Most of us who happened to successfully obtain driver's licenses have at least a few memories from driving lessons that are still deeply ingrained in our minds. Some of us were excited about each lesson and couldn’t wait to pass the exam; for others, it may have been torture as they constantly felt that they were not ready yet. However, besides all of this, imagine how annoying it would be to work hard on preparing for the exam, do your best and be still failed by an unfair instructor.
More info: Reddit
Driving exams sometimes are a little bit like a lottery - a lot can depend on the instructor
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)
Guy shares the story of how he failed his driver’s license test due to not double-checking if the instructor put his seatbelt on
Image credits: u/Bridge23Ux
Image credits: Kelly (not the actual photo)
Guy asked his instructor to ‘buckle up’ before starting moving, but he still didn’t do it
Image credits: u/Bridge23Ux
When he found out that he had failed due to this mistake, he started crying and was devastated
Recently, a guy shared his story to Reddit, which occurred around 20 years ago, but is still stuck in his memory till this day. He shared how his instructor tricked him into failing his driving exam due to not double-checking if he actually put his seatbelt on. The post collected more than 56K upvotes and almost 6.5K comments where folks shared their own experiences with driving instructors.
The guy starts his story by highlighting that he was really excited about finally getting his driver’s license, and had practiced like never before. The exam started, he completed everything that must be done before driving, told the instructor to buckle up and started driving. However, after a few seconds of driving, the car indicated that the seat belt wasn’t connected.
Now, the OP remembers that the exam went really well and he made himself proud. They came back to the parking lot. The instructor also said that he did great; however, after this came an additional comment saying that he would pass next time if he made sure that everybody actually put their seatbelts on.
Many folks in the comments shared their own stories that show instructors tend to fail young drivers intentionally. “The people who give the road tests always seem to be the most awful humans I’ve ever seen,” one user started. Another folk shared what failed them: “You must drive with your hand at 10 and 2. You did not do that so I will have to fail you.”
Image credits: OXLAEY.com (not the actual photo)
Bored Panda contacted Oren Preisler, driving instructor from Morty’s Driving School, who kindly agreed to share insights regarding this issue and deeper information about driving tests, failing them and tips on how not to.
“For seatbelts, 99% of the time the examiner will just put on their seat belt. However, I have seen it before where they try and trick the student even though they’re not supposed to. Where they say OK, you can start, in the student signals and check before leaving, but don't check that their passenger has their seatbelt on, that is technically a fail,” Oren says.
Now, speaking about failing the exam, the driving instructor says that it doesn’t really affect people’s future of driving. “There are some places around the world where if you fail the driving test more than three times, they make you do a psychological test. However, in Quebec, you can take the test multiple times until you pass, and there are no repercussions.”
“It takes many hours of practice to show with your body language that you are a confident and competent driver. Students often don’t drive at the correct speed or keep forgetting to check their mirrors and forgetting to check their blind spots. I also want to remind everyone that you always must have two hands on the wheel. Even at a red light, you cannot take your hands and put them on your lap,” Oren shares.
Finally, don’t forget to check out Morty’s Driving School, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok, where every driver-to-be can find useful information!
Image credits: Pok Rie (not the actual photo)
Additionally, Mikael Castaldo, who is the Co-CEO of Kruzee Driving School, was kind enough to share more insights to Bored Panda.
“Seatbelt-related issues are table stakes in driving tests. As a student driver, if you or anybody in your vehicle isn't wearing a seatbelt, it would be an automatic failure. Fortunately, remembering to make sure each passenger is wearing a seatbelt is much easier than mastering parallel parking!” he says.
“The first thing to keep in mind is that only 50-60% of folks pass their driver's test on the first try - it's by no means an easy exam,” Mikael emphasizes. “The most important thing to remember if you fail is that it's a common experience, and that you'll be able to retake the test as many times as is needed for you to pass. Focus on mastering the fundamentals - maintaining a steady speed, checking your mirrors, blind spots, signaling - and everything else tends to follow.”
Speaking about the main reasons for failing the exam and how to avoid them, he says that “Typically, the biggest reasons for failing a driving test are not getting the basics right. For example, every time you move your vehicle into another lane or turn, you need to remember to check your mirrors, then signal, and then check your blind spots. If you fail to do any of these steps, it can be an automatic failure.”
Similarly, lots of students forget to check their mirrors frequently. We always tell our students to be like a bobblehead, and check their mirrors every 5-10 seconds.”
And of course, don’t forget to check out the Kruzee Driving School website for more tips and experts' recommendations!
Folks in the comments started a discussion telling their own personal stories and thoughts regarding driving exams
