I drive very well, honestly. I haven't passed my road test yet (failed my 3rd one today) and it's really frustrating. I just freeze up when the test person is in the car and I screw up everytime. I come away feeling like a bag of shit because I can't control my nerves for a dumb road test. I don't have problems with my nerves when it comes to horse showing so why do they pop up for driving? UGH, this is more of a vent than anything. Have you guys experienced the same problems? I'm so fed up with having to depend on my parents or sister to drive me around while I'm home and at college it's even worse. I have oppurtunities to ride and train ponies up at school but I can't act on them since I can't drive. I'm just so frustrated.

Don't worry, it took me three times to pass my behind the wheel test, too! It was a huge pain in the butt since I was flying from Cali to WA to take the test each time since I had moved and the laws were different. The thing that ultimately helped me to get comfortable (I have always been afraid of cars) was to drive every opportunity I got. Just drive whenever and wherever you can until its second nature! Good luck!
Alexandra

Believe me I'm totally comfortable driving, I can do it just fine. I just freeze up when the tester is in the car with me and my mind just blanks out. I was literally shaking in the seat today.

Try deep breaths and use visualization and positive thinking. Go into the test telling yourself that you'll pass, and you will. Good luck!

Tell the tester you are nervous. I have been driving around the farm since I was 10, even to the neary market and back. When it was time for the driving test I was soo scared of messing up and having someone watch me and stuff. I told her I was nervouse and she joked with me and made me relax and even cut me some slack.

Yeah I agree. I was SO nervous when I took my road test that I was shaking and couldn't even sign my name correctly. I told the guy that I was really nervous and I think he took pity on me! He even helped me out with parallel parking. I asked him if I was far back enough and he told me how far to go. I was lucky

Don't feel bad, I failed my road test 3x too. I finally passed on #4......I think they got tired of seeing me.

Just remember...they give you SO much time to do each thing(at least for us they do), for me it was practically triple the time it should take you to do it...so go SLOW. It doesn't matter if you do it slow in the test, thats why they provide it for you. Granted, don't take 10 minutes to parallel park. Don't aim for perfection either, just make sure you hit the main points. I passed on my first try, but it took my friend four times to get hers and what I told her helped her. Good luck!

I go for my road test February 13th... I dont think I will be that nervous since I have had lessons with the driving school teacher which I got used to. Whats good with the teacher is that they take you around the course to practice a few times. You also get comfortable with another person in the car other than your parents [or whoever you practice driving with]..

You go to DelVal? Where are you taking your test?

Yeah I go to DelVal but I took my tests while I'm home on Long Island.

I was always scared to tell the tester that I was nervous, the testers I've dealt with all are bitchy. My 2nd test the lady was screaming at me, not exaggerating at all.

Move to Texas where roadtests are a foreign term No wonder everyone drives like crap!

Hey me too!

Did you do Centereach or Riverhead? Supposivily (sp?) Riverhead is "easier" but thats where I had the extremely bitchy woman. I've tried Riverhead 2x and Centereach once.

I did mine on LI too, only in Islip. The guy i had was pretty cool...

Don't worry... one of my guy friends just failed his test on Monday for the 3rd time. You just have to keep at it until you get it.

Talk to your tester. If you feel comfortable with them, it's easier.

There's only one option for you:

Bourbon.

Just be really deliberate about everything. Look everywhere all the time, check all incoming roads for
'crazy drivers.' Slow down at least 10 miles an hour before railraod tracks and look both ways very deliberately. Stop before right on reds, read all signs, use blinkers ALLLL The time. even wen you think you don't need them. All the obvious shit.

Gab

THATS your problem.. right there.. you took it on Long Island. Lol. If you went to Wantagh or Hicksville, your bound to fail. My sister failed her first time and on the little slip it said that the tester needed to take control of the wheel, and my sister said they never touched the wheel. Taking them on Long Island sucks big time. I'm sorry though. But if you go to Wantagh and get a jamacian woman, she makes jokes while you ride.

This sounds like the brady brunch when Marcia froze up at the wheel. I personally get nervous at horse shows.

That's because 12 year olds aren't allowed to drive yet.

What on earth do horse shows have to do with this? The subject is DRIVING.

I took mine in Riverhead a few years ago and the girl that I had was a bitch. ..but i did pass on my first try and I fucked up my 3 point turn..I would try the telling them you are nervous..i bet it would help calm yourself down too.

I passed on my first time on Feb 13th... It actually wasn't that bad, considering everyone I knew failed the first time [or two or three]... I just made sure to be extra carefull, looking around at all times in all mirrors and such =]

oh yeahi forgot to mention, look at the mirrors a million times each before you do anything. You have to do it. To the point where its excessive even.

I failed my road test a few times.. my first one was a very bad experience with a very bad tester, and it made me so nervous after that. I dreaded going for tests and shook badly and was nearly in tears.. everything would just fall apart. IN BC we first get our learners (by taking a written test), then we get our novice but doing a road test.. that was the one I failed. I was able to get rid of my "N" after a year and a half (I think?) but after the traumatizing experience of the road tests, I put it off for years. It expires this July (5 years after I got my N almost).. and I finally just booked my road test and got it over with on March 6th. I have never in my life experienced nerves like that.. I was shaking so much. It was absolutely awful. I even (almost) forgot to put the car into reverse. But anyways.. I passed and the tester said I was a great driver and had no reason to be so nervous.
My reccomendation is just make sure you are super confident when driving before taking the exam. Make sure you feel comfortable in any situation. I know that when I took my Novice test I was not completely comfortable handling a car.. but 5 years later I was confident driving in any situation on my own and so I could work through the nerves.

ehh it happens to the best of us... I failed my 1st time. Nerves suck. Just go in with a positive mid set. and dont beat your self up if it doesnt work out for ya. Thats when you make the next time even harder... if that makes sense to you.. haha good luck!!

You just have to keep doing it until you pass.

You know you're a good driver, so it's not like you're failing because you can't drive, it's just that you're freaking out.

You just have to remember that it doesn't matter, that you can take it again. Keep at it.

Also, you might look into taking the test through a driving school. (That's what I did with mine, and I have to do it again tomorrow.) It's so much nicer with the people from a driver's ed class/company than with the people from the DMV or a cop.

I was one of the few people to pass on try number 1, on ly did that on the 7th of last month.

Best Advice ill give ya: Make friends with the instructor :P and play sweet and innocent. I jsut told her I had no family, and was pretty broke, so only could afford minimal lessons, and had no qualified person to help practice, I got away with alot, and passed :P

Turns out she has 2 kids, one is 3, one is 5, and they live a few blocks from me.... Here I was thinking being a raging cow got me places in life... LOL

Oh yes, great advice. Maybe make that your advice for living your entire life.

I just failed for my first timeyesterday , I'm going tomorrow to try again, I was really upset.

It started out bad....I didn't have a front plate on my car (required in IL) so I was told to take me showlace out and tie it on with that (thank god I had it in the car!) Then she comes back outside and is looking at my windows, makes me roll them up, down, halfway...then asks if they're extra tinted and says that's not allowed. I have an Audi A4-and it has no modifications done to it. It was my brothers car (he has no front plate, she accused him of putting extra tint on it), I had to have the windows down. So it started out bad....

Then I almost back into someone I didn't see going out of the parking spcae (checked mirrors and looked behind me), then I don't stop far enough behind the stop signs (there are no lines), I don't park close enough to the curb doing the downhill parking (never knew you had to be in an exact spot), then some asshole pulls out in front of me at an intersection making it so I can't pull up enough and I in turn block the intersection where there's a sign that distinctly says not to! OOPS! Better luck next time I guess.

I swear I can drive well, but I was nervous and it started off on the wrong foot...lets just say I'm taking my grandma's car tomorrow and going to a different DMV.

Well it was true, I didnt have anyone to teach me, and at $50 a pop for driving lessons, it was a rough go. I just found that talking to her, and saying out loud what im doing, aka *scan, proceed* yadda yadda throughout the process, helped her realise that I knew what i was doing, just was nervous.

OK, this topic made me feel so much better! I just took and failed my first road test. I did one week of driver's ed (that's three days), and the guy thought I'd be ready today. I was, I had been nailing everything! I even came up with a new system for people when parallel parking. He actually using my system when he teaches people! I've never once did a bad job parallel parking. Not even my first try. So today, we practice and everything's perfect. I take the lady out for my test. Other than running into debris on the side of the road when three-point turning (I heard her make that deep breathe in gasp noise), I didn't have any problems. We got back to the DMV for the final test, parallel parking. As soon as I started I froze up. I came in totally crooked, and forgot all about my system. I hit the curb. She let me try again, I hit the curb closer. She let me CIRCLE THE PARKING LOT. I managed to get in this time, but just barely and it was horrible compared to the times I had done it before. She was going to let me pass with 8 points. I HAD PASSED!! Then I couldn't get myself out. I turned the wheels the wrong way. I hit the barricade. I hit the pretend car! As soon as I heard the car hit, I knew; automatic failure.

Awwww Libby, that stinks! At least you know you can try again!

Well, if you are going to fail it, you might as well fail it big!!!

Ahh the feared driving test...thank God I passed mine the first time...the only thing I did wrong was, the instructor told me to get in the left lane to turn back into the driveway because we were finishing, and I had to pass a car. The speed limit was 35, and I went 37, he started yelling at me. I seriously thought I was going to cry....until he told me I passed haha.

Trying again tomorrow, with a grand total of maybe 8 hours of sleep for the past four nights. I'm totally going to ace it, I'm too tired to be nervous.

Belated, but congrats, Libby!

I don't think I want you lil' shits on the road.