Direct Access disaster!

I am not sure whether I am angry or annoyed, upset or all of the
above. I have been driving a 125 on my CBT for about 8 months daily
now and took my direct access last month. half way through, an idiot
in a sportscar pulled out in front of me and stopped, I narrowly
avoided a crash and because I was a bit shocked, the instructor said
that the test cannot continue for safety reasons.

Hmmm. That really made me angry for a while. Eventually managed to get
a retest after about 5 calls to the test centre which i took today. I
thought that I driven very well and was quite surprised when the
instructor said that I had made 2 minors. No big deal - you can have
16. THEN he told me that on one of the roundabouts I drove too close
to the white line at the edge of the lane - this was a serious error
under lane dicipline apparently.

So i asked what roundabout and he said something quickly and dashed
off leaving me holding a piece of paper with the fail box ticked and
only two minors.

Unfeasible bad luck - but I know, I know I should have stayed in the
dead centre of the lane, but surely this was a minor? So now, having
taken the test twice, I am no better off and over 400 pounds spent.
Another 115 or so for the retake again. A part of my brain wants to
jack the whole thing in, the instructor was not helpful and I feel a
bit stupid.

I am not an idiot and my instructor says that 90% of people pass first
time. So even if I pass 3rd time I must either be one of the worst
drivers ever or just extremely unfortunate. It is difficult to just
write it off and take it again like I should because I am more than a
little disheartened now.

the only good thing i suppose is I havent gone out and wasted a wad of
cash today on a new bike although this is little consolation. My
retest now will be in december and knowing the law of Sod it will be
icy, raining and windy.

AAAARrrrrrghhhh.

 

(Stefan) wrote

Well, not to belittle your consternation, he was the instructor on the
day, and he decided to fail you. Open your mind to the possibility you
did something wrong ... !

One of my instructors told me the car test is mostly to do with
stopping you endangering other road users, where the bike test is
largely oriented to avoid you hurting yourself.

Did you endanger yourself by being too close to the white line ?
You don't say which one, but you could have been forced into the
gutter or been hit by an oncoming cage depending on which line he felt
you were too close to.

I failed my first test as I didn't cancel an indicator, and the
instructor (rightly) said I endangered myself by doing so (as I passed
a side road with my left indicator going).

Well if this minor setback puts you off, then biking might not be for
you. Wait until you have your first off. This will have you feeling
even more foolish especially when you have to come on her and tell us
all about it.

I didn't and i'm a f*cking excellent rider ;-)

HTH

Paul.

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember (Zymurgy)
saying something like:

Sounds interesting, this new test lark.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

I failed my first test a couple of months ago and was really put off. I felt
like I wanted to quit as well. It's not worth trying to contest the result -
as far as I'm aware the best you'd get if you won is a free test again.

Just keep trying and throwing money at it and you'll get it. I know it's
scary thinking about how much it *might* cost you, but you'll probably get
it next time and feel so much more appreciative than if you'd passed first
time

Just for the record, my second test was at 8:40 in the morning and it was
pouring down with rain when I passed.

This email hasn't been the most helpful :s

Good luck!
Dave.

 

in message

[snip disheartening stuff about DAS]

Stick at it. Did DAS about two years ago. I was shit compared to my fellow
student and endured a week of the instructor bawling at me. Fell a couple
of times. Felt a complete idiot, and thought of myself as a 44 yr old lardy
plonker and wondered what the hell I was doing. I came home every evening,
knackered, stressed and I was paying good money out for it! I would have
liked to have given up but couldn't ... I had four and a half grands worth
of bike waiting for me in the garage.

Come test day, my fellow student (clearly a competent rider) failed. Next
up ... moi ... passed! Since then, dumped the motor, bike is my every day
transport, did 12000 miles in my first year and loved every single one of
them.

I found the experience of learning and taking the test, quite frankly,
traumatic. Now I tell everyone that passing my bike test was one of the
best things I have ever done. I think for me it was quite a character
forming experience.

So good luck with the next test.

(I think my fellow student took his test three times before he passed)

 

Dave

Similar here. In addition it was pouring down so hard that the instructor
chose to follow me in a car and not by bike.

Neither here I suppose.

 

<snip>

Live with it, get over it, take the test again.

Sheesh.

 

Or just give up and beat yourself up about it for the rest of your life.

D

 

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote

<VBG>

Yes, they do a test bin on the DAS test now, just to enlighten you as
to how much tarmac surfing hurts

HTH

Paul.

 

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote

gah. My kingdom for an "e" :-o

Missed it second time round too ..

P.