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

I hit a wing mirror of a parked car. And the person was sat in the car. So I had to pull over, get out and apologise. They were a driving instructor as it turned out and it would have been obvious to them I was on my test.

On another test I just didn’t reverse around a corner. I reversed a bit, panicked, ended up in the middle of the road, asked to end the year and was made to carry on.

I’m actually a pretty safe and competent driver, I just don’t like being observed and judged.

Even if you pass first time people won’t be happy for you.
when people at school found out I passed I was told it was because they had a quota to meet. However as I was a first test on a Monday morning this seemed unlikely as surely Friday afternoon would be the time to get a pass to meet an imaginary quota

That’s not what they mean… the theory they’re basing it on is that they’re only allowed to pass a set number of people. On a Monday there are more passes available so they are more easygoing on small mistakes whereas with only a few passes left in the quota on Friday they’re more likely to be harsher. The quota is a limiter.

I’m pretty sure it’s all bollocks though because why would they want to fail people they don’t have to?

I was late to the party too at 35.
I turned the wrong way twice, and knocked the kerb reversing around the corner. Somehow I passed!!
15 years later I drive up to 700 miles a week.
Good luck!

I drove 40 in a 30, didnt notice a cyclist and almost killed the examiner.

Just remember the examiners are people. Just chat and narrate your driving eg, just slowing down slightly here as there are parked cars, I’m aware it’s a 30.

I managed to get in the wrong lane and drove through the bus station. The examiner said"What did you do that for?". I was too nervous to answer him.
I passed the next time.
I've now been driving for 40 years without (many) mishaps.
Good luck OP

Thanks so much everyone, some of these have given me a good giggle! Nice to hear there are some other later in life learners too

Parking too far away from the kerb three times. Very annoying!

My husband passed first time at the age of 49. You've got this! 💪

My DH once drove through a bus station! Fortunately not on his test :)

I passed first time but there were some mishaps.

Drove around a corner and ended up in a yellow box. Said "oh no I am not meant to be in here" and the instructor said "well you couldn't see from round the corner".

And when I was doing my reverse around a corner a woman decided to walk out behind me and so I had to draw forward and start again.

I was struggling to get out of a junction because it was busy and the instructor told me I needed to go or I'd never get out. I passed but the instructor reminded me that "s/he who hesitates is lost".

My test was about the third one on a Tuesday after a bank holiday. Maybe I wouldn't have passed if it had been Friday afternoon!

I took my test back in the mid 90s. In a country outside the UK. My entire test consisted of driving around a retail park. Like literally I never drove on the actual road, just around the car park for 10 minutes. He asked me to parallel park. I got halfway in the space and bottled it, and he was like that’ll do. And I passed. It was also my 16th birthday (you could back then test as soon as you turned 16 in my home country, if you lived in certain rural farming regions, it was 14!).

I was actually a very careful driver, but I in no way proved in that test that I could drive, which I’ve always thought was hilarious. I don’t know if that’s just how the tests were, or my guy just didn’t give AF about his job anymore. 🤣

I’ve never taken a driving test, but my colleague drove through a red light during her test and didn’t even notice. Needless to say, the examiner noticed. Fail.

My brother had a real emergency stop. Something like a dog running into the road.
The instructor said to move on when safe to do so and my brother was so frazzled he went through a red light

My driving test was the most wooden, clunky driving I've ever done in my life. (I was taught to drive at 14 so was really pretty good by 17, just nervous).

About halfway through, a joyrider came screeching along towards me, on the wrong side of the road. The examiner gave a sharp breath in. I threw my car up a side road, no time to indicate or do anything neatly!

We drove on.

I should say, at the start, he had snapped, "put your headlights on!" (It was foggy). Towards the end, I stopped in traffic and pulled the handbrake on, but not quite hard enough so rolled back very slightly. I tried to pull it on one more click without him noticing. He looked at me and I looked out if the window.

I passed. 🤣

First test almost forty years ago. Completed the test faultlessly, as I pulled up in front of a hedge back in the test centre car park almost at a standstill, the front of the car touched the hedge. ‘Up until then you had passed, but that could have been a child so I will have to fail you’ the examiner said. I finally passed four tests later!

2nd test, got back to the test centre and was instructed to park on the right. Instead of just pulling over I decided to reverse into the spot and ran over the flower bed, squashing the lovely spring flowers. Obviously, I failed but I did pass on my 3rd attempt.

You can do it!

I finally passed on my fourth attempt!

The first one I had no business doing a test. The examiner had to use his brakes within minutes of me starting. The second was in a town I didn't know at all. The third I was shaking so badly I could barely drive. The fourth one I had a lovely examiner and we just chatted as I drove.

It took me decades on and off. If I can do it anyone can!

The examiner told me to pull over but he said it with such urgency that I panicked and pulled up onto the curb (no people around). This was after a truck driver had waved me around his broken down truck and I’d sat there because I couldn’t see around the truck🙈 He said (on the curb thing)- automatic fail but you weren’t passing today anyway!!

DD took her first test and the examiner told her that until the last minute he was going to pass her. As the got back to the test centre, which was on an industrial estate there were Lorries and vans parked on the left side. DD moved to the right and passed the parked vehicles. The examiner told her to take the next turn on the right and in a mad moment DD decided not to move back to the left after passing the vehicles. The lorry coming towards DD blinked first and moved to his right, DD's left so the passed on the wrong side. She is a good, confident driver now.

Took my test in my 30's. Drove out of the test centre and pulled in behind what i thought was a queue of traffic but was actually just a row of parked cars, panicked and swung out into traffic without looking and examiner slammed on the brakes. Still had to complete the test even though i knew I'd failed, he did say I would've passed if not for that 😂😂 passed on my second atrempt

I’ve failed twice and gearing up for a 3rd attempt.

First attempt I accidentally drove onto a motorway so we had to pull over on the hard shoulder so my instructor could swap with me and take us back to the test centre. Other than that, 2 minors (15 minutes in)

Second attempt, the car sat nav told me the speed limit had changed to 50 when it hadn’t.. so I was (dangerously) speeding and had to be told to slow down (instant fail). Did the whole test otherwise with 2 minors.

Hi everybody… I PASSED!

Brilliant well done!

Oh I bloody love this - so pleased for you.