There’s no doubt learner driver Constance Kampfer had come up with what at least appeared to be a near foolproof plan to pass her driving test.
After failing her first test because of freezing at a roundabout, London-based Constance wanted to give herself the best possible chance of passing the second time by hunting out the UK’s ’easiest’ driving test.
That turned out to be 500 miles away on the Isle of Mull.
An isle-deal opportunity?
The beautiful island boasts one of the highest pass rates in the country – 90% – and best of all? The ‘road network’ is mostly made up of single track roads with zero traffic lights and crucially, only one roundabout.
“I was determined I would pass my driving test the second time – I simply needed to optimise my chances. A quick Google search told me where I needed to go, the Isle of Mull.”
• Constance writing in The Times newspaper
Long trek
With test successfully booked, Constance made the 10-hour journey to Scotland before hopping on a ferry to Mull.
There was a slight problem however: She didn’t have a car to take the test in as there were no instructors prepared to make the trip to the island.
Thankfully, a hurried post to Facebook resulted in a very generous local paramedic called Mairi offering up her blue Mini for Constance to take the test in.
Plans undone
The test started with Constance feeling confident especially after she learnt that, “Mull’s single roundabout would not be on the route and that there was nowhere to parallel park,” recalls the ambitious learner.
But Constance realised after completing the test route that the driving examiner was avoiding her gaze.
The reason why she failed soon became clear when he revealed: “I don’t like to talk about people who fail their tests. Think of it as just not passing.”
And then it dawned on Constance why she’d failed:
“He had mentioned a few times that I was straying too far into the middle of the road for his liking, but I had taken it to be friendly advice. Instead, it turned out to be my downfall.”
Keep it local
Constance says she was upset about failing – as was the kind paramedic who’d lent the young woman her car – but now knows that she’ll have to start facing traffic lights and roundabouts again.
Where Constance will take her third attempt remains to be seen. We wish her the best of luck – but just hope the test is a little closer to home this time.
And if she has any nerves in the build up to the big day, we recommend Constance reads our guide to coping with driving test nerves here.
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Main image © Shutterstock
Mull photo by Danka & Peter on Unsplash