Hello! I'm Chris. Here are the top 10 reasons for failing a UK driving test.
With information provided by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
At number 10. Not keeping control of the car during reverse parking.
During your driving test, you might get asked to do reverse bay parking
or parallel parking. Common serious faults include bumping up on the kerb.
Or finishing too far from the kerb.
Finishing out of a bay in the car park, not within the lines. Too many attempts to
reposition your parallel parking or bay parking would also be a serious fault.
Number nine. Not having control of the car when moving off. Reasons for failing here include
rolling back towards another road user when doing a hill start or just rolling back too much.
Repeatedly moving off with the parking brake still on.
Too many times trying to move off in the wrong gear.
You can also fail your test for stalling. If you persistently do it
or if you're affecting other road users.
Not responding correctly to traffic signs. Examples of faults here include not noticing
a give-way sign or stop sign and of course not stopping when you should.
Ignoring a no entry sign.
Driving in bus lanes when the sign shows that you're not allowed.
Number seven. Poor positioning on the road during normal driving.
Common faults here include repeatedly driving too close to the kerb
or even hitting it. Repeatedly driving too close to the centre of the road for no reason,
putting yourself and oncoming road users in danger.
Not driving in a bus lane when you're allowed and it's safe and convenient to use it.
Straightening a roundabout when going ahead.
Which means not keeping left on the roundabout unless road markings or signs say otherwise.
If you don't keep in the correct position on a roundabout then you
might get in the way of other road users who are next to you.
Number six. Not responding appropriately to traffic lights.
Examples of faults here are not stopping at an amber traffic light when it was safe to do so.
Always be ready for this, especially if the traffic light has been green for a while.
Not going when it's green or there's a green filter arrow on,
it's safe to go but you haven't moved when you should have.
Always keep alert, even when you're waiting at traffic lights.
It's very easy to lose concentration and zone out when you're waiting, but keep focused.
Stopping after the first white line in the area for cyclists.
Number five. Not moving off safely. Repeatedly not checking the mirrors and not properly
checking the blind spot before moving off are common reasons for getting faults here.
Not reacting correctly to what is in the mirrors and blind spot
will result in a driving test fail. If you move off and cause someone else to slow down
stop or swerve then there's a good chance that you'll fail your driving test.
Don't forget to look ahead before moving off too. Maybe a pedestrian is crossing
in front of you or there's oncoming traffic coming over your side of the road and it will be safer to
wait but make sure you check all around again, including the blind spot before moving off.
Always keep up to date with what's around you. Other examples of faults which could start off
being a driving fault or a minor as they're commonly called or more serious, include...
not signalling when moving off when necessary or not cancelling it after you've moved off.
You would get a serious fault for not observing all around after doing an emergency stop
including the blind spot on the left, all the mirrors and the blind spot on the right.
Number four. Incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions.
It's really important to get in a correct position when turning right.
Position just left of the centre line and if the road's wide enough, this will help others
get past you. But don't move too far to the right or you'll get in the way of oncoming.
Use any space that's for you, again to help others get past.
Line up properly and don't stop too early. If you stop too early then other road users might think
you're letting them out and then there's going to be possible confusion who's going to go next
which could be dangerous. This also applies when you're turning right at traffic lights.
To help you learn about a particular subject such as how to bay park, we've created a
free online course which will hopefully save you time and money on your driving lessons.
It includes how to tackle roundabouts, all the driving test manoeuvres and the 'show me,
tell me' questions. It's completely free. We don't want your credit card details and
you don't even need to register. There's a link in the description. Anyway let's get back to it
Number three. Not having proper control of the steering.
Here are some examples of faults in this category. Repeatedly not steering smoothly. Hitting the kerb
with any wheel when you turn into or out of a road. Swinging out too wide when turning.
Swinging out after emerging right.
And driving with no hands on the steering wheel. Of course the examiner will be expecting you to
be in control of the car at all times and steering plays a big part in this.
For safety, keep both hands on the steering wheel unless using a control.
Number two. Not using mirrors correctly when changing direction. It's important to know
what's around you. Anytime you change direction or turn, make sure it's safe first by checking your
mirrors. If you're going to turn to the right, check the interior mirror, then right mirror.
Turning left, check the interior mirror, then the left mirror.
Check the mirrors towards where you're going to turn.
On your driving test you might start off getting driving faults for not checking mirrors.
But if you keep forgetting to check the mirrors or you turn and affect another road user who's close
to you then you will fail your driving test. And at number one, the most common reason for
failing a UK driving test is... well you might think it's a complex manoeuvre but we've already
had reverse parking at number 10. It's actually not making effective observations at junctions.
Just not looking properly. It's also one of the biggest causes of accidents too.
Examples of faults here include not looking left when you're emerging left out of a minor road.
Make sure that you not only look to the right but also
look left for any pedestrians, parked vehicles or other possible hazards.
Not recognizing that you have to give way and observe too late once you've already emerged out
or not observing at all.
I guess it really goes without saying but just make sure you observe properly
and especially look out for cyclists and motorcyclists who are harder to see.
And that was the top 10 reasons for failing the driving test in Great Britain.
Thanks a lot for watching. I really hope it helps.
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Good luck if you have a driving test coming up soon. Keep safe on the road and bye for now!