People Describe Their Most Disastrous Driving Test Experiences
Photo: Oregon Department of Transportation / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

People Describe Their Most Disastrous Driving Test Experiences

Linda Meyers
Updated February 4, 2021
Voting Rules
Vote up the driving test stories that took a turn for the worse.

Taking a driving test can be nerve-wracking, and not everyone passes on the first try. But don't worry - if your testing experience was rough, you're not alone. Here are some of the worst botched driving test stories people were willing to share. Vote up the most disastrous ones, and if you already have your license, just be grateful you don't have to go through that dang test again!

For more wild and hilarious driving stories, be sure to also check out people's awful DMV experiences, and unique driver's ed stories!

  • 1
    20 VOTES

    This Is (Not) The Way

    Posted by u/RobBobLoblaw:

    Driving instructor said, "So we're on a one-way now."

    I said, "Alright."

    "Going the wrong way. Go ahead and pull over."

    20 votes
  • 2
    33 VOTES

    Rest In Peace

    Posted by u/Pattonxbody:

    My sister: On her driver's test she hit a squirrel that ran out in the middle of the road, in what I assume is a last minute [self destruction]. Got back and was told she failed because she hit an object. When she asked what she could have done, she was told there was nothing she could have done, it's just the way it was.

    33 votes
  • 3
    19 VOTES

    In Case You Were Wondering

    Posted by u/Mitochandrea:

    I got pulled over on my driving test. The examiner said that was a first.

    In case you were wondering, that is an automatic failure!

    19 votes
  • 4
    17 VOTES

    Palpable Disappointment

    Posted by u/PoopNoodle:

    I drove my ditsy blonde girlfriend to the DMV to take her driving test when we were in high school. He came out to start the exam and stood in front of her car to check the blinkers before setting off. I drove her there in her mom's old Volvo and was watching from the waiting room.

    He told her to turn on the blinkers, and she was trying, flipping the lever up and down, but they wouldn't work. So he said, "Honey, you have to turn the key to turn on the lights to use the blinkers." 

    She turned on the key too far, without her foot on the clutch, and the car jumped forward and hit him hard in the knees and knocked him down.

    He just got up, shook his head, and walked back inside. Didn't even pick up his clipboard. I just went back out and drove her home.

    17 votes
  • 5
    15 VOTES

    "It Was Not Her Day"

    Posted by u/stubear1983:

    I took my driving test twice because I failed it the first time. The second time I took it, there was this girl there, and she was very obviously bricking it about her test. She would have honestly looked more relaxed if she was going to the electric chair!

    So I go off on my test with the examiner, come back to the center, and while he's doing the whole "Well done, you passed" thing, we see this girl come back in as well.

    The car is basically mangled to f*ck. It’s got the spare tire on, the driver's door is in the back seat, and it looks like they've limped back from a war zone... Turns out, she pulled out in front of a bus, had a crash which burst the tire, and then when she tried opening the door, it basically fell off and/or wouldn't close properly, so they had to bust what was left of it off in order to be able to limp back.

    It was not her day. 

    ...Hope she eventually got over her nerves and was able to pass.

    15 votes
  • 6
    13 VOTES

    Testing The Brakes

    Posted by u/acidus1:

    My dad's friend managed to run over his examiner during his test...

    Back In the '60s my dad’s friend was doing his exam for his motorbike license. The instructor told him to drive up and down the street and he (the instructor) would step out in front of the bike so my dad’s friend could perform an emergency stop. He didn't stop in time.

    13 votes