A driving lesson turned into a nightmare for Jason Walker when he accidentally wrote off his instructor's car. During his first attempt at a manoeuvre, he panicked and hit the accelerator instead of the brake, wrapping the car around a telegraph pole. The vehicle was a write-off.
Despite this early mishap, Walker, now 33, has been driving for 13 years with only that one crash. He failed his driving test 11 times before finally passing in 2006. 'I was motivated by the money my parents spent and the feeling I would let them down if I didn't carry on,' he said.
Walker's story is not unique. A Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealed that in 2016, one candidate passed on their 21st attempt that year, while another failed 19 times before passing in 2018.
Andy Carroll, a drama teacher from Surrey, took 11 attempts over four years to pass. After one test, an examiner told him, 'Sir, there is a fine line between confident and dangerous.' Carroll eventually passed the day before his theory test expired and now drives school minibuses across the country.
Maya Patel, a 26-year-old blogger and teacher from Wolverhampton, passed on her 11th try. Inspired by her mother, who couldn't drive, Patel said passing gave her freedom and led to her first job in media. 'I'm a very driven person and wasn't going to give up,' she added.
