Top 10 Reasons for Failing the Driving Test
(latest results published on the 19th of April 2021)
The pass rate between April 2019 and March 2020 is 45.9%. To ensure that you are one of those with a positive result, before taking your practical driving test you should make sure you are a safe driver and fully prepared to pass your test. Follow the advice of your driving instructor who’s a professional and knows what’s expected and needed to pass.
How to Know You’re Test Ready – Ask Yourself These Questions
- Have I covered all topics in the learn to drive syllabus?
- Can I perform all of the driving skills, without help from my driving instructor?
- Can drive for 45-minutes without making a serious or dangerous driving fault?
- Can I make driving decisions, without having to ask another person?
- Do I feel confident that I am ready to drive on my own?
Your Test is Soon! What Can you Do To Be Better Prepared?
- Pass at least one mock test
- Get to know the area you’ll be taking your test
- Think about time of day and day of week (bin day / school / factories lunch break etc)
- Read Driving the Essential Skills
- Go through Online Driving Lessons to remind yourself of all the correct and safe driving procedures
- Practice all manoeuvres and feel confident to make corrections. Go through Online Manoeuvres Lessons
- Tell yourself you’re going to pass because If you think you can…you probably will!
- Don’t tell other people the date – don’t put yourself under pressure
- Have EXTRA lessons and extra driving practice in the weeks leading up to the test
- Practice commentary driving, saying out loud what you can see as you’re driving along. This will help you to notice more and approach hazards safer. (This can be done as a driver, pedestrian, passenger)
Reason No. 1 for Failing
Not making effective observations at junctions
What This Means
Not looking around enough at a junction or roundabout
Not looking in the correct places before making decisions to emerge
What You Need To Do
Check the correct mirrors
Indicate in good time
Get into the correct position
Make sure you’re driving at the appropriate speed
Look in all the appropriate places before you decide when it’s safe to go
NOTES
Think about where you would look if you had to walk across the road with a small child
Think about what you can’t see
Think about what is blocking your vision – the windscreen pillar, things hanging in your car, parked cars, hedges, buildings, the shape of the road
All of these things will affect how well you can see
Use clutch control to edge out and don’t make your decision until you have the full picture
Reason No. 2 for Failing
Not using mirrors correctly when changing direction
What This Means
Not checking mirrors at all before driving into a new road or changing lanes
Not checking your mirrors correctly before driving into a new road or changing lanes
What You Need To Do
Mirrors should be checked in pairs well before you change position, speed or direction.
NOTES
If you are going to move your car over to the right, you need to check your middle and right door mirrors
If you are going to move your car over to the left, you need to check your middle and left the door mirrors
Mirrors should be checked in good time so that you can make good decisions based on what you can see
Reason No. 3 for Failing
Not having proper control of steering
What This Means
Not steering enough when going around a bend and hitting the curb
Steering too late which causes you to swan-neck into a new road
Driving past parked vehicles too closely
What You Need To Do
You must be able to stay the car as smoothly as possible
You must not get too close to vehicles and follow a good path as you drive into new roads
Reason No. 4 for Failing
Incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions
What This Means
Positioning your car too far to the left while you’re waiting to turn right
Using the left-hand lane to turn right at a roundabout
What You Need To Do
Position your car to the right of your lane when waiting to turn right
Position in the correct lane to turn right at roundabouts
NOTES
Follow the M S M routine to turn right:
- Check your interior mirror and right door mirror
- Signal in good time, to allow other road users time to respond
- Position your car correctly
Reason No. 5 for Failing
Not moving off safely
What This Means
Not checking properly that it’s safe to move away from the side of the road
Checking that it’s safe to move away but making the wrong decision
Moving away after an emergency stop without making the proper checks
What You Need To Do
Check your mirrors, ahead and your right blind spot before moving away
Make a safe decision about when to move away
Check your mirrors, ahead and both blind spots before moving away after performing an emergency stop
Reason No. 6 for Failing
Not responding appropriately to traffic lights
What This Means
Going through a red traffic light
Not proceeding when traffic lights are on green and it’s safe to go
Going when a green light is showing but the junction is not clear (this means you’re blocking the junction when the lights do change)
Stopping in the advance box for cyclists
What You Need To Do
You must respond correctly at traffic lights
Go on a green light if the road is clear
Stop on a red or amber light
Do not stop in the advance box for cyclists unless unavoidable
NOTES
As you approach traffic lights, check your mirrors so you know what’s behind you and how close it is
Ease off the gas and expect to have to stop
When the lights change to green, only go if your junction ahead is clear. If it is not clear you need to continue to wait behind the line
Reason No. 7 for Failing
Poor positioning on the road during normal driving
What This Means
Driving too close to the left or too close to the right in normal driving
Staying in the right-hand lane on a dual carriageway
Not staying in lane when driving around a roundabout
What You Need To Do
Position in the centre of your lane or one metre from the kerb in normal driving
Move back to the left-hand lane after overtaking on a dual carriageway
Stay in your lane on a roundabout.
NOTES
Cutting across lanes on a roundabout is known as ‘straightlining’. This is dangerous, causes problems for road users, and can result in a collision.
Reason No. 8 for Failing
Not responding correctly to traffic signs
What This Means
Ignoring stop signs or no entry signs
Driving in bus lanes
Driving in the wrong lane at roundabouts
Not sticking to speed limits
Keeping to the wrong side of a sign that says keep left
What You Need To Do
Understand and react to all traffic signs
Only drive in bus lanes when permitted
Choose the correct lane at roundabouts
Not break the speed limit
NOTES
Look out for signs and road markings as you drive along
Ease off the gas to reduce speed and give yourself time to read and react appropriately to road signs
Reason No. 9 for Failing
Not having control of the car when moving off
What This Means
Repeatedly stalling when you try to move away
Trying to move away when your car is not in gear
Trying to move away on a hill and rolling back
What You Need To Do
Be able to control your car well when you are moving away on a flat surface, downhill surface or uphill surface.
Be able to control your car well when you’re moving away from behind a parked vehicle or
Be able to control your car well when driving out of a junction
Reason No.10 for Failing
Not keeping control of the car during reverse parking
What This Means
Not controlling the car well when you are manoeuvring
Not positioning your car correctly
Having too many attempts to finish the manoeuvre
The wheels of the car touching the kerb or mounting the pavement
What You Need To Do
Control your car well using good clutch control skills to move very slowly
Finish the manoeuvre without too many corrections
Finish the manoeuvre accurately
NOTES
Before reversing, check all mirrors and blind spots
Before steering, check your blindspot
React correctly to other road users
There are 100’s of reasons that people fail their driving test, but if you prepare well and listen to the advice of your instructor, you can be one of the smaller percentage of learner drivers that pass their test first time.
Many learner drivers choose to take their test before they’re fully ready and before they have developed their hazard awareness skills. Notice that many of the top ten reasons for failing are due to incorrect decisions, not incorrect control of the vehicle. Knowing and understanding the safe decision to make, where to look and how to position correctly takes time to master.