Abi, 17, proves she's an 'L' of a driver

Abi, 17, proves she's an 'L' of a driver A NEWMARKET teenager has ripped up her 'L' plates after passing her driving test first time around - without a single fault. Seventeen-year-old Abigail Dowding, of Rous Road, even registered a perfect score in her theory test. Learner drivers are allowed up to 15 minor faults before they are failed and can incorrectly answer seven questions before flunking a theory test. The ecstatic A-level student, who started taking lessons in December and passed her test on Valentine's Day, told the Journal: "I thought I was going to fail originally. In my mock I even forgot to indicate on a roundabout. "I was fourth back to the test centre along with the first three had all failed, so when I was told I had passed, and that I had not received one minor, I was in shock. "I felt certain I would have picked one up for the driving round a corner manoeuvre, but I didn't." She added: "My instructor told me that out of 1,541 passes, only five people got zero in his 17 years in the job." Abigail, who will be studying government and politics, business and photography at King Edwards VI School in Bury St Edmunds, was taught by her dad, Simon, and Bury-based driving instructor Nigel Lennard, of Lennard's School of Motoring. er proud instructor said: "It's a rare achievement and some instructors can go their entire careers and not have a clean sheet pass. "Abigail started learning with me in mid-December and had 34 hours of tuition which is really good. The government recommends 46 hours of professional tuition and 20 of private practice." e added: "She was a really good student and didn't ought to be told more than once." Abigail said she was still without her own car but was looking at buying a 1.2 litre Vauxhall Corsa. "It's going to be so nice not having to get the bus to school any more," she said. Abi, 17, proves she's an 'L' of a driver Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 24/02/2012