Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
As It Happens

Worst driving test experience ever? Teenager hits deer during exam

Tom Lo felt he was prepared for his first driving exam but he never expected a deer to suddenly dart out in front of him midway through his test.
CBC Radio ·
Tom Lo, a 17-year-old from Essex, England, passed his first driving test despite hitting a deer. (Facebook/Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)
As It Happens6:16Teenager hits a deer during driving test and still manages to pass

Three-point turns, lane changes and the dreaded parallel park.

There are plenty of reasons to be nervous before your first driving exam. But on Monday, when 17-year-old Tom Lo buckled up for his first exam, no amount of studying the driver's handbook could have prepared him for what happened.

Ten minutes into his test, the Essex, England teenager had a head-on collision with a deer.

Tom Lo holding his newly-minted driving test pass certificate. (Tom Lo)

"I was just in shock," Lo tells As It Happens guest host Laura Lynch. "I hit the brakes as hard as I could but unfortunately we were going too fast and the deer was hit and killed sadly."

Lo says he was picking up speed in a 100 km/h zone and travelling at about 70 km/h when the deer darted across the road into his path. After the impact, the driving examiner in the passenger seat told Lo to pull over so they could assess the damage.

"I was thinking 'Oh my god. What have I done? I've just killed a deer. Is the car okay? Have I failed my test?'" Lo explains. "It was just a lot of crazy feelings going on."

A white-tailed buck bounds across the road to head south through an open field Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at Chase Road and U.S. 60 just east of Reed, Ky. The buck and another doe brought up the rear of the herd. White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, are herbivores, and their stomachs allow them to digest a variety of plant foods, according to National Geographic's website. They are the smallest members of the deer family in North America. A buck's antlers are grown annually and fall off in the winter. (John Dunham/AP)

Despite the traumatic accident, the damage to the car was minimal and the examiner told Lo to continue the test. Lo was surprised but managed to steady his nerves. He explains that he was determined to finish the driving exam so he could focus on his equally important upcoming college exams. In the end, not only did Lo complete the test, he passed. 

"I just thought I've worked really hard for this," Lo explains. "Put these thoughts in the back of my mind and just drive to the best of my ability."

Tom Lo's driving test report. (Tom Lo)

Lo credits his driving teacher, Robert Jezierski, with teaching him how to maintain his composure while driving. He adds that his family and friends are proud of him but are pretty amused with all the attention he has received since the story broke.

"I've been driving nonstop," Lo explains. "I haven't had any incidents so I've been lucky and fortunate. Hopefully I won't have any for the rest of my driving life!"

More from this episode