This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/banter_127 on 2025-06-26 16:06:51+00:00.
For context, I have a driver’s license which allows me to drive both manual and automatic cars since I learned and passed my driving test with a manual (I’m European).
The last time I had driven a manual was 5 months ago - the day I passed my test and got a license, since then I have been driving an automatic car. I passed my test on the 8th try, before then I had problems with severe driving test anxiety - the worst I have had in my life. I would often be very tense and even had uncontrollable physical leg shakes even when I was doing things I was good at and was performing correctly (I couldn’t control my bodily reaction which felt like it came from nowhere…). Despite my mental errors, I passed my test and was happy to be done with all the anxiety it had caused me. Since the time I passed I have been successfully driving an automatic car to school and so on, no accidents or traffic violations to date. This automatic car (I don’t know about the others) has the handbrake off at all times and does well with just the parking (P) mode - important for later…
Today I was urgently asked to get a family member’s manual car from the repair shop in our town as no one could at the time, so I agreed. I got there and after getting in the car and preparing to drive - I drove off into the main road. The car made some weird sounds as I began driving, I wasn’t sure why. I was in the first gear, I checked it. I got into our main town road and after driving less than 20 meters I stalled upon trying to accelerate and get into 2nd gear. As I was attempting to start driving from the first gear, a bus came behind me. I drove very slightly forward and stalled again. The bus braked once again and started beeping, I felt like shit and very sorry for possibly causing trouble as the bus driver most likely had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I drove once again, the bus turned into a bus stop, I stalled once again, a car was behind me, I put out a hand to indicate I was sorry. The driver passed me and looked at me weirdly, rightfully so, and the bus driver drove out of the bus stop while looking at me angrily and probably cursing me out. I once again put out my hand to say sorry. My legs started shaking violently and I was trying to grasp what was wrong, I couldn’t get it. There was beeping inside the car as well, it was telling me I was doing something wrong, I still couldn’t understand. After another 20 meters, another car passed me as I stalled once again. I was now indicating with hazard lights.
After something like 100 meters I got out of the main town road and got into a residential street, stalled (duh) and finally got into the parking space by the family member’s apartment. As I was finishing my parking I finally understood what the problem was… the handbrake was on. I felt so dumb and devastated, I wanted to cry. After my realization I couldn’t leave without driving with the handbrake OFF, so I drove a lap further from the residential street without stalling and successfully came back to the parking space, parked and left to go home. As I was going home I immediately searched on the internet if I had caused any serious damage to the car, generally, there shouldn’t be anything serious at all as I drove a very short distance at low speed. Once I reached my home, I had a breakdown and got comforted by mom (I am 19…).
Just now I had a conversation with the family member, whose car I drove. I explained what happened, they think it should be okay but will check and inform me if anything is wrong (I am absolutely okay with compensating for anything necessary). I forgot about the use of the handbrake as the automatic car I drive doesn’t use it and it is always off. I hope this will be a learning moment for the future and I won’t forget to turn off the handbrake when I need to drive a manual.
Let this be a learning curve for me and other new drivers. Hopefully, you won’t have to fuck-up this bad.
TL;DR: TIFU by driving a family member’s manual car with the handbrake on in our town after getting it from the repair shop and severely stalling throughout the ~500-700 meter distance only to realize the problem upon parking.,