To ask whether I should give up learning to drive?

[GummyBear81]

I've done 3 tests now and am failing worse each time. My instructor thinks I'm ready and I drive fine on lessons but my nerves are horrendous and I'm failing badly but never on the same things.

1st test - 1 dangerous, 1 serious, can't remember minors. Dangerous was taking the wrong exit at a roundabout, panicking and not checking my mirrors. Serious was 3 minors for clearance to obstructions.

2nd test, in my defense I was very ill and should have cancelled it. I had to roll the window down because I was sweating so much and couldn't turn my head properly for parallel park and got hit with a serious. Also a dangerous fault for awareness - I took a turn far too fast and nearly hit a parked car.

1. 2 dangerous and a serious. Dangerous was rolling back at lights (so stupid, didn't put my handbrake on), getting beeped and another was stupidly going ahead when a Range Rover was coming down the street and nearly hitting a parked car. Serious was fucking up my parallel park again. This time the instructor said I was a good driver but clearly fell apart once I'd fucked up my parallel park and let things snowball.

I'm on the verge of giving up. I clearly need more work on my manoeveres but otherwise I drive uneventfully in lessons now. My instructor doesn't think I need more, he thinks I need help with my nerves.

I'm just fed up and demoralised and feeling shit. Any hope for me?

Get a different instructor. My DD failed 3 times and then her instructor went off on maternity so we found a different one (asked for recommendations). She had 5 lessons with the new one and then passed. Don't give up yet!!!

Just to add a new instructor give a different perspective and different ways of teaching. And also DD took the new driving instructor on her test so that if she did fail the instructor would have a better understanding of how the test was affecting the driving.

Don't give up! I started learning at 17 and didn't pass till I was 20 on my 7th try! It was my nerves too, towards the end I was going into the test expecting to fail. I did have maybe 3 different instructors though but only sat my test once with the final instructor. It can be done!

Please don't give up, you will get there and it's such a massive achievement when you do! I failed four tests then swapped instructor and passed. I was exactly the same and was a nervous wreck during earlier tests but the test I passed I was a lot calmer, probably just because I'd failed so many before that I assumed I'd fail again and that took the pressure off.

The main thing is to just drive as much as you can. I was quite an anxious driver even after I passed as I had basically told myself I was rubbish at driving. But I kept driving, have forced myself on occasion to drive places I don't know (which was always the thing that scared me) and now I'm 11 years on and love that I can drive. It is such a life skill, such freedom, makes your world a bigger place....keep going, you can do it.

You’ve only failed 3, that’s nothing just keep going you’ll get there.

I really like my instructor though, and I don't think he's the problem. He does teach well and point out mistakes, but I'm not really making any anymore on lessons

If you did change instructors, what did you say and how did you do it?

You might have outgrown your teacher, that happens :) Doesn't mean he's not any good, just means you might need a different perspective in order to reach the final push.

Here's to test number five, you can do it! nerves are such a bitch.

I failed a lot of tests, passed on my 15th. Each test I failed on something different, my nerves got the better of me and I made silly mistakes. I got to the point where I was going into each test thinking I would fail before I started. I gave the tests a rest for a year to clear my head and passed once I restarted. If you feel you need more lessons to practice than do that, do what's right for you. I passed in the end so I'm sure you can, dont lose heart.

A friend's son recently passed on his fifth test. I think people who struggle to pass really do become some of the safest drivers, because of all the extra tuition and awareness of potential dangers.

Don’t give up. I passed my test at the seventh attempt. It was nerves with me too. My GP prescribed beta blockers and bingo! Embarrassingly, I kissed the examiner when he told me.

I still failed with beta blockers though. Albeit I was a lot less nervous and didn't make as serious errors, or as many minors.

Try another instructor. You don't have to tell the one you have. Just get a taster lesson with someone else and ask them to assess you driving.

It took me 6 goes to pass You can do this. Good luck

Don’t give up. It took me 5 tests to pass. I am a good driver but the nerves just overtook me during the first 4. Don’t know if you would be interested but I got hypnotised for the last test.It seemed to help, at least make me less nervous.

I listened to a hypnosis tape last night and did quite like it! Today I was the least nervous I've been.

I feel like I've failed on every possible thing now (never the same thing twice except parallel park!) so what else can I fail on?

I've been dying to get a reverse bay park, it's the manoeuvre I'm best at.

I've just eaten 10 mini chocolate bars from the Halloween stash and opened a beer. Tonight I'm wallowing in self pity a bit for the 4 days of annual leave and £726 I've spent on tests in 2 months and then will look for cancellations.

I failed my first two tests, changed instructor and passed. Went on to do my advanced driving test with IAM. Don't give up!

I know I'm arguing this a bit, but I'm not sure changing instructor will help. I've fucked up my tests and known why, it's not like I've been badly taught. That said though I think if I fail number 5 he will understand if I change. I just like him and feel comfortable with him which counts for a lot with someone who is quite anxious like me.

I'd say a new instructor, on the basis that whatever your current instructor is doing it obviously isn't working.

Also, and I know this is a million times easier said than done, but the test is just another lesson. Just the person next to you is a bit less chatty than usual. For me at least it was no different to what I'd done many times with my instructor.

I've just passed in my seventh go 🙈 I was fine on lessons but so nervous on tests in the end I just didn't care anymore and I passed I still can't believe it! Honestly just keep going you will get there .

Don't worry! You will pass. I knew that even if I failed my 5th test I could do it because the beta blockers made me feel so relaxed (not in a drowsy way to anyone not familiar with them) I did pass that time though.
Forget all that happened before. This was your first test. The others don't count because your nerves got the better of you.

Someone I know got the advice to ‘drive like a robot’ which helped. As in, turn your head to look in mirrors (so the examiner can see you’re looking), do everything deliberately and pretty slowly, most people will see an L-plate driver and not be a dick to them, so take your time going round the roundabout, give everything plenty of room, and trust yourself! You know what you’re doing by now, operate the machine (car) and watch out for other drivers shit choices, stay in your lane, you can do it, remove the pressure from yourself.

You need more practiçe to give you confidence, practice makes perfect, I have been driving for 35 years now but found it difficult to begin with, have even driven an HGV.

I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST TODAY!