One of the most life changing accomplishments that high school students achieve is receiving a driver’s license. With a license, there is a sense of freedom in knowing that finally, there is no need to rely on someone else for a ride. However, receiving a license may not always go as planned. After asking students about their experiences with their own driver’s tests, horror stories behind the wheel were revealed.

Junior Lexi Solntsev, who took her first driver’s test on her 16th birthday, wishes she could “push it from [her] memory.”

“From the moment I arrived at the DPS to the starting time of my test, I had to wait at least two hours,” Solntsev said. “And to make things worse, my instructor was upset that I was late–when in reality–I had been waiting in line.”

Solntsev’s luck wasn’t great from the start, and things went downhill from there.

“As soon as I finally began my test, it started pouring,” Solntsev said.

With the nonstop rain after hours of waiting, Solntsev’s anxiety was up to the brink. The next thing, she said, was the worst part; parallel parking.

“I was backing into the spot, but it scared me because I knew this was the part that was famous for failing,” Solntsev said. “I backed out twice to readjust, and the instructor began writing a lot. I knew it was over.”

Solntsev proceeded to continue through the rest of the test and, finally, arrived back at the DPS.

“My heart was racing as I waited for my results,” Solntsev said. “She paused for a minute, then told me I didn’t pass. My failing mistake was parallel parking.”

Solntsev recalls this memory as a huge disappointment for her Sweet Sixteen.

“On my birthday, I had failed my driver’s test, and I drove home crying with my mom yelling at me in the passenger’s seat.” Solntsev said.

Solntsev’s final advice for any future test-taker would be to “know how to parallel park.”

However, Solntsev is not the only driver’s test horror story out there. Senior Aleena Khawaja remembers her test clearly, a day full of “gray skies and pouring rain.”

To add onto the weather conditions, the test started out with a bang. Literally.

“First, I started the parallel parking portion of the test,” Khawaja said. “I hit the pole. It was on my fourth try, and my instructor then told me, ‘You’re not going to get it now, so you might as well continue on the test.’”

As she pulled out, another car was pulling out alongside her.

“I was less than an inch away from hitting that car,” Khawaja said. “I let them go, but my instructor had already seen my second mistake.”

Out on the main street, Khawaja’s next task was to take a left turn.

“There was a separate lane to turn left,” Khawaja said. “But, I was in the right lane…turning left.”

After her third mistake, Khawaja thought her test was over when the instructor was continuously shaking her head in the passenger seat. But, there was one thing that she says saved her test.

“After that, I didn’t know what to do, so I kept her entertained with small talk,” Khawaja said. “Always keep the small talk going.”

Khawaja was surprised when she was told that she passed the driver’s test, but she said she believes that the one thing everyone taking the driver’s test should know is, “Small talk is key.”

When it comes down to it, each person has their own, unique experience. Do the best possible and know that if things don’t go as planned, there’s always another chance!