The Student Room Group

What is the biggest mistake you have made while driving?

I once missed the entrance to a restaurant and had to go back around the roundabout that was near to it.
Original post by FemaleinDress
I once missed the entrance to a restaurant and had to go back around the roundabout that was near to it.


Haha that is nothing! We all miss turnings every now and again.

My biggest mistake was leaving a two year gap between passing my test and actually starting to drive on my own, 3 months after which I failed to give way at a very busy double mini roundabout, writing off my first car. I get shivers at every double mini roundabout now, but 3.5 years later I feel like a much more confident driver and can’t understand how I was so stupid to misjudge it at the time. Thankfully I only needed to drive for that one year and then spent the next year at uni without a car, so by the time I started driving again the insurance had gone back down a bit even if I had spoilt my no-claims bonus.

For the next year back in the car, I was a bit of a nervous driver unfortunately. It really shakes you, and makes it hard to trust yourself.
(edited 4 years ago)
Accidentally killed a pigeon once :frown:
Cut through a petrol station because lights were red and basically just zoned out for half a second and went straight into a wall at like 15mph. Surprisingly only did like £150 worth of damage and it was barely noticeable, no dents, smart repair solved it. Considering there was no "crap!" or slamming on the brakes, I was really surprised. I've done more damage to this car before doing way less.
Not myself, but was passenger in my brother’s mk 2 Escort when he decided to take a humpback bridge at full blown rally speed.

Escort promptly got huge air, landed hard and jinked into the oncoming lane where traffic was bearing down on us.

Oh, how we laughed*.

*were utterly terrified.
Drove down a street in London the wrong way.
Fortunately it was only a side street and not busy, and wasnt monitored by cameras.
Took out a set of traffic lights and totaled my car :redface:
Coming up to a roundabout, one van in front waiting to move off. I saw a gap and thought he would go, but he didn't - managed to rear-end him at about 5mph. No significant damage done to his van, but my bumper was a bit dodgy after.

It served me right for not waiting until he'd gone to start looking at the 'on roundabout' traffic. :facepalm:
Original post by Admit-One
Not myself, but was passenger in my brother’s mk 2 Escort when he decided to take a humpback bridge at full blown rally speed.

Escort promptly got huge air, landed hard and jinked into the oncoming lane where traffic was bearing down on us.

Oh, how we laughed*.

*were utterly terrified.

Of course it's in a MK2 escort :biggrin: You could have omitted that from the story and I'd have probably still guessed the car!
Original post by nevershear
Of course it's in a MK2 escort :biggrin: You could have omitted that from the story and I'd have probably still guessed the car!

Haha, and to be fair his next car was an equally predictable boy racer, a Vauxhall Nova SR!

Too much Max Power mag for him :smile:
Reply 10
opened a bottle of whiskey
Original post by Admit-One
Haha, and to be fair his next car was an equally predictable boy racer, a Vauxhall Nova SR!

Too much Max Power mag for him :smile:

Was waiting for you to say Peugeot 205.
Went to France on my motorbike. Pitched the tent and went looking for food. Passed a nice looking place so turned round in a layby and rode back on the wrong side of the road. That was close.
Beating the red light. I paid traffic fine 3x.
Original post by Admit-One
Not myself, but was passenger in my brother’s mk 2 Escort when he decided to take a humpback bridge at full blown rally speed.

Escort promptly got huge air, landed hard and jinked into the oncoming lane where traffic was bearing down on us.

Oh, how we laughed*.

*were utterly terrified.

That happened to a friend of mine many years ago (he was a friend from primary school). Unfortunately four in the car when it was not mandatory for rear seat belts to be fitted let alone worn. Stupidly the driver lost control speeding over Kenton bridge on the Kenton road in NW London, lost control and wrapped the car around a lampost and then into a wall in the early hours. Two died in that crash.
Reply 15
Original post by sammyj97
This is something that happened 2-3 days after I’d passed my test, I’m very ashamed about it but here goes;

I missed the no entry sign and drove onto the road which was for oncoming vehicles. Luckily the light was red for them and they were already slowing down and coming to a stop so no accidents or harm was caused.

Did you get caught/fined/points?
Reply 16
Accidentally put the car into fourth gear instead of second at a very very busy main roundabout. Panicked and struggled to change it, so the whole time the car was literally jolting and bouncing like it was on hydraulics and I will never live down the shame
Stalled on an uphill junction over and over and over again. Got to the point WHERE A LEARNER DRIVER during his test beeped at me. I wasn't in my car, it was my mate's and turns out I was in 3rd instead of 1st gear:colondollar:
I went sideways in a short front wheel drive car. I countersteered and added some throttle to get rid of oversteer, but I ended the countersteering too late, added to much throttle and kind of catapulted the car off the road into a tree. I ripped the right front fender and whole front suspension off.

But on the other hand, perhaps the worst mistake was that once I tried overtaking in heavy rain, the straight seemed long enough, but I overestimated my car's ability and did not predict there might be a speeding car going from the corner at the end of the straight. So I was bumper to bumper with a Peugeot at 80 kph, when a BMW turned up at the end of the straight. It was going very fast for the conditions, like over 100kph throu a a corner, and I estimated I would head on crash into it, if I continue the overtaking manuver.

I hit the brakes, but the Peugeot driver who was seeing what was going on, hit the brakes too, to give me more space so I could finish my overtaking manuver much quicker.
There was no ABS, the engine almost died, only my training allowed me to get the grip back. Somehow I managed to slow down enough to change the lane and go back behind that Peugeot. I passed the BMW safely, then I pulled over, got off the car and sat on dirt laughing histerically, as I realised I could have killed myself with this reckless manuver and that it was really close to a fatal resulution.

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