Your worst mistakes whilst learning to drive?

I'm sure lots of people make mistakes on their lessons/test. I have and it feels so embarassing, as if you want to crawl under a rock and never see your isntructor again! luckily I haven't injured anyone or damaged anything.

Does anyone else keep going over the embarassing things theyve done (not just driving mistakes) that day/recently when you're in bed trying to get to sleep? I do and it's really annoying !

So I thought it would make people feel better about their mistakes, if they realise that they're not alone and all learners make silly mistakes. Sometimes getting things off your chest can be a relief.

I'll start. I have a silly one and a serious one.

A couple of times when we're about to turn right, I've gone to turn the indicator on, but for some bizarre reason think the right indicator is on the right hand side of the steering wheel and turned the windscreen wipers on ! Has anyone else done this?

We were driving along the dual carriageway that connects my town with the next town. Half way along there's a roundabout that leads to a large village and holiday park. I'd driven on the dual carriageway before and every time we had turned off into this village (2nd exit) then driven on the country roads, back to my town. But this time, the instructor said to take the 1st (of 3) exits. As I got onto the roundabout I got confused. But for some reason I thought that we must be going off into this village, why would we be going to the next town, I didn't even know if we had enough time to go up to that town and back again! So I was driving along and my isntructor had to grab the wheel and turn us into the exit (just in time). Luckily he's a calm person and didn't get angry, he just wondered what the fluff I was doing and told me that it was a dangerous situation. BUT if it was on my test and I'd have gone off the wrong exit, I wouldn't be penalised as long as I'd indicated properly and was in the right lane, the examiner wouldn't have grabbed the wheel and took me into the exit that they told to get, would they? :sigh:

(edited 10 years ago)

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Reply 1

Stanno

I once meant to shift into second and instead pulled up the handbrake. :P

I also once meant to shift into a gear, missed the gear stick, and patted my instructor's leg instead :P

Yeah... I had trouble finding the gear stick without looking for a while.

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Reply 2

It's****ingWOODY

My instructor had to grab the wheel to guide me to the right exit quite often as well. Now that I'm driving on my own the whole roundabout procedure has become second nature and I can concentrate fully on finding the right exit, but in my lessons I always felt like there was so much to concentrate on that I'd lose focus of which exit I'd have to take.

Reply 3

anony.mouse

Original post by Stanno

Sorry, that did make me giggle (+1). I have grabbed the handbrake a couple of times when attempting to change gear, luckily I never actually applied it, so nothing went wrong!

Original post by WoodyMKC

That was the only time I nearly missed an exit, at least I'm not the only one. But there is literally a millions things to do/think about on a roundabout, I don't blame you. Like I said, what made it worse is that you're just following isntructions of turn left, turn right, take the x exit. If after I'd practiced my manouevers for that lesson he had said that we were going to go up to the next town and back, then it probably would have been fine!

Reply 4

Jamstaa

Driving back from my lesson, I turn on to my street - which is very narrow and awkward - I see my older brother riding his bike, I speed up, just a little and I accidentally hit his handle bar. He falls over, the instructor is shouting and screaming at me to stop, thinking I just hit a total stranger. Brother gets up, goes to the window, and jokes to the instructor "at least he didn't run over a dog, again". The instructor was red in disbelieve.

That was the last time I drove with that instructor, I tried to book another lesson, but they didn't take my call.

Since then, I am a fully licensed driver.

And FYI, this actually happened.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 5

Katie_96

I saw my friends, waved, then stalled going up a busy hill. Tried to restart the car, stalled again, and began rolling down the hill. My friends just stood there laughing.

I also cannot forwards bay park, I only do it in my car because we bay park properly with my instructor, BUT I CANNOT JUST DRIVE INTO A BAY. It's the most basic thing but the number of times I have almost hit someone, I'm restricted to bays with no surrounding cars!

Reply 6

AmyLH

Not putting the gear into one when I stopped.
Came up to a tunnel where only one car can go through too fast and the test bloke had to stop the car :colondollar:

Reply 7

Goluck

Stalled at a T-Junction twice and created a long queue of cars behind. Under pressure to move quickly, I failed to observe an oncoming car at the junction as I started to move. It could have been worse had the instructor not braked hard to stop me immediately. I woke up to the situation and learned to be calm, patient under stress and do the basics.

Reply 8

This Honest

Went over a curb just before I went on the roundabout- it was a very odd moment
Oh and I accelerated whilst turning a corner and inches away from hitting a moving car-my instructor has fast reactions :colondollar:

I was nearly home as well :angry:

Reply 9

rhw

On my driving test I tried to go the wrong way up a dual carriageway... yeah

Reply 10

username919394

During one of my lessons I went to put the car in reverse and somehow, I don't even know how this happened, I managed to punching my instructor in the leg. I felt really bad but she just laughed, apparently someone has punched her in the boob before by accident :tongue:

Reply 11

DingDong!

Usually end up trying to change gear and shifting into neutral and then wonder why the car isn't picking up speed and making lots of revvy noises or when the gear wont change I hate that.

I've surprisingly only hit the curb once when turning a corner which was quite an odd moment lol. I recently started doing roundabouts and always end up getting confused ie looking for the exit and trying to drive lol but I'm getting better.

Reply 12

Luke070

When approaching a junction, I would sometimes leave the car in second gear, although, most times I did this, I was actually able to move off successfully - it would just make a horrible noise indicating that the car is struggling. :colondollar:

Reply 13

LouiseOrd

I forget my left and right a lot... What 19 year old forgets their left and right? :')

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Reply 14

DashingHero

Once on a roundabout I completely forgot which exit I was meant to take whilst having a problem changing the gear and stalled the car. This was luckily on a fairly quiet roundabout so no accidents. :redface:

Reply 15

Ripper-Roo

Glad to see I'm not the only one who has pulled the handbrake up instead of changing gear! :colondollar:

Once pressed the accelerator instead of the brake when coming to a stop

Reply 16

AGoodman

Pulling out on people on roundabouts even though I clearly shouldn't of gone, then kicking myself afterwards for being such a muppet!

Also while not as bad, I've tried to pull away on more than one occasion in neutral then looking perplexed as to why it wasn't biting, with my instructor laughing away ^_^

Reply 17

LordVoldemort1

saw my brother on the pavement, walking back from football.

should have ran him over

Reply 18

anony.mouse

Original post by rhw

On my driving test I tried to go the wrong way up a dual carriageway... yeah

Just How!?!?! O.o

Original post by IndiaCaitlinn

I can kinda understand people touching their instructors leg when trying to get to the handbrake/gear stick, but their boob !?!?!? O.o

Original post by Ripper-Roo

Glad to see I'm not the only one who has pulled the handbrake up instead of changing gear! :colondollar:

Once pressed the accelerator instead of the brake when coming to a stop

Luckily, I've never actually pulled the handbrake on. I have held it a couple of times then realised what I was holding ... well I hope it was the handbrake anyway :wink:

My instructor said that he once took someone out in their own car, which didn't have dual control ... he missed having the rbakes and on several occaissions put his foot down to realise there was no brake there! He said that the person then put the accelerator on instead of brake, coming up to a roundabout! Luckily the other car managed to swerve away from her and noone was hurt .. but he said he'd never take her or anyone else out in a car that wasn't dual control !

Reply 19

Ankabout

I drove the car fast (3rd gear) and suddenly pressed break pedal for no reason (other than fear of hitting something) without looking at the rear-view mirror. Someone who was behind me hit me (lightly though)... it was embarrassing.