So sorry, kfleet, to hear of this; it's a crummy feeling. Keep on keeping on.
I failed on a notoriously nasty roundabout in London, one that even seasoned UK drivers go "Ohhhooooeuwwh" and scrunch their faces up at the mention of. I hate the fact that it's even on a test route; I do realize they want to see that we can handle real locations and situations such as this large and busy roundabout, but this one really is a rather vicious choice to send already-nervous test takers on for their test.
I got only four, or three? can't remember, but lets say four minor faults, but my one major was that roundabout. It is very large, has multiple lanes, and has traffic light staged all around it. I started out in the correct lanes advised by my instructor, but messed up royally as we went around. Things were not helped by the fact that traffic was HEAAVVVVY, aggressive, and I could not, and I really do mean could not, at least not safely, perform the necessary lane hops and wound up making an awkward move in order to make it to my lane (after being held up at yet another of this roundabout's traffic lights). On retrospect I SHOULD have just gone around again, but I think I was fearful that I still wouldn't be able to get across the lanes. It was "filthy" traffic and nobody was helping anyone out. It felt like the Roman chariot race in the movie "Ben Hur". I really do feel I had very bad luck with the particular "pod" of fellow drivers surrounding me on the roundabout that moment and I silently freaked out instead of keeping my head and going around again.
There were no collisions, scrapes, contact nor even horns beeped, in fact nobody else on the roundabout even seemed to notice -- the incident was barely an "incident" and was a lot like things I've seen happen every day since, on such roundabouts, and par for the course, no harm no foul, moving on. But apparently my choices in the heat of the moment were enough of a screw-up to fail me, within the first ten minutes of my test.
I have since "done" these kinds of roundabouts my own way with success, safety, and completely incident free, managing just fine, but only by making different choices from the ones instructed and advised to adhere to "for the test." There are A LOT of ways we must do things "for the test" that are not really anything resembling how people really drive and get by in real life driving everyday.
My examiner, who was a very sweet man, actually expressed regret when debriefing me at the end. He told me and my instructor "I'm so sorry because it's really such a pity, as everything else about your driving is superb, just a few minors but you are really driving excellently."
It was a major bummer and I went home and wept.
I now have limited funds at the moment and don't know when I will be able to afford prioritizing the cost of another test and the lessons I want in the run up to that new test. I will need to book lessons again with an instructor as 1) it will have been a while by then since I've even been able to drive and "keep my hand in" practice-wise, so I know I'm going to be rusty, especially on those bloody little manuevers even though I had them down-pat for my test before. And 2) I no longer have access to a car to practice in with a UK driver. My only practice I'm going to get is by paying for lessons again, at least a few, before my next test which I'll have to take in that driving school's car too. My US licence has expired and I have nobody in my life who will take me out in their car to help me "tune myself up again" for another test.
So, money and is an issue as to why I can't rebook just now. In my area it's about £25 to £27 per hour, plus the £60 test. I admit I've somewhat given up in despair -- I REALLY needed to have passed back then and not still be faffing around with this crap now. I'm also coping with general depression and I can't get motivated again about not only this but many things. I'd love to be all "I won't let it get to me, I'm trying again, yay!" but I'm having a hard time even getting up in the morning so the driving test is something I'm struggling to not feel very, very bitter about. I'll get judged for that loser attititude, I'm sure, but there it is; I'm struggling, and openly bitter that they let us drive around blithely for our first year, but then suddenly tell us we can't drive if we haven't dished out a ton of money on the getting of this licence one way or another.
