When the Birmingham Evening Mail’s Guy Newey was asked to look into the high demand for driving instructors he decided to get a real insight – by retaking his driving test.

A surge in hopeful drivers taking their test has led to an examiner recruitment crisis in the West Midlands.

So in the name of research journalist Guy put himself at the mercy of examiner Barry Goodwin, hoping to prove his driving was still on the straight and narrow seven years after taking the test for real.

Reliving the experience in the Mail, Guy told readers: “As I finally buckled in, the fear was swelling – cold-sweat took over my hands that were rigidly maintaining the ten-to-two textbook position on my steering wheel.

“Suddenly I was that stumbling learner, inching around corners, mis-finding gears, checking his mirrors so regularly he had no idea if a colony of hedgehogs had decided to skip across the road.

“And even if I did have time to look forward, my eyes were uncontrollably drawn back towards THAT clipboard.”

As Guy tackled hill starts, emergency stops, reversing round corners and three point turns, the tension never left his shoulders – but what would the examiner think of his manoeuvres?

Guy said: “I have not driven without the radio on for about 100,000 miles – and the concentration, the fear that I would roll back on a hill or knock the curb during a manoeuvre stalled me.

“I changed gear about six times in five seconds, trying to find the correct ratio to maintain the speed limit. I was a shadow of the driver I had been but an hour ago.”

And his worst fears were confirmed when it was revealed that he had FAILED.

Guy said: “Despite nearly seven years driving experience, thousands of road miles, several crossed continents – the man with the clipboard said ‘no’. Although Mr Goodwin tried to couch it in kind terms, my driving had a blind spot. It was, well, my blind spot.

“It is the place where pedestrians, cyclists and over-taking cars lurk. I did not check it once. Didn’t even glance at it.

“See you on the road.”

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