Towing test disaster

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cheekywelshie

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I felt so nervous and sick with anxiety before meeting my instructor I started to feel ill. When I got there I hitched up and prepared to practice the reverse- then the trailer came off!! Not sure what happened as hitched correctly. Anyway got it back on and then started to practice the reverse but I was trembling. I got it right on the third go. I drove from our practice ot the test centre (about 15 miles) and was crying all the way uncontrollably. I didn't want to do it, memories of my driving test (same nerves) came backa nd that was 15 years ago

Got to to the test centre wanting to be anywhere else. Did the quetsions got in the car, started reversing, panicing about the yellow line (apparently I was nowhere near it) then started trembling, shaking, started to cry a bit , drove forward and could have salvaged it but just wanted it to end...then i hit the cone lol! I think my mind had had enoguh before that point. Got upset in front of the examiner who came and sat with me, he was really sweet bless him. He said it was fixable. My instructor came out and said 'we know you can do it you just need to think positive.' My instructor drove back from the test centre towards home as i was in no fit state (i chose not to carry onwith the test as even for 'experience' purposes i felt i was not in any real state). My mum later said she thought i had a form of panic attack (I do suffer high anxiety) and to see if the doctor could giveme something for the test that means i can still drive... but am really not sure i f i can put myself through it again :(
 
KALMS herbal tablets or see GP for RESCUE REMEDY

Nerves/emotions have always been 'worse' with the ladies on test day - a fact of life

Now you know what to expect it will do one or two things tomorrow - you will come to terms with it and pass easily next time or you will allow it to influence you and never pass

Lets us know tomorrow
 
Bless you. I hate driving tests, they're the pits. I failed my towing test the first time too but you CAN do it. Chin up, give it another go. It sounds like you just got off to a bad start this time and that put you all off kilter but next time that won't happen. It's not that hard I promise. I got mine and I am a hopeless driver!

:)

ETS: I cried a lot when I failed. All the way home ( over an hour's drive) and then a bit more on the way down to Devon as well. And it was my birthday. My examiner was nice about me bawling too! They must see it all the time!
 
aw bless you! Listen, dont worry! I did exactly the same at my first attempt - bumped the barrier, refused to carry on for experience and cried and trembled. I re-sat it a month later and failed again, i went over the speed limit in a 40mph zone, doh! Then at the 3rd attempt I was so darned fed up with doing it and angry at myself that I managed to pull it together to pass.I was 8 months pregnant!! If I can do it , you can do it too, promise!!
 
Put it all down to experience and don't give up! Sometimes a stern talking to yourself can help and if possible compare to someone else as in 'if they can do it so can I'! :)
 
I suffered really badly with nerves during my driving test and failed it twice. My instructor suggested I see my doctor. He prescribed me something (can't remember what it was) but it completely calmed me down and I passed. No other side effects from it. He only gave me two tablets. Good luck I'm sure you'll get through it
 
aww bless you! :( maybe next time you will know what to expect, double check the trailer after you've hitched it up (maybe coz it came off right at the start it then made you nervous straight away?) and go again with some rescue remedy :)

((((hugs))))
 
Bless you - I failed my driving test three times, went to the doctor and asked for something to get me through the test. She laughed histerically when I told her everything I had done wrong in the last three (including an emergency stop that gave the examiner whiplash, nearly hitting a drunk cyclist on a zebra crossing and forgetting to start the enginer when attempting to move off!) and then gave me beta blockers - not sure if it was them or the thought that I had taken them but I flew through the fourth test!

Honestly I wasn't that bad a driver- I was just terrified of the examiner and the test!
 
INFO which might be useful

Another trainee can sit in the back of the vehicle on a B+E test providing they have the permission of the trainee on test and the instructor - the examiner has no say in the matter

The one in the back cannot make a sound or any distracting motions - they must be a statue but are allowed to breathe :D
 
Dont beat yourself up. You wound yourself up so badly and then your nerves overtook you. Go and see your doctor, try something like NLP, and I really like the idea of being able to sit in on tests (providing all agree) so you can just get used to it.

You haven't killed anyone, the world will not end and you are being hard on yourself for no reason. It is JUST a trailer test! and at some point, in the future, you WILL pass it.
 
To cheer you up OP- I actually seem to recall sobbing 'but it's my bbbbbirthday' at my poor examiner. Like a five year old. I bet you didn't do that. I may also have dribbled a bit of snot around the place too...

:D
 
thank you all :)

I went to see my horse this afternoon and he cheered me up (he has been through the wires with colic surgery, splint fracture last year and a suspensory three months ago!) I broke my hip last year and am having an endoscopy this week after lots of blood tests to find out if i have coeliac's disease which may have caused the fracture. The last year has been a bit of a struggle (although ponio took me round a BE 80 in August and I will love him for that).

It took me three goes to pass my driving test. The first one I drove fine until the parallel park, made the mistake of looking at the examiner as he was scribbling notes then lost it and drove like a muppet afterwards and would have hit something if he hadn't grabbed the steering wheel! (the annoying thing is if i'd have passed first time it would have been before 1997 rather than Nov 97 when i did pass!)The second time i failr on the reverse round corner, the third time I wept, sniffed lavender and ---didn't have to do the reverse. I told my mum at the time (I was 20) if I didn't pass that one I wasn't doing it again! Anyway I did - maybe because i didn't have to do the reverse but i seemed calmer the third time. MAybe it's the knowing what to expect....althugoh to be honest I didn't actually do the coupling or the driving because I was so upset (as you are allowed to do this even having failed, unless you say otherwise). So the reverse is my demon! But I have done it on the lessons.

I will see how i feel tomorrow. But i don't want to rush into it again...not sure how long to give it. I have my own trailer...i did consider selling it this afternoon.....hmmm!
 
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ROG said:
Depending how you are financially ...... how about taking another test for FUN and not trying to pass it ?
Click to expand...

Hmm it is about 385 with a day's practice - which i'd probably need a bit on the reverse again....tset itself is about 115...or do you mean just doing the test (eek!)
 
cheekywelshie said:
Hmm it is about 385 with a day's practice - which i'd probably need a bit on the reverse again....tset itself is about 115...or do you mean just doing the test (eek!)
Click to expand...

Just a test - perhaps meet the instructor at the test centre 10 mins before test and then DO IT FOR FUN - not trying to pass it but being safe

This is REALLY radical and requires you to have probably £150 to not be bothered about !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
cheekywelshie said:
Hmmm....not reallY!

Can you really sit in the back of someone else's test? I can't imagine anyone willing to let someone do that...
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Legally you can but you will only knoow if someone will let you is by asking the instructor to ask the other trainee - never ask the other trainee yourslef
 
OK i will ask.

I am not sure how long to leave it - whether to practice in mine for a bit. I know it usually takes a while to get a test booked in anyway, ie about a month or so round here, so not sure whether to wait til spring...

Also - whether to do it with my own ifor Williams trailer> I thought it would be easier using theirs because they are smaller box trailers but if i am used to reversing my own..hmmm...
 
cheekywelshie said:
OK i will ask.

I am not sure how long to leave it - whether to practice in mine for a bit. I know it usually takes a while to get a test booked in anyway, ie about a month or so round here, so not sure whether to wait til spring...

Also - whether to do it with my own ifor Williams trailer> I thought it would be easier using theirs because they are smaller box trailers but if i am used to reversing my own..hmmm...
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If you have wing mirrors for the examiner then there is nothing wrong in using your own vehicle and trailer along with a supervising driver if you require one which you will do if its a B+E set up but not for a B towing set up

L plates will be needed in all cases on test
 
ROG said:
If you have wing mirrors for the examiner then there is nothing wrong in using your own vehicle and trailer along with a supervising driver if you require one which you will do if its a B+E set up but not for a B towing set up

L plates will be needed in all cases on test
Click to expand...

Is it supposed to be easier with the box trailers though?
 
I think the lesson before the test made it worse - I know instructors like to do this but it made me more anxious as we only got to the test centre with ten minutes to go.

Those who failed, how long did you leave it before retake? Xmas /dec/jan are going to wipe me out financially.
 
cheekywelshie said:
Is it supposed to be easier with the box trailers though?
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Its alot easier to tow a double axle trailer than a single.

I failed my test in August, down to lane discipline (sp?) at a roundabout. Seriously daft driving mistake, not even a towing mistake!! I failed about 2 mins into my driving part of my test but still did the full drive. I put in for a retest asap and the earliest was November 9th!
Thankfully I passed, the examiner said there was nothing wrong with my driving/knowledge etc its just I made a daft mistake which he had to fail me on.....I had the same examiner on my 2nd test and he remembered me.....oops!! lol

What area are you in? For my retest it cost me £200, £85 for the use of car & Trailer and the morning of instruction to get to grips with it all again and £115 for the test. Im in Lincolnshire but my test was in Beverley.
 
Poor you. I think those who suggested medication of some sort are right, if you suffer real panic attacks, keeping your nerves under control yourself is very difficult. My poor daughter's just taken 4 go's to get her driving test, again nerves, she's a good driver, she took the Rescue Remedy with her in the end, don't think she used it but she knew it was there. Re passenger, I was asked if I was coming in the car but declined.
 
I am in Milton Keynes. Have my own ifor 505. Lessons so expensive - it cost 385. Just for test and two lessons - most of the second one which was before the test, involved driving to the test centre!
 
cheekywelshie said:
I am in Milton Keynes. Have my own ifor 505. Lessons so expensive - it cost 385. Just for test and two lessons - most of the second one which was before the test, involved driving to the test centre!
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I know what I would do ..... especially as all the training has been done

I would purchase extra wing mirrors and set them up for a pasenger/examiner so they can see down both sides

Put on L plates

Book a B+E test online at the same test centre or perhaps WEEDON

Check that vehicle and trailer are pefectly legal

Go to test with a supervising driver who was also insured for the combination because THEY will need to drive back from test as you will not be in the right frame of mind be it a pass or not
 
I would advise doing exactly what Rog has suggested, practice as much towing/reversing/hitch/unhitch (the DSA way) and go back with mum or dad as your supervising driver. If you're not sure you're up to test standard then just book a two hour session with a driving school that way it will work out cheaper.
 
ROG said:
I know what I would do ..... especially as all the training has been done

I would purchase extra wing mirrors and set them up for a pasenger/examiner so they can see down both sides

Put on L plates

Book a B+E test online at the same test centre or perhaps WEEDON

Check that vehicle and trailer are pefectly legal

Go to test with a supervising driver who was also insured for the combination because THEY will need to drive back from test as you will not be in the right frame of mind be it a pass or not
Click to expand...

That's not a bad idea though i would feel odd if i ran into my instructor at the test centre..but hey ho.

My parents live 160 miles away - and are retired so would be great if they could help but not around..

My other half is insured to drive my car and has the oldie license as he passed in 1989 oir something like that!

But getting him out with me is tricky at the mo as too dark in the week and weekends are difficult as it is dark after 3 ( he is in a cycling team and out both weekend mornings tho could look at persuading him otherwise!) The yard is too busy to practice the reverse on as there are shows there on the weekends but maybe i could drive (for practice purposes) off site if I can grab another livery as a passenger! Either that or wait until it gets lighter.

( i know wha tthe OH would say at this point - that i am just making excuses! )

Hmm - Weedon means doing it in northampton and i hated driving round there when i first had lessons!

I could have a two hour lesson to check everything is ok maybe near the time -perhaps. But practicing on my own is a good idea. The extra mirrors are a good idea!

Towing Vehicle is Jeep cherokee 2.8L limited edition. Towing vehicle is Ifor Williams 505 classic
 
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