THERE was a real buzz in the air when 17-year-old Emma Marker from Tavistock passed her driving test with flying colours on Friday.

A bee had flown in the examination car and was in danger of causing so much distraction that the test had to be terminated before the end — but Emma's driving skills were so proficient that she had already passed anyway!

David Hayes, of Jenny Hayes Driving School, said it was quite 'bizarre': 'She not only passed with a clean sheet, but had to walk back to the driving test centre.

'It was right at the end of the test — you can imagine the scenario — normally if you walk back it usually means something dreadful has happened, you've either crashed the car or you are so awful the examiner won't go any further!

'It's very rare to pass with a clean sheet. We have had zeros before, but I've never heard of anything like this.'

Emma, a beauty therapy student at Saltash College, said her driving test in Launceston could not have gone better, even though she was 'really nervous' beforehand.

The well prepared student had been having lessons twice a week since March.

'I was a bit worried about my manoeuvres and driving on the duel carriageway because the traffic is moving faster and you have to think quickly.

'But it was not very busy for a Friday in August and the weather was dry, so that helped.

'I was driving along and this bee came in the window. It was quite close to the windscreen and the test examiner told me to turn off into an estate where he terminated the test.

'I was a bit scared for a minute because you don't normally stop unless you have done something really wrong, but then he told me I had passed.'

As it turned out the examiner was not too keen on bees: 'He said he did not like bees but I was not freaked out by it. It was quite distracting though when I was trying to concentrate on my driving.'

Emma said she found the circumstances of her driving test 'quite amusing' but the biggest feeling was one of relief that she had passed.

Emma's driving instructor Robin Sullivan said that in his ten years' experience as an instructor, she was the only client who had passed with zero faults.