Most of us have tales to tell from our driving lesson days, whether it’s scheduling a test on the rainiest day of the year, or getting caught in hour-long traffic jams. Here are some of the craziest tales from the driving world that have made the news in the past few years.
See You Later!
Early in 2015, a young driver was arrested for attempting to steal a car in the middle of a driving lesson! The instructor – a friend of the learner who owned the car – had got out of the vehicle to demonstrate how to perform a turn in the road when the learner sped off in the car, leaving the shocked instructor stranded. The car and the learner were spotted later that same day in a nearby town, where the man was arrested. To make matters worse, he’d also stolen the instructor’s wallet!
First Driving Lesson… On TV?
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran made history by having his very first lesson televised on Top Gear, with none other than The Stig for his instructor. As the show’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, Sheeran admitted that he’d never been behind the wheel before, but simply couldn’t say ‘no’ to appearing on such an iconic programme. Fortunately, Sheeran didn’t do too badly, although he did manage to stay on track much better once he discovered that he could, in fact, take his foot off the accelerator!
A Spot of Road Rage
Lenique Louis shocked an examiner during her practical driving test by ignoring the examiner’s directions and instead going off-route to follow and confront a driver she claims pulled in too close in front of her! When the examiner tried to take control of the vehicle, Lenique admits that she yelled at him in what must be one of the worst cases of road rage ever seen on a UK driving test! Lenique has failed her driving test 10 times, with the most notable reason being aggressive driving.
Watch Out for Cyclists!
When you’re out on your very first driving lesson, you may be worried about steering, pressing the right pedals, using the indicators, and so on, but what about unobservant cyclists? A young man in Liverpool had been parked on the road when a cyclist hit the vehicle from behind while not paying attention. All involved in the incident were unhurt, and the tale has gone down in history as one of the most unfortunate things to ever happen on a first driving lesson.
Driving Test Fraud… By Examiners?
Driving test fraud in the UK has risen in recent years, and the DVSA have taken a number of measures to try to prevent statistics from rising. One of the most common types of fraud involves learner drivers paying lookalikes to take the practical driving test for them, but in 2013 driving test fraud took a whole new turn when the examiners themselves got involved! Two examiners were jailed for guaranteeing passes to drivers who paid thousands of pounds. Surely it’s just cheaper to practice!
