And you were all wrong! Unfortunately, I failed my driving test (click on the image for proof).

I only had 4 minors. The problem came on the way back toward the end of the test. I came up to a roundabout and I waited for my window of opportunity to move out. I saw my window. There was a black car in the right-hand lane as he came onto the roundabout at the exit before mine (which to me said that he was going around the roundabout) and I had plenty of time to get onto the roundabout without any problems. I saw my window and decided to take it.

The examiner slammed on the breaks.

At a roundabout if you make a decision to go, you can’t hang about - you HAVE to go! So I did. But at that moment that I started to move the guy in the black car immediately cut into the left lane sharply without indicating. He was in the wrong lane.

The examiner (which as a passenger had the luxury of keeping focussed on nothing but the black car) acknowledged that I could have made it. But as the car had quickly started to move into the left lane (because he was in the wrong one to begin with) he would have had to break to slow down so that we didn’t collide.

So yes, I could have made it. But because the other driver had moved into the wrong lane and I was moving out - I would have been the obstruction causing him to break, which is deemed a ‘dangerous manuever’ on my part. And with only 30 seconds till the end of the test I was failed.

My instructor said that there wasn’t really anything I could do. That’s just one of the things that can happen which you can’t really be prepared for. As we were talking about it on my way home we were at another roundabout where we saw 3 cars who were in the wrong lane. One car carried on up the dual-carriageway using BOTH lanes. I think here in Congleton no-one really gives a damn about roadmarkings; as long as there’s tarmac underneath the car, that’s all that matters.

In the UK you’re allowed 15 minor faults. 16 and you automatically fail. I only got 4 minors which is actually very good. I’ve proved that I can drive well but that one moment ruined it all.

Now I can’t get another test until July 6th (unless there’s a cancellation before then). That also means that it’s going to cost me another £90 and that’s AFTER the release of Superman Returns, so chances are that Dave and I won’t be able to go see the premier at the IMAX where they have 20 minutes of footage converted to 3D (not to mention the sheer size of the screens at the IMAX).

Bugger.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 8th, 2006 at 4:59 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.