Failing a driving test is not a fun experience. We have listed the top 5 reasons for people failing their driving tests in the UK in the hope that it will help you or someone that you know. So without further ado, here they are:

Observations at junctions
Use of mirrors
Moving away
Use of signals
Manoeuvres

Observations at junctionsThis can come in many forms. Usually a learner will come out of the junction when they should have waited. Misjudging the distance of an oncoming vehicle that has priority or not seeing at all is common.Here are some tips for avoiding making these types of faults:

Don’t rush to come out of a junction
If your view is obstructed, use the peep and creep technique
Use shop windows and other cars to look for reflections
Double check before committing yourself into the junction
Make sure you understand who has priority, if in doubt take a second to think about it

Use of mirrorsIf you are finding it difficult to deal with the mirrors, the thing to remember is that you will be required to use your mirrors before doing either of the following:

Signalling
Changing direction
Changing speed

That may not sound like a lot of times but when you are driving, you will be doing the above quite a lot.Here are some tips on dealing with mirrors:

Don’t change lanes without first checking that there is no one there.
Look out for when lanes are merging together and check for traffic merging with your lane
If you need to brake sharply, check centre mirror first ( Unless you are doing emergency stop )
When signalling just remember this routine – MIRROR MIRROR SIGNAL

Moving AwayWhen moving away, you will be marked on whether you move away:

Under control
Safely

Most people fail under the safely section. This is due mainly to poor observation before they move off.Some tips for moving away safely:

Make sure you check all your blind spots
If you are moving out to the right then the right blind should be the last place you check before moving off
Don’t leave too much time before checking the blind spot and moving off
If time has passed since you checked your blind spot, check it again before moving off
Don’t move off as you are checking, make sure it is clear before you move off

Use of signalsWhen it comes to use of signals, you will be forgiven for thinking that the only way to get this wrong is by not signalling. On the test, you will be assessed on whether you used the signals:

Correctly
Timely
Necessarily

If we look at correctly, there are a few ways you can get faults on this. A typical way will be at roundabouts, particularly the bigger ones where someone might not signal to come off a roundabout or fail to signal right when they are going to the right 3rd exit.Timely is basically to do with the timing of your signal. Signalling too early can confuse other road users, likewise so can signalling too late.Sometimes people signal unnecessarily. An example would be signalling to go round a bus and people thinking you are turning right.The main thing to ask yourself before you signal is: What is this signal telling other drivers? If you can put yourself in their shoes it might help you to decide what sort of signal to use.ManoeuvresThere are four manoeuvres the examiner can choose from. During the test you will be asked to complete one of them.They are:

Parallel park
Driving forward into a bay and reversing out
Pulling up on the right and reversing
Reverse bay park

We have another article that goes into a bit more detail to explain these manoeuvres. CLICK HEREOn the manoeuvres you will be marked on 2 things:

Control
Observations

If you cannot complete the manoeuvre, you will get a serious fault for control resulting in a test fail. Most of the time you will know that this has happened. The other common cause for failing on manoeuvres is lack of observation.Often a learner will be so focused on getting the manoeuvre right that they forget to look around. Not taking effective observation will cause you a serious fault and a lot of the times the learner will not realise they have made this fault until they are told so by the examiner at the end of the test.Some tips for manoeuvres:

Don’t move the car until you have completed your 6 point check
If there is anybody close to your car, stop, wait for them to go and the check again before carrying on
Don’t look at one mirror for too long
Whilst the car is moving, make sure you keep looking around
You don’t have to complete the manoeuvre in one go, you can stop and look
Don’t rush to complete the manoeuvre
If you need to make a correction, take a second to think about what you are trying to do

As with anything, the more you practice the easier things will get. If you are going for your test soon then we wish you the best of luck.If you have found this useful. Please share it so that others can benefit.For a more in-depth look at what to look out for on your driving test, download this book. It is packed with information and tips and is highly recommended for anyone doing driving lessons or about to take their driving test.

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