Minor bumps and scrapes are expected after passing your driving test but one woman stunned the internet as she drove her new car into a lake just a few weeks after getting her licence.
Despite passing with flying colours - and only one minor - Leia Darnell, 18, has now written off her Volkswagen Polo eight weeks later. She had excitedly purchased the vehicle in January 2022 in preparation for her test but lost control of the vehicle on a bend, plunging it into the water.
Luckily neither she or her boyfriend were harmed as they drove back from a fireworks display in Oxford in dark and rainy conditions. As the car approached a sharp bend, instead of following the road, Leia launched the Polo over the riverbank and to its damp fate.
In the TikTok, which now has over two million views, Leia proudly shows off her pass certificate and bejewelled steering wheel to the camera and says she is "over the moon". The video then cuts to footage of the car submerged in the murky waters, with it's lights still shining.
She then showed the car in daylight, still in the lake, as her boyfriend re-entered the vehicle to fish out personal belongings. The soggy Volkswagen was then dragged out of the water by a crane, which Leia captioned: "Write off".
Cars submerged in water can get hydrolock in engine which means the pistons cannot function properly.
Although making light of the matter, Leia said the incident had been eye opening for her. "I remember us both looking at each other and thinking that was it," Leia said.
"We are both so unbelievably lucky to have come out from the accident as we did. Every other possibility of what could have happened would have resulted in us being dead.
"The experience has really taught me to value everything in life as it has made me realise just how easily you can lose everything. We launched over the river bank, all I remembered seeing at this point was trees in front of us.
"We then landed in water. I was so shocked and scared I didn’t even realise until my boyfriend shouted that the car was in water. The car started rapidly filling up, at this point both our doors weren’t opening.
"Somehow I managed to kick my door open and we escaped as the water was up to our necks, we swam out the car, leaving all personal belongings behind and climbed up the riverbank to get help."
Leia called the police, who confirmed her fears that the situation could have been much worse if the car had been flipped by the current. The teen used the video as a way to get over the traumatic event and help her get back behind the wheel.
The TikTok has since been taken down but the video remains up on Instagram where users have been leaving divided comments on the situation.
One user joked: "Can’t park there mate," while another advised Leia to "just put it in rice" to fix it.
"Looks like an accident that happens in soaps," said one comment and Leia herself compared the events to a "horror film". She said: "It has definitely taught me to be more cautious and to take into consideration the environment and conditions around me.
"I am obviously still in shock and am having flashbacks from the incident as it truly felt like I was stuck inside a horror film!"
Many of the comments were joking about her boyfriend's attire when he entered the lake, one user said: "The boyfriend did NOT turn up in a wet suit and goggles. NOOO." Another joked: "That diamanté steering wheel cover says it all."
For Leia, she hopes sharing her story prevents other drivers from doing something similar. "I wanted to make people realise that just because you’ve passed your driving test well, it doesn’t mean you are an amazing driver," she said.
"You only truly learn to drive once you have passed and are by yourself. Never think it won’t ever be you! I definitely would never have thought my first car would end up written off in a river."
