Passed my driving test.....

Dr. Dre · 11-10-2002 9:42am #1

......first time..........@27 years of age !!!

People going for test take note of my list of errors;

1. I missed the first turn the instructor told me to take !!
2. Had to brake sharply to take the next right turn !!
3. Hit kerb doing "3" point turn !!
4. Failed to stop properly at a stop sign (ie at the line) !!
5. Bad observation at junctions (examiners notes, not mine) !!
6. Parked ar*eways back at test centre !!

After No.1 happened I thought that was it and didn't give a toss for the rest of the test, so have faith !!!

Borzoi · 11-10-2002 10:04am

Good christ, I would have thought they'd fail you on 4 alone!

Ah but anyway congarats:)

Bard · 11-10-2002 10:13am

Passed mine last year.

Seemed to me at the time that the tester dude just wanted to get away home to his dinner as the test took only 20 mins and he didn't make it particularly difficult or ask me to do very much at all.

I just this week bought my first car. It's a good feeling

Mind you, I made nowhere near the amount of mistakes you're professing to having made there!... I'm surprised you did pass...

Fair play anyway

highlight · 11-10-2002 10:48am

I did my test couple of years ago, the Saturday before Christmas. Lasted all of five minutes, yet I managed to stall the car. And I passed - guy said it was obvious it was just nerves. Thought it was fairly decent of him! (and that was Finglas Test Centre, the one with the really bad pass rate)

Chimaera · 11-10-2002 1:20pm

Passed mine first time 4 and half years ago 17 yo. Thought I was f***ed when I spun the wheels on an impromptu hill start cos I didn't use the handbrake and jumped from the brake pedal to the accelerator. Was ok though in the end - can't remember if there was anything else of note on the test. Went on for about 35 minutes I think.

OLDYELLAR · 11-10-2002 2:21pm

wouhou congradulations!

Redshift · 11-10-2002 6:19pm

Originally posted by highlight
I managed to stall the car. And I passed - guy said it was obvious it was just nerves. Thought it was fairly decent of him! (and that was Finglas Test Centre, the one with the really bad pass rate)

I don't think stalling the car counts as a black mark but the tester will be interested in what you do if you stall I.E. did you put on the handbrake straight away. I managed to stall twice on my test not because I was nervous but I wasn't used to the clutch I did the test in a petrol car and I was used to driving a diesel which doesn't stall as easy.

sceptre · 11-10-2002 8:03pm

Passed mine a few months back.

Errors:
1. Didn't know what a Pelican crossing was
2. No idea of one of the signs (turns out it meant "keep left")
3. Exiting test centre on to a dual carriageway I asked the tester if he wanted me to turn left...:D

Made no errors during driving part of test (lucky SOB me). Perfect 3point turn (even did it in three points), reversing round a corner etc.

The gods were just compensating for my screwups before getting to the actual road.

ando · 12-10-2002 2:42pm

i remember doing my test, getting into a traffic jam is the best thing you can do.. waist some time

hmm, maybe thats why insurance is so high when ppl can pass the test so easily ?

Atomic Pineapple · 12-10-2002 9:51pm

if ya stall your own car on the test its supposed to be an immediate fail!

Can't believe ya passed man, ya supposed to be failed on not stopping at a stop sign!

I failed my test cos i didnt keep into the left enough, didn't turn right with the centre line and hit a pothole (then complained to the tester about the councils inadequate attempts at maintaining the roads)

I done it on one of the hardest test centres to pass though

:rolleyes:

Mercury_Tilt · 12-10-2002 11:48pm

This post has been deleted.

Blitzkrieger · 13-10-2002 1:45am

I failed my first test for "Not checking my mirrors before indicating". I mean, wtf is that about. Not checking my mirrors before turning I would understand, but why on earth would I want to check my mirrors before indicating. If there's someone behind me or not, it doesn't make much difference to where I'm going.

Silverfish · 13-10-2002 1:51am

if ya stall your own car on the test its supposed to be an immediate fail!

Nope, I stalled my car three ...count 'em, three...times during my test. I passed.

Its how you REACT to stalling that causes your pass or fail.

If you stall and roll, fail.

If you stall and use your handbrake, and restart the car immediately......woooo, quick save!!!

(p.s whispering sh*tsh*tsh*t through gritted teeth when this happens freaks out your tester and he is then afraid to fail you.)

Hit kerb doing "3" point turn !!

Failed to stop properly at a stop sign (ie at the line)

now THAT is a fail.

Please alert AA roadwatch when you next take to the roads, willya???

Atomic Pineapple · 13-10-2002 8:58pm

hhmmm...i asked me driving instructer and she said it would be a fail if i stalled the car, women heh!?

Gerry · 13-10-2002 9:15pm

Originally posted by Blitzkrieger
I failed my first test for "Not checking my mirrors before indicating". I mean, wtf is that about. Not checking my mirrors before turning I would understand, but why on earth would I want to check my mirrors before indicating. If there's someone behind me or not, it doesn't make much difference to where I'm going.

Perhaps they meant that you didn't check your mirrors before changing lane. I failed on that, and a few other observation points. I did not fail on anything terribly serious, I certainly do not think that you deserved to pass dr dre.

leeroybrown · 13-10-2002 9:21pm

1. I missed the first turn the instructor told me to take !!

(You should be half way to failing for that)

2. Had to brake sharply to take the next right turn !!

(Another 50% - depending on how sharply)

3. Hit kerb doing "3" point turn !!

(Supposed to be a fail)

4. Failed to stop properly at a stop sign (ie at the line) !!

(A big ZERO on the sheet .. instant fail)

5. Bad observation at junctions (examiners notes, not mine) !!

(Normally bad observation will fail you)

6. Parked ar*eways back at test centre !!

(It would be a bit rough but I'm sure its been a failure more than once.)

so have faith !!!

One must ask, how strong was the smell of alcohol/drugs off this guy

13-10-2002 10:19pm

I remember passing mine second time.
The guy that gave me a lesson before the test gave me no hope.
He was very funny though...
On the pre test lesson , I drove up onto the kirb while reversing round the corner..he said"...What time is it..?", I said 9am and he said..."and you are doing your test at quarter past...!"

He also wondered if while I'm at it , could I not find less expensive cars to try to crash into:D
Another confidence builder was when he said..."less of this German driving...!":D

It gave me great pleasure to wave the certificate of competency at him when I came out of the office after the test.

Incidentally I failed the first test specifically because while on the test, I drove a little too fast over an open manhole causing the tester to bounce out of his seat, cutting his nose with the clipboard and hitting his head off the roof:D
mm

ShayK1 · 14-10-2002 9:52am

I passed my test first time at the age of 17!
Advice to anyone

Do the test as young as possible before you develope bad habits!!
I don't think i could pass my test now and its only two years later!
However going by Dr Dre's list i think there is hope for anyone!!!

Pimp Ninja · 14-10-2002 10:00am

I passed mine, second try, bout 4 months back... The tester said that I must have been driving a long time, I'd only got back into a car about 3 weeks prior to the test, I'd been on a motorbike (fully licenced) for the last 3 years. I only said this to him after he filled out the cert of compitence.

I bought a car about 2 months ago, and I'm so chuffed with it.. Except for the b1tch that keyed the bonnet of it last week GRRRRRR!!!! :mad:

Dr. Dre · 14-10-2002 12:53pm

hmmm yeah, my post makes me sound like a danger to other road users !!

Let me just clear it up a bit, I've been driving for 5 years and had only one accident and that was when I was rallying up a tight mountain road.
Believe it or not I'm quite a good driver, observation and control wise.
It's just that, I think the rumours you hear about test centres having a certain quota to pass per day are perhaps applicable here, it's like silverfish says, if you are a decent enough driver in traffic and don't panic etc.. then I think you will be alright. I would just say that all those irrelevant things like 3 point turns etc.. are secondary to how you cope on the road.
I mean, the road he made me do my 3 point turn in was literally too small, when I had the car perpendicular to the footpaths, I had about 12" clearance to both footpaths, ridiculous, and this thing about turning the wheel only after you have started moving is crazy, I mean, does anyone drive like this ??
Also this ten-to-two position on the steering wheel is not, in my opinion, the best postion for control, I've raced at mondello and when your coming down the straight there at 100+mph and you are holding the wheel at ten-to-two, then you are going off in a big way.
Rant over !!

ShayK1 · 14-10-2002 2:35pm

I totally agree with you on the ten-to-two position being totally wrong!!!
If you have air bags in your car and you crash and they go off while you hands are at ten-to-two then the force of the air bag will break your wrists!! Thats FACT!!!
IMO the quater-to-three position is by far the best!!!

leeroybrown · 14-10-2002 2:54pm

I'd agree that doing your test as soon as you can competently sit behind the wheel is good. Not so much because of bad habits but because insurers will like you if you've had your licence for years.

When I reversed around the corner on my test it was ay a pretty good spot, except for the truck that had parked opposite the apex of the corner. I had very little space to spare and was more worried about the loading lift on the back of the truch which was protruding out than the corner itself ... passed first time tho.

Blitzkrieger · 14-10-2002 6:48pm

Originally posted by Gerry
Perhaps they meant that you didn't check your mirrors before changing lane.

What lanes? He said nothing about changing lanes or turning, I "didn't check my mirrors before indicating". It's not like can argue with them either - you'd never pass the test.

Chimaera · 15-10-2002 2:19pm

You are supposed to check your mirrors before signalling as well as before the maneouvre - they always like observation. When I was learning to drive, the instructor got me to buy the DVLA driving manual (DVLA is kind of like a uk version of the tax office), and one of the mantras in that book was mirror, signal, maneouvre.

It's important to remember that indicating is only that - an indication of intent to turn. It is not a declaration of right of way. Generally, if you are intending to make a turn, or a lane change, you have to yield right of way to traffic on the road you are intending to move onto.

And it makes a big difference whether or not there's someone behind you when you are turning, because theoretically, they have the right of way. The only thing to do here is to plan your maneouvre, and signal in good time to allow other road users time to make room for you with the minimum of fuss.

Passed my driving test.....

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