumably so they didn’t drive into me. I immediately failed for causing another vehicle to change speed or direction. Am still not sure how I was meant to pass my test in that situation?

Still, I passed 2 weeks later with flying colours, and like you OP, was in my 40s at the time.

The examiner wanted to take me to a notoriously difficult roundabout, but we got into heavy traffic, so he took me into an area, where some roads are 20, some 30 and then 20 again. I failed as went 23 in 20 road. To this day I think that little prick wanted me to fail from the beginning 😠

Failed to anticipate the bus in front of me would stop at the bus stop ( Tbf I couldn’t see the bus stop sign round said bus, but it was hardly an unlikely scenario).

1. Age 17, my indicator flicked off on a roundabout and I didn’t put it back on. 1 major, instant fail.
2. A speeding van almost hit us on a dual carriage way and smashed into a grass verge. I was shaking so hard the instructor chose to terminate the test. Not my fault, but couldn’t complete the test.
3. Age 19, after a few refresher lessons I finally passed.