Passed practical driving test at 38 weeks!

[55deadchuffed]

Just an post for anyone considering a late pregnancy driving test to say that it can be done. I turned 38 weeks today, could still reach the steering wheel, and passed with just one minor.

It was my 4th attempt, and I had failed on really silly things due to test nerves on the previous three tests. Relieved that I got this out of the way just before the baby arrives.

Agh - *a post. Editing fail.

Well done!!! I've passed now but really wish I had for my first. Would have helped massively. Congrats and good luck for the birth x

Congratulations, that is a massive achievement! I hope you have really been able to celebrate (prosecco free unfortunately!) That's brilliant stuff :)

Congratulations!

Congratulations. That's amazing! It will make your life so much easier when the baby arrives.

Congratulations, that's a fantastic achievement

Well done!! It's an amazing feeling isn't it?
I didn't manage to pass until I was 45
It's my greatest achievement (apart from my dc!)
I now love driving so much that I'm basically everyone's chauffeur - my friends & dh love it!
Congratulations op!

Thanks all. Never had a pressing need to drive pre-pregnancy, as I have always lived near good public transport links, but the thought of having to cart a pram etc on a train or bus was enough to make me push through these test attempts.

Well done! I passed on my third attempt when I was 36 weeks pregnant. The examiner asked if I would be able to do an emergency stop and I said that I wouldn’t be driving if I couldn’t. It was only my determination to be able to drive once the baby arrived that managed to calm my nerves.

Congratulations!

I think there's something that makes us more determined when we're pregnant. I passed some postgraduate exams while pregnant with my second when my elder child was recovering from chickenpox. Similarly a colleague not only passed her surgical exit exams while pregnant with twins, but got the gold medal for the best results for that sitting!
I think we're so focussed on doing the necessary for the child's benefit that nerves go out the window!

Amazing, well done! I passed at just 12 weeks. Did the whole thing flawlessly and then right at the end was asked to do an emergency stop. I asked if I could please not do it as I was pregnant. The examiner was really angry I hadn't told them before (I read online it would not make a difference, you have to do it when asked), but they let me pull back into the parking lot and told me I'd passed. I was terrified my next chance to do the test would not be until 38 weeks due to covid delays! So relieved!

Well done! It's such a good feeling. I passed when I was 37 weeks 😌

@AnonymousXXIX, I did the emergency stop. I took the test in my own car, so I have one of those pregnancy seatbelt adapters which means that the lower part of the seatbelt fits around the tops of my legs and not my bump.

Otherwise, I would not have been happy to do it. I was barely at 15mph at the point I was asked to stop, in any case.

I was also aware of the rules that you can take the test when pregnant but you have to be prepared to do the emergency stop, so I didn't question it when asked.

It turns out that the examiner had no idea I was pregnant! I was wearing a pashmina type scarf and haven't gained weight elsewhere apart from the bump, but I thought it was pretty obvious as the bump is pretty huge at this stage!

When he told me I had passed at the end, I commented that I was relieved as it was my last chance to pass before the baby arrives, he then got a little annoyed and said that I should have told him that I was pregnant, as he wouldn't have asked for the emergency stop. He was fine when I pointed out my pregnancy seatbelt though.

It seems that there are official DVSA rules about you still having to be prepared to do an emergency stop when pregnant, but in practice, it seems the examiners don't want to ask pregnant women to do it.