Finally today, 10 Jan 2011, i will be writing a blog about my driving test experience. Take note, its not driving experience but driving TEST experience. Why do i say that? You will know soon. First i would like to say that, before today, i don't dare to write this blog, because i cant put an ending to this blog, and I'm not confident to say when will this come to an end.
My first time getting to know driving is 16 Jul 2009, i was still serving National Service and my vocation requires me to be equipped with driving skill. So that day was the first day i started my army driving course. Everything seems fine, until
1) 7 Aug 2009, i fail my first driving test. I was too nervous, and before me there were incidents of others not aware of what is "about turn", which after that we were told that, its just U-turn. So when the tester told me to make a right turn to a dead end, i know he is going to ask me to make a "about turn".
I was so engrossed in thinking the detail of what to do later when he stopped the vehicle for me. A vehicle from the main road on my left is turning right while I continued turing right also. "Required testing officer's help to abort an accident" major fault, immediate failure.
2) 13 Aug 2009, the test was in the morning, around 9.15am. Normal bus lane time is 7.30 to 9.30am, other drivers should not drive on this bus lane during that time. The tester took me to a route with normal bus lane, and my slightly faster watch shows 9.30am. Really a bad time on the wrong road. So to play save, i drove on the second left most lane.
Until some part along the road he wants me to make a left turn, i look at the road situation, i panicked. I'm in a traffic jam and i have to change 2 lanes to the left in order to enter the left side road. But the vehicles on the left lane don't give me the chance, and soon i going to miss the turn. Not knowing what to do, i tried my luck to squeeze in where there is a gap. The tester pushed my steering wheel right, after that he slowly guide me changing to the left lane and successfully made the left turn. "Failed to give way traffic from left", major fault, immediate failure. But i have to admit that i was too rush on changing lane.
3) 18 Aug 2009, the graduation day, and my birthday, if i pass, i will be able to leave there 1 or 2 days later after the orientation driving. In the morning, at the roundabout, some of them encountered tyres on the left lane. Some bypassed from the right lane but were scolded by the testers, saying "why not just drive over it?". In the afternoon, my turn, and i did saw the tyres they mentioned. There are 3 tyres and only 2 small gaps in between them, so i started have doubt to really able to drive over them. But still, not much time to think, i try to drive through at a slow speed. Bang! Tyre hit tyre, engine stalled. "Hit fixed object", major fault, immediate failure.
The tester was scolding me upside-down, and i tried to explain that i heard it from the morning session driving test. After some "investigation", morning do have tyre, 1 tyre. That's why tester would say they could drive over it. When i tried to explain more, tester said "So morning your friend drive through a road and say its clear, afternoon you driving through and saw a man on the road, you go over him ah? Cause your friend say its clear. ACCESS THE ROAD YOURSELF, not through what your friend said."
My close friend, Ken passed his test on that day, I was all alone now, almost going to break down...
4) 20 Aug 2009, I total lost my confident, especially when the tester was the one known to be the very strict and barley passes anyone. Just in the circuit i forgot to down gear back to 1 when i stopped my vehicle at gear 2. "Failed to move off from stationary position in 1st gear", major fault, immediate failure.
5) 25 Aug 2009, it was the same tester that access me on my second test. He was supposed to be the more lenient tester, i was praying hard that i can pass my driving by him. On the road, stupid me followed the front vehicle through a yellow box, but it stops not far after it passes the yellow box. I ended up stopped with my back wheels in the yellow box.
That itself is enough to fail me for "Failed to obey mandatory traffic sign/ signal rule", but i think he did try to close one eye. However, when I'm approaching the last left turn back to camp, i was so excited that i should pass this time and i failed to notice that there is bicycle riding cross the green man light. The test quickly bended down and wanted to pull the hand brake for me, which alerted me of the bicycle and hence i slammed the brake to avoid collision.
When we got back, i know i had failed, i tried beg him to let me pass. But he explained that without his bending down action, i may just crash onto the bicycle, this shows that i have not enough sense of alertness to the surrounding, causing danger to other road users. But to make the remark "nicer", he only wrote that i stopped in yellow box, major fault, immediate failure.
By now the next batch of trainees had already arrived for quite sometime and are already practicing driving. There is only left me and another guy. I told myself that if i fail the next test again, i would ask my PC to put me out of this driving course. Its really driving me crazy.
Because ever since they started driving, my instructor is unable to train me during the day. So i have to arrive at the driving centre by 6 plus 7am, as usual. And just sit down at the training shed doing nothing the whole day until 4-5pm, then my instructor is free to bring my for practice. Sometime there will be some other instructor who is happen to be free in the day, he will also bring me out for practices.
I feel like I'm going to turn mad anytime soon, I'm sometime even wonder will i ORD from here instead of going back to my unit? The batch before me also has 1 person who unable to graduate, but he was left all alone by himself. Rumor said that he got a doctor proof that he has depression and was out of course. Should i do the same?
My sweet told me try not to think about driving while waiting in the training shed, but i cant. what i see are cars driving past, what i hear are sound of the engine of the cars, what i smell are the gases emitted by the cars. I cant escape from it, not even a second.
Reach home by 9pm plus, have to wake by 5.30am. Every night i slept with fear, not wanting to wake up to face the horror.
6)30 Aug 2009, i was like a zombie. Just a pile of soulless flesh walking around and driving around. I donno what am i doing anymore, long forgotten when was the last time i truly smile and laugh with joy.
On the road, a cross junction with 2 lane turning right, I'm making a U-turn. Sometime after green like, there seems to be no on coming traffic, the vehicles on my left started making right turn. Then i started thinking, should i make the U-turn now or wait for green arrow? If i wait, the vehicle behind me horns me, i will fail for causing obstruction to traffic.
So i decided to make the turn along with the vehicles on my left, but since I'm making a U-turn, I'm slower then them, and by the time they drove off, on the oncoming lane there are vehicles approaching, the tester stopped the vehicle for me just like the 1st test, "Required testing officer's help to abort an accident" major fault, immediate failure.
I tried to request out of course from the instructors but what i received were scoldings. I tried to contact my PC, but he was too busy with the Army Open House 09 and i couldn't even reach him. So my hope of getting out of this misery shattered.
7) 2 Sep 2009, the instructors quickly pushed me to get prepared for the 7th test. I heard that the highest record was taking and passed on the 7th test, i was wondering will i be the one to broke the 7 tests record.
Luckily, i pass. I FINALLY PASSED! After more than 1 and a half months of nightmare i finally passed my driving test. I really need to thank everyone who refuse to let me give up (out of course), and those who didn't give up hope on me, and those who encouraged me to hang on till the very end. I finally made it!
But happiness doesn't last forever, the next question soon came out "am i taking civilian license too?" I try not to think about it, leave it till i ORD then see how...
Finally ORD on 9 Feb 2010, on this very same day i went to BBDC to enrol as a private candidates. I did really took my own sweet time taking the theory tests. After a year i got my army driving license, now is time for my diving practical test again...
8) 13 Sep 2010, I just started my uni for nearly 2weeks. I really hope that i can clear this so i can focus on my studies. Everything went smoothly, without any major fault. So i thought I'm going to pass this test easily.
However, the tester soon pointed out a lot of mistake that i made, failed to check blind spot, veer off course, failed to regulate speed according to the traffic etc. And i failed due to 20+ demerit points. My heart sinks, memories of the army driving test experience started flowing back to my mind.
9) 27 Oct 2010, i cant fail this test, after this i have start preparing for my final exams, i have to more time to go for another test. I keep telling myself that i cant fail this time, i can't fail this time, i cant fail this time.
I even asked my driving instructor how to reduce the stress, he gave me a sweet and said "eat sweet lo". While waiting for the test, i ate the sweet, hoping that it would be a blessing for me and pass the test.
However, in the circuit, the clutch pedal starts to jeer when I'm trying to hold half clutch. I even strike kerb when reversing for directional change, did a couple of time for both vertical and parallel parking, stall engine, all kind of mistake. I tried to explain to the tester that there is some problem with the clutch that i just cant hold it at half clutch position. The tester calmly said to me, "it is your leg that is trembling."
I requested from him for a minute to calm myself down, then i started to redo the parallel parking, amazingly i parked in perfectly without any jerking of clutch or anything, just like the morning practice. After that on the road everything also went smoothly. But the mistake i made in the circuit was too sever. 30+ demerit points.
And so the driving was put aside while i focus on my exam, don't want talk about and think about driving. It brings back nothing but fear to me.
After exam, i login to the BBDC website once more and take up the challenge again.
10) 10 Jan 2011, my 10th driving test, and 3rd civilian driving practical test. If i fail this, i probably have to put it on hold until may, after my sem 2 final exams. During the test, similar thing from the previous test occurred. I sensed that I'm losing control of my left foot again, i quickly press my heel on the floor of the car and carry on the test.
Still, i hit the kerb when reversing into the parallel parking. The tester was rather friendly and try to calm me down, telling me to relax and saying that i can drive, all i need is to prove it to him.
On the road, i really tried my very best to check for safety before changing lane, making turns, i even encounter an obstacle on my lane and have to bypass it safety. When we came back, i went to the waiting room while the tester go to print the result.
That few minutes are really torturous to me, i really pray that i could pass. But hitting kerb is 10 demerits and 20 points is enough to fail the test.
When the tester review my performance on the road, he said "why you so nervous? Hit the kerb is 10 points you know, if you didn't hit the kerb...". He suddenly stopped for a few second, and so is my heart.
"you would have passed with flying colours, but you still pass la." 18 demerit points, i finally pass my last and final driving test. I finally passed my driving, 10 driving test in total, its not a record that anyone would want to break.
Finally i can sleep peacefully without thinking of how am i going to pass my driving test. I really must thanks everyone for encouraging me to press on, not to give up. There is too many people that i want to thank so i will not name one by one. My family, my love, my friends and my driving instructors, without you all, i will not make it this far.
Thank you.
If you ever feel like giving up on something, or think that you cant do it, think again.
My 10 driving tests taught me that nothing is impossible, unless you give up.
If you don't give up, failure will.
~milkteaisthebest~
