How many times have you failed your driving test?

YbFocus · 10-12-2009 03:25PM

Yeah you see I live in Clonaslee so Tul is way closer! To be honest I drive both and Port is a harder town to drive in!!

sashafierce · 10-12-2009 03:28PM

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iguy · 10-12-2009 03:30PM

Wrong, studies show that boyracers can be the safest drivers around because they spend so much on their cars and they do not want to damage them.They also are some of the most skilled drivers around.

YbFocus · 10-12-2009 03:34PM

Thats it and the fact that it's always busier than tullamore!

YbFocus · 10-12-2009 03:36PM

You see thats true, I have to pick my routes and everything, I always go slow, afraid of finding a pothole somewhere! I know its stupid to have a car like that!

Queen-Mise · 10-12-2009 03:52PM

Failed 3 times then passed test. Stupid things failed on.

merc998 · 10-12-2009 03:59PM

Failed it 0 times passed it in 1 go peice of p**s with 1 pre test.Its easy seriously!!!!

YbFocus · 10-12-2009 04:01PM

Ahh now, come on it's not that easy, I passed first time too but it ain't that easy!

CR 7 · 10-12-2009 04:22PM

Well i got my test in a different town than i applied for, with only 3 weeks noticed, and having done all lessons in my local town. The thing is, you should be able to transfer the skills you learn in a lesson to any town, not practice the routes over and over til you're just doing everything automatically in the test. If anything it's an advantage, stops you getting too comfortable, and makes you think more about what you're doing.

daveharnett · 10-12-2009 11:21PM

Whenever I hear this

, particularly from inexperienced drivers, I tend to think of this. Being more confident than some, or even most of the muppets on the road does not equal a 'good driver'.

The few really good drivers I know (and i'm not one of them!) would't consider themselves to be great drivers at all - they constantly evaluate their actions and find room for improvement.

Being able to maintain your standard of driving despite pressure is one of the only useful skills which is really assessed by our driving test imo. The test is not the only time when you will have to drive under pressure - being stressed, in a hurry, or even just p*ssed off will all tend to affect the way you drive, and it is important to recognize these factors and compensate for them.

I don't mean to discourage you OP, I'm just suggesting that you should adjust your attitude - concentrate on really improving your driving, and the licence will come.

sashafierce · 10-12-2009 11:32PM

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CR 7 · 10-12-2009 11:43PM

Well in the quote above you said 'good'.

Why come here asking for an opinion if you're just gonna throw your cats out of the buggy when you get one you disagree with?

sashafierce · 10-12-2009 11:45PM

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The Big Red Button · 11-12-2009 12:01AM

The first time round when I did my driving test, I considered myself to be a "good" driver. :rolleyes: That was pretty naive of me! I mean, I'd had LOTS of practice - maybe fifteen paid lessons and about five times that amount of time practising with my boyfriend or father in the car with me.

I did the test, thought it went pretty well, failed by one Grade Two fault too many.

I was devastated, but you know what? I didn't think, "This is so unfair, it's clearly them in the wrong." Instead, I completely re-evaluated my driving. I paid for a LOT more lessons, specifically focussing on where I'd gotten faults in the first test. I went to a couple of different recommended instructors, even though I was happy with the first one I had - it was good to get insight from different viewpoints, and it really helped.

My driving confidence was completely shot after failing, but you know what, it was the best thing that could have happened. Looking back, I was an OK driver at the time - but after the amount of preparation and hard work I put in second time around, I can say that I am a much better, safer driver now. (I passed easily the second time, by the way.) I'm still learning, all the time - I mean, I've only been driving about five years - but I'm definitely in a much better position now.

But the thing is, anyone could just keep repeating the test til they eventually get lucky and pass. But instead of bitchin and moaning about how the tester was an a-hole / boy racers have such an easy time of it / I'm a good driver no matter what anyone thinks ... etc ... it might make more sense to try to figure out where you are going wrong in all of this. Going out on the road is probably the biggest risk you take every day; it's up to you to minimise the risk that you pose to yourself and to every other driver and road user, by making sure that you are as safe a driver as you can be.

I'm not trying to get at you in particular OP, I'm just sharing my own experience. Looking back, failing first time was the best thing that could have happened really. I am a much better driver as a result.

sashafierce · 11-12-2009 01:50AM

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Varyn · 11-12-2009 01:55AM

I passed my test last week first time

However, I drove into Dublin city for the first time today and all I can say is thank god I had my mother in the car with me :eek::eek::eek:. Will definitely be practising a bit more around the city with an experienced driver before I attempt it alone. Driving takes YEARS of practice to become good at, and even then I suppose you're always learning. You may have all the skills but being able to apply them to every situation you come across is the real trick. My dad was always telling me this, but was only today I fully realised what he meant!

ballsymchugh · 11-12-2009 02:04AM

passed at the 7th attempt!! never mind op, i thought i was good the first time, and the second...
in the end i went to a different test centre, handier for college, had a new instructor who was extremely easy going and only gave me 2 lessons (as opposed to having at least 10 before all the other tests) so didn't have any nerves going into the test.

tudlytops · 11-12-2009 02:09AM

Passed 1st time

Gosh was i happy not to have to do it again

Failing in many cases as nothing to do with being a good or bad driver, some people just get so nervous then keep making mistakes they wouldn't normally do.

Next time you go for your test, think of it as less important, a bit like " well if i fail what's the worse that can happen, i stay the way I am" , that way it won't be such a big deal.

Changing where you do your test can help to, as now you already have an idea of where they are going to bring you and what they are going to ask you and when, so prior mistakes will pop into your head, a new test area may help.

And if you do make simple mistakes, like leting the car die, etc, don't get nervous, just restart, look in the mirrors and go.

Good luck next time.

gabria · 11-12-2009 02:35AM

Don't worry, sasha. I'm with you on this one. Don't let anyone knock you down. If it makes you feel better, you've still got a few years on me. I'm nearly 29, and all my friends and my younger brother have passed. I'm going to alienate everyone if I continue to bum lifts. So my New Years resolution is to knuckle down and do I everything I can to pass at the 5th attempt (buy a car and get ****loads of lessons) But i get really nervous waiting for the driving instructor to pick me up and where I live I'll be struggling to find licensed drivers to take me out.

The Big Red Button · 11-12-2009 05:59AM

What was the actual question? How many times have you failed your driving test? Pretty much anyone who's replied has answered that question!

No one is "having a go" at you. If you start a thread like this, you are leaving yourself open for peoples' comments, and yes, for peoples' criticisms also, but if you just try to have an open mind about it you will realise that it's mostly constructive criticism which people are only giving you in an attempt to help you.

I'm not sure what you want to hear really ... I mean, we can't exactly go agreeing with you and say that yes, you clearly are a good driver, it's those testers who are in the wrong - it may be true, for all I know, but we only have your word to take for that!

You also have to keep in mind that anyone who answers this has to share the road with you. I know that the test is fairly harsh, but personally I'd rather see the occasional good driver have to repeat it than to see the occasional bad driver pass it and be let loose on the roads with what's basically a weapon, when in the wrong hands. And of course this does happen, too, all the time.

Driving is a privilege and a huge responsibility - it's not an automatic right that is just going to be handed to you - and rightly so.

Assets Model · 14-12-2009 04:07PM

I passed on THursday after failing twice. So relieved. For me it was a question of just really perfecting my technique through loads of lessons with a great instructor.

Magenta · 18-12-2009 09:31PM

If you've had 32 lessons and are driving for 3 years you perhaps are just not a very good driver. I had 10 lessons and was only driving 6 months- the legal minimum to sit the test- and I passed first time.

sashafierce · 18-12-2009 09:34PM

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Magenta · 18-12-2009 09:38PM

And before you lose the rag like in many of your posts... I'm not a boy racer, I am female and was 22 doing my test.
The driving test is not that hard. Most people spend most of their time going around housing estates.

sashafierce · 18-12-2009 10:19PM

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punk_one82 · 18-12-2009 10:36PM

Everyone here seems to be answering your question OP. I passed first go a couple of weeks ago. If you think you're a good driver,have been driving for 3 years and are still failing the test then it's the little things that are causing you to fail. However minor you seem to think they are though, they're still deemed to be serious enough to stop you from driving by yourself. They could be not checking your mirrors etc enough. See what you've done wrong in the past and work on it. Good luck next time.

Magenta · 18-12-2009 10:43PM

Maybe it's her temper thats causing her to fail...if this is how she reacts on the internet she could well be even worse with road rage... if I was a tester I wouldn't pass someone with road rage like that.

punk_one82 · 18-12-2009 10:47PM

Valid point. Never even thought about that.

ballsymchugh · 18-12-2009 11:04PM

ffs, stop antagonising the OP. it's not like posts on a website are an accurate way to paint a public personality.

Magenta · 18-12-2009 11:09PM

It's not that I was trying to antagonise her, I wasn't. It's that it doesn't take much to do so. The fact that other people have passed their test and she hasn't seems to do most of it. She asked how many times people have failed their test and didn't like the answers.

How many times have you failed your driving test?

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