diff --git a/connection.go b/connection.go
index ef6fc9e4..140adb34 100644
--- a/connection.go
+++ b/connection.go
@@ -86,15 +86,6 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) handleParams() (err error) {
 	return
 }
 
-// markBadConn replaces errBadConnNoWrite with driver.ErrBadConn.
-// This function is used to return driver.ErrBadConn only when safe to retry.
-func (mc *mysqlConn) markBadConn(err error) error {
-	if err == errBadConnNoWrite {
-		return driver.ErrBadConn
-	}
-	return err
-}
-
 func (mc *mysqlConn) Begin() (driver.Tx, error) {
 	return mc.begin(false)
 }
@@ -113,7 +104,7 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) begin(readOnly bool) (driver.Tx, error) {
 	if err == nil {
 		return &mysqlTx{mc}, err
 	}
-	return nil, mc.markBadConn(err)
+	return nil, err
 }
 
 func (mc *mysqlConn) Close() (err error) {
@@ -315,7 +306,7 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) Exec(query string, args []driver.Value) (driver.Result, err
 		copied := mc.result
 		return &copied, err
 	}
-	return nil, mc.markBadConn(err)
+	return nil, err
 }
 
 // Internal function to execute commands
@@ -323,7 +314,7 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) exec(query string) error {
 	handleOk := mc.clearResult()
 	// Send command
 	if err := mc.writeCommandPacketStr(comQuery, query); err != nil {
-		return mc.markBadConn(err)
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Read Result
@@ -371,7 +362,7 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) query(query string, args []driver.Value) (*textRows, error)
 	// Send command
 	err := mc.writeCommandPacketStr(comQuery, query)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, mc.markBadConn(err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	// Read Result
@@ -462,7 +453,7 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) Ping(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 
 	handleOk := mc.clearResult()
 	if err = mc.writeCommandPacket(comPing); err != nil {
-		return mc.markBadConn(err)
+		return err
 	}
 
 	return handleOk.readResultOK()
diff --git a/connection_test.go b/connection_test.go
index 6f8d2a6d..015190b7 100644
--- a/connection_test.go
+++ b/connection_test.go
@@ -157,23 +157,6 @@ func TestCleanCancel(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestPingMarkBadConnection(t *testing.T) {
-	nc := badConnection{err: errors.New("boom")}
-	mc := &mysqlConn{
-		netConn:          nc,
-		buf:              newBuffer(nc),
-		maxAllowedPacket: defaultMaxAllowedPacket,
-		closech:          make(chan struct{}),
-		cfg:              NewConfig(),
-	}
-
-	err := mc.Ping(context.Background())
-
-	if err != driver.ErrBadConn {
-		t.Errorf("expected driver.ErrBadConn, got  %#v", err)
-	}
-}
-
 func TestPingErrInvalidConn(t *testing.T) {
 	nc := badConnection{err: errors.New("failed to write"), n: 10}
 	mc := &mysqlConn{
@@ -187,7 +170,7 @@ func TestPingErrInvalidConn(t *testing.T) {
 	err := mc.Ping(context.Background())
 
 	if err != nc.err {
-		t.Errorf("expected %#v, got  %#v", nc.err, err)
+		t.Errorf("expected %v, got  %#v", nc.err, err)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/errors.go b/errors.go
index 584617b1..dcd38905 100644
--- a/errors.go
+++ b/errors.go
@@ -29,12 +29,6 @@ var (
 	ErrPktSyncMul        = errors.New("commands out of sync. Did you run multiple statements at once?")
 	ErrPktTooLarge       = errors.New("packet for query is too large. Try adjusting the `Config.MaxAllowedPacket`")
 	ErrBusyBuffer        = errors.New("busy buffer")
-
-	// errBadConnNoWrite is used for connection errors where nothing was sent to the database yet.
-	// If this happens first in a function starting a database interaction, it should be replaced by driver.ErrBadConn
-	// to trigger a resend. Use mc.markBadConn(err) to do this.
-	// See https://github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql/pull/302
-	errBadConnNoWrite = errors.New("bad connection")
 )
 
 var defaultLogger = Logger(log.New(os.Stderr, "[mysql] ", log.Ldate|log.Ltime))
diff --git a/packets.go b/packets.go
index eb4e0cef..0dab3837 100644
--- a/packets.go
+++ b/packets.go
@@ -125,17 +125,11 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) writePacket(data []byte) error {
 
 		n, err := mc.netConn.Write(data[:4+size])
 		if err != nil {
+			mc.cleanup()
 			if cerr := mc.canceled.Value(); cerr != nil {
 				return cerr
 			}
-			mc.cleanup()
-			if n == 0 && pktLen == len(data)-4 {
-				// only for the first loop iteration when nothing was written yet
-				mc.log(err)
-				return errBadConnNoWrite
-			} else {
-				return err
-			}
+			return err
 		}
 		if n != 4+size {
 			// io.Writer(b) must return a non-nil error if it cannot write len(b) bytes.
@@ -305,8 +299,8 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) writeHandshakeResponsePacket(authResp []byte, plugin string
 	data, err := mc.buf.takeBuffer(pktLen + 4)
 	if err != nil {
 		// cannot take the buffer. Something must be wrong with the connection
-		mc.log(err)
-		return errBadConnNoWrite
+		mc.cleanup()
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// ClientFlags [32 bit]
@@ -395,8 +389,8 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) writeAuthSwitchPacket(authData []byte) error {
 	data, err := mc.buf.takeBuffer(pktLen)
 	if err != nil {
 		// cannot take the buffer. Something must be wrong with the connection
-		mc.log(err)
-		return errBadConnNoWrite
+		mc.cleanup()
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Add the auth data [EOF]
@@ -415,8 +409,8 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) writeCommandPacket(command byte) error {
 	data, err := mc.buf.takeSmallBuffer(4 + 1)
 	if err != nil {
 		// cannot take the buffer. Something must be wrong with the connection
-		mc.log(err)
-		return errBadConnNoWrite
+		mc.cleanup()
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Add command byte
@@ -434,8 +428,8 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) writeCommandPacketStr(command byte, arg string) error {
 	data, err := mc.buf.takeBuffer(pktLen + 4)
 	if err != nil {
 		// cannot take the buffer. Something must be wrong with the connection
-		mc.log(err)
-		return errBadConnNoWrite
+		mc.cleanup()
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Add command byte
@@ -455,8 +449,8 @@ func (mc *mysqlConn) writeCommandPacketUint32(command byte, arg uint32) error {
 	data, err := mc.buf.takeSmallBuffer(4 + 1 + 4)
 	if err != nil {
 		// cannot take the buffer. Something must be wrong with the connection
-		mc.log(err)
-		return errBadConnNoWrite
+		mc.cleanup()
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// Add command byte
@@ -998,8 +992,8 @@ func (stmt *mysqlStmt) writeExecutePacket(args []driver.Value) error {
 	}
 	if err != nil {
 		// cannot take the buffer. Something must be wrong with the connection
-		mc.log(err)
-		return errBadConnNoWrite
+		mc.cleanup()
+		return err
 	}
 
 	// command [1 byte]
@@ -1197,8 +1191,8 @@ func (stmt *mysqlStmt) writeExecutePacket(args []driver.Value) error {
 		if valuesCap != cap(paramValues) {
 			data = append(data[:pos], paramValues...)
 			if err = mc.buf.store(data); err != nil {
-				mc.log(err)
-				return errBadConnNoWrite
+				mc.cleanup()
+				return err
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/statement.go b/statement.go
index 35b02bbe..321846d5 100644
--- a/statement.go
+++ b/statement.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func (stmt *mysqlStmt) Exec(args []driver.Value) (driver.Result, error) {
 	// Send command
 	err := stmt.writeExecutePacket(args)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, stmt.mc.markBadConn(err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	mc := stmt.mc
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func (stmt *mysqlStmt) query(args []driver.Value) (*binaryRows, error) {
 	// Send command
 	err := stmt.writeExecutePacket(args)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, stmt.mc.markBadConn(err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	mc := stmt.mc