...nerves and mental demons? This must be the world record for number of times failed. I'm asking this question in this section because it is a clear psychological and nerves issue and not a driving ability issue. My instructors(The 7 that I've had so far) have all said that I'm a great driver, and they are puzzled at why I fall to pieces during the test.
Actually let me provide you with some context so you might be able to help me. I'm 27 years old, and I took my first 10 driving tests 10 years ago when I was 17 years old, and after failing it 10 times, I gave up. Problem is that I loved driving so much and so I decided to just risk driving without a licence, and I have been doing that for the last 10 years and I have been very careful not to break any speed limits to make sure the police don't catch me. But this constant worrying about getting caught and driving too carefully has stressed me out, so I decided to take the test again today. But I failed again because of the same mental demons and nerves that affected me 10 years ago.
I haven't changed much in that respect. I've grown up and am more confident than I was 10 years ago, but I still have mental demons when it comes to the driving test. It is like I have a trigger in my head and that causes me to do what is necessary to fail the test. It is weird.
Let me explain where these mental demons might come from(I could be wrong). My mother moved here to Britain when she was 28 years old after getting her Law degree at university. In her home country she grew up in a poor family with no cars and so getting a licence wasn't important to her. So when she came here, driving and cars were like a new world for her. She took her first driving test when she was 34, and I was 6 years old at the time. She failed because of nerves, and I remember her coming to pick me up from school, and she told me that she failed, and I was upset, because I was looking forward to having car like all the other kids parents had. She failed another 9 times and when I was 12 years old she gave up. So you can imagine me being told almost every year from the age of 6 to the age of 12: "I failed the driving test again today. I'm sorry". So idea of the driving test being impossible to pass had become entrenched in my head from childhood. Even though I learned as I got older that it was nerves that caused my mum to fail, I still had this image of driving test being this big impossible obstacle. I myself am a nervous person so that doesn't help matters, it is like a double negative.
Everyday I ask myself why I keep failing:
1) Is it something genetic that I've inherited from my mum
2) Is it the experience of growing up in an environment where failing a driving test was a regular occurence.
3) A combination of 1 and 2
4) Is it my love for driving that I put way too much pressure on myself to pass
I keep trying to stay positive, and even though I've managed to drive without a licence for the last 10 years and not be caught, I want to get my licence so that I don't have to live with this fear of getting caught.
My freinds have told me to just continue driving without licence because "You are a good driver and you never break the speed limit and never drive under the influence". But I'm not brave enough to continue and I know that sooner or later I might be in a rush to get somewhere super quickly and could break the speed limit and get caught.
By the way my mother has also been driving without a licence for the last 10 years and hasn't got caught yet. But she just stopped caring because buses are so unreliable these days, and car is the best form of transport. I wish I could be so care free about this, but I can't.
I feel like I could have a short life expectancy if I keep worrying about the police catching me. So getting my licence is the only option. Any tips or am I a lost cause and beyond help?
Actually let me provide you with some context so you might be able to help me. I'm 27 years old, and I took my first 10 driving tests 10 years ago when I was 17 years old, and after failing it 10 times, I gave up. Problem is that I loved driving so much and so I decided to just risk driving without a licence, and I have been doing that for the last 10 years and I have been very careful not to break any speed limits to make sure the police don't catch me. But this constant worrying about getting caught and driving too carefully has stressed me out, so I decided to take the test again today. But I failed again because of the same mental demons and nerves that affected me 10 years ago.
I haven't changed much in that respect. I've grown up and am more confident than I was 10 years ago, but I still have mental demons when it comes to the driving test. It is like I have a trigger in my head and that causes me to do what is necessary to fail the test. It is weird.
Let me explain where these mental demons might come from(I could be wrong). My mother moved here to Britain when she was 28 years old after getting her Law degree at university. In her home country she grew up in a poor family with no cars and so getting a licence wasn't important to her. So when she came here, driving and cars were like a new world for her. She took her first driving test when she was 34, and I was 6 years old at the time. She failed because of nerves, and I remember her coming to pick me up from school, and she told me that she failed, and I was upset, because I was looking forward to having car like all the other kids parents had. She failed another 9 times and when I was 12 years old she gave up. So you can imagine me being told almost every year from the age of 6 to the age of 12: "I failed the driving test again today. I'm sorry". So idea of the driving test being impossible to pass had become entrenched in my head from childhood. Even though I learned as I got older that it was nerves that caused my mum to fail, I still had this image of driving test being this big impossible obstacle. I myself am a nervous person so that doesn't help matters, it is like a double negative.
Everyday I ask myself why I keep failing:
1) Is it something genetic that I've inherited from my mum
2) Is it the experience of growing up in an environment where failing a driving test was a regular occurence.
3) A combination of 1 and 2
4) Is it my love for driving that I put way too much pressure on myself to pass
I keep trying to stay positive, and even though I've managed to drive without a licence for the last 10 years and not be caught, I want to get my licence so that I don't have to live with this fear of getting caught.
My freinds have told me to just continue driving without licence because "You are a good driver and you never break the speed limit and never drive under the influence". But I'm not brave enough to continue and I know that sooner or later I might be in a rush to get somewhere super quickly and could break the speed limit and get caught.
By the way my mother has also been driving without a licence for the last 10 years and hasn't got caught yet. But she just stopped caring because buses are so unreliable these days, and car is the best form of transport. I wish I could be so care free about this, but I can't.
I feel like I could have a short life expectancy if I keep worrying about the police catching me. So getting my licence is the only option. Any tips or am I a lost cause and beyond help?