My Driving Experience

 Hey guys,

So I can finally and proudly say after so many years of being on and off with driving lessons and so many hurdles, I have finally passed my driving test!! 3rd time lucky... Well I actually passed 23rd November 2021 but I have been so busy, oops. Make sure you have a cuppa (maybe a teapot haha) ready as this is going to be a long post haha.

When I was around 16 years old (btw I'm 24 now) I was telling my parents about how I was wanting money so I could start my driving lessons when I turn 17 (in the March). But in the February my brother and I were messing around near the stairs and he thought giving me a little shove wouldn't do any harm. Anyway, I ended up with 3 broken bones and many months back and forth with hospital appointments in plaster, having scans, an operation and around a year having physio. So there goes my driving plans. I then got a job in Subway which was a zero hour contract with many, many night shifts so it was difficult to book driving lessons. Then uni came about with the biggest student life. See...no time for driving lessons. - I mean I could have done my lessons but you only get your student life once really.

With my theory test I kept booking and re-scheduling because I get anxious so quickly, unconfident and felt under-prepped. I have always struggled when it comes to tests and revision. It goes in one ear and out the other. I then felt ready for the test and this global pandemic happened. As soon as the theory test centres opened I was just like yanno what I'm just gonna do it. To make myself less nervous I went for a 7pm appointment so when I got to the centre it was just me, the staff and 2 other girls who were already half way through their tests. Anyway...I passed. 

I had to stop and start (again) thanks to the 3 lockdowns but I never lost the mojo. One time I was so ready for my test but then lockdown made me change it. And again. Then the 3rd time I booked my test my Driving Instructor, Mike, had some unfortunate health issues to where he was having to stop being an instructor to focus on his health. Therefore, I went back to my old instructor, Stephen, from years ago. I only actually managed about 5 lessons from him years ago before all the night shifts kicked in. Therefore, I was so nervous incase he brought up about the fact I just left him and then years later moved to another instructor. Thankfully he was understanding and was positive in getting me passed. 

The first driving test actually went so good. I had a guy called Dave, and he was so lovely. My show me, tell me questions were 'Tell me where you'd find the information for the recommended tyre pressures for this car & how tyre pressures should be checked' and 'When it's safe to do so, can you show me how you wash & clean the rear windscreen?'. The test was using a sat-nav and then following the examiner's instructions aswell as a front bay park. I was coming back to the test centre as a pass with 4 minors but unfortunately with 5 minutes to go I got a serious fault. I was coming out of a road taking a right and a van was coming into the road I was leaving, and he hadn't fully got into my road before I pulled out. My instructor was more like it was a what if, how did I know there wasn't a vehicle behind the van. Completely understandable but I was so gutted. My instructor took me back to that spot and he explained that it was quite harsh as the road was a long stretch so it was easy to see if there was vehicles or not. But nonetheless I felt quite positive for my second test.

The second test was shambles. I had a woman (I'm sorry I cant remember her name - can you tell I have tried to forget this test). She treated it like test conditions, was no conversation at all. My left leg was shaking madly so I was quite heavy on the clutch. I was entering the busiest (and probably the most awful) roundabout by mine where I accidentally stalled. But because of where I stalled I thought I just need to go, where I shouldn't. So back to the test centre it was. I was so disheartened, it was completely different to my first test. TI honestly felt like I wanted to give up and told my driving instructor that I wanted a break from lessons as I had lost my confidence and just need to get my focus and mindset back. I then re-booked my test for January. 

However, my instructor (luckily) wasn't listening to me. He had hold of my Driving reference and Provisional ID so he could keep an eye for cancellations but I said I didn't mind if there wasn't any cancellations. Anyway, I got a text message on 21st October saying I needed to check my emails. He had found a cancellation for the 23rd November at 1:15pm. I went into panic mode as I was only able to do Tuesday's but I had Harry Potter one Tuesday, he was away for another Tuesday so I was only going to be able to manage 2 lessons before the test. 

Now for the 3rd (and final) test. I turned up and was in the mindset of like I really can't be bothered, I've already failed because I've only managed 2 lessons and my confidence still hadn't fully come back. I had another woman called Sue. Because of my past experience on the 2nd test, I was a bit disheartened to have another woman and she was trying to get me to read the vehicle reg from a further distance than everyone else. I admitted that I couldn't make out the reg and she laughed and said she couldn't either. I thought brilliant. My tell me question was 'Tell me how you switch your headlight from dipped to main beam and explain how you'd know the main beam is on.' My show me question was 'When it's safe to do so, can you show me how you'd de-mist the front windscreen.' My manoeuvre was pull up on the right hand side and reverse 2 car lengths. The test was using a sat-nav and then following the examiner's instructions. Again, I was so nervous and was trying to make conversation in which I did get a little bit more out of her compared to my previous test. I had a no entry road which I completely passed, a few hills and an angled start. But one or 2 times I did roll back to where I thought 'oh my god' but managed to save them. And with the no entry road you come out an up hill and the road was so busy it took ages to be able to pull out so I put the handbrake on and I felt my palms sweating and anxiety starting to kick in but I was completely fine, I did talk to myself sometimes haha. But hey it helped. I noticed we had got to the test centre earlier than expected and then she asked me to pull into any convenient space. I was convinced I had failed again so I literally threw the car in and wasn't in any of the white lines and was like 'Oh sorry I haven't got the car in between the lines.' She was like 'Don't worry dear do you want your instructor present?'. I remember feeling so disheartened when saying yes and was shaking my head at my instructor as if to say I've failed again and I give up. But instead she said the words 'I'm glad to say Nadine you have passed with only 3 minors'. Omg I was completely shook, my hands were shaking, I got so teary and was like omg really. It was finally over and now it's onto the next chapter...