The Ultimate &quot;I failed my driving test!&quot; Thread ‎-MK II

Original post by JDutson

At the end the examiner couldn't wait to get out the car, he had marked down steering and indication as minors yet gave no explanation as to why.

Examiners aren't allowed to discuss the test in detail. On a fail, they should briefly explain the reasons for failure (the serious and dangerous faults), but haven't the time to go through every single driver fault as well. Also, they are on a very tight schedule, so always appear to be in a rush to leave, especially after a fail where they will now have lots of writing to do before their next test.

If you really need a lengthy post-mortem after a test, take your instructor along next time. That way, he or she can explain any things that the examiner didn't.

Reply 3122

sr-96

2

Original post by Advisor

Examiners aren't allowed to discuss the test in detail. On a fail, they should briefly explain the reasons for failure (the serious and dangerous faults), but haven't the time to go through every single driver fault as well. Also, they are on a very tight schedule, so always appear to be in a rush to leave, especially after a fail where they will now have lots of writing to do before their next test.

If you really need a lengthy post-mortem after a test, take your instructor along next time. That way, he or she can explain any things that the examiner didn't.

Oh so they don't normally discuss the minor faults?

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Reply 3123

sr-96

2

Original post by JDutson

Honestly, it's no excuse but his manner and attitude was really off putting as soon as I got in the car.

I wish I could take it again but the current waiting time is 8 weeks in Cheltenham!

Im sorry

Try let it not get to you! There are always so many cancellations you could easily find a test within 3 weeks! There is this really good website that finds cancellations for you. It enabled me to book my test the date I wanted it as there was a waiting list at my test centre too!

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Reply 3124

Blabyda

Have my 2nd test tomorrow! I'm a lot more confident with my driving now and I did a mock yesterday and got one minor and one serious ( after I went on to a dual carriageway there was a car on the outside lane who was matching my speed, but I should have slowed down and let him pass. it was a very long mock so I didn't pick this serious up until after an hour of driving, and even then my instructor said it wasn't worrying) but the fact that today I have came down with a horrible cold and feel awful. I just hope it won't effect my concentration

Reply 3125

I failed my driving test today. I personally believe I was wronged but instead of ranting I'd appreciate other people's feedback on their analysis of the scenarios I was in.

I got an accumulation of 4 minors for failed mirror checks during change of speed (speeding down/stopping). Two of these 4 times called for urgent breaks which did not give me time to check my rear view mirror. The first time was approaching a set of traffic lights. I was about a yard or two maximum away from the white line at the traffic lights when it turned amber. There were pedestrians waiting at the lights and I was told by my instructor to always stop on amber if there are pedestrians there. As I was so close to the white line, I had to break pretty instantly to stop before the white line. This did not give me time to check my rear view mirror before breaking. The second time was when a child ran out across the road in front of my car. I had to do an involuntary emergency break, again not giving me time to check my rear view mirror. In my mind, these 2 scenarios should not have counted towards my minors. Hence 4 - 2 = 2. 2 < 3 therefore I should not have failed my test. Am I right or am I wrong and unlucky? Appreciate feedback, thanks.

Reply 3126

Juno

20

Original post by Altobi

I failed my driving test today. I personally believe I was wronged but instead of ranting I'd appreciate other people's feedback on their analysis of the scenarios I was in.

I got an accumulation of 4 minors for failed mirror checks during change of speed (speeding down/stopping). Two of these 4 times called for urgent breaks which did not give me time to check my rear view mirror. The first time was approaching a set of traffic lights. I was about a yard or two maximum away from the white line at the traffic lights when it turned amber. There were pedestrians waiting at the lights and I was told by my instructor to always stop on amber if there are pedestrians there. As I was so close to the white line, I had to break pretty instantly to stop before the white line. This did not give me time to check my rear view mirror before breaking. The second time was when a child ran out across the road in front of my car. I had to do an involuntary emergency break, again not giving me time to check my rear view mirror. In my mind, these 2 scenarios should not have counted towards my minors. Hence 4 - 2 = 2. 2 < 3 therefore I should not have failed my test. Am I right or am I wrong and unlucky? Appreciate feedback, thanks.

The second one is debatable - could you have anticipated it so as not to do an emergency stop? But the first is terrible planning and i'm surprised you only got a minor for it.

In fact, it sounds like he was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt in only giving you a minor for the traffic lights. They don't necessitate an emergency stop so you either can't stop correctly, don't kniw how traffic lights work, or were matbe jyst nervous. He's put it down to nerves and only marked a minor. But then you did it AGAIN. You really shouldn't need an emergency stop twice in one test. I've done maybe two in my whole life and you need two in less than an hour. So at that point the instructor has had no choice but to declare that you're not safe to drive on your own yet.

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(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3127

t_fresh101

hie guys, i failed my 1st test back in June, it really haunted me as i failed on a silly thing really, turning right form the left lane on a one way street. Daft i know but to nake matters worse i couldnt get a resit until August. Well ive been reading this forum ever since i failed and ive came back to say ive passed my 2nd test today. Dont be put down by failing first time like it did to me cos it only puts you one step back. Goodluck to all you for the future and thganks for the advice you guys post on here.

Reply 3128

Original post by Juno

The second one is debatable - could you have anticipated it so as not to do an emergency stop? But the first is terrible planning and i'm surprised you only got a minor for it.

In fact, it sounds like he was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt in only giving you a minor for the traffic lights. They don't necessitate an emergency stop so you either can't stop correctly, don't kniw how traffic lights work, or were matbe jyst nervous. He's put it down to nerves and only marked a minor. But then you did it AGAIN. You really shouldn't need an emergency stop twice in one test. I've done maybe two in my whole life and you need two in less than an hour. So at that point the instructor has had no choice but to declare that you're not safe to drive on your own yet.

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Thanks for your reply.

What would be the correct thing to do in the traffic light situation? I just did exactly what my instructor had told me. If there is something else expected of me in a situation like that then I'd like to know incase it happened again next time.

Reply 3129

somethingunique

12

Original post by tinkerbell_xxx

I failed today :'( Don't really understand why I did tbh. The examiner said I was too close to a parked car and gave me a minor for my steering :confused:

I was handling the situation, I was slowing down with my foot on the brake and slowly moving around the car. She put her foot on the brake when mine was already there but said it was my steering that failed me but I was already moving away from it and she didn't touch the the steering wheel. So frustrating! My instructor doesn't even understand :frown:

Your major fault was being too close to parked car??? WTF?

Reply 3130

Blabyda

Just failed my 2nd test and I'm so annoyed with myself I just feel so stupid. I had 3 minors and 1 serious and the examiner said that other than that 1 mistake it was a really good drive. Doesn't help that my family thinks it hilarious because they all passed first time and I've failed twice. I feel like just giving it up, because I go to uni in a month so won't be able to resit until Christmas and I'm so scared i would fail again I can't bring myself to book a new test. Anyone got any tips for getting over multiple failures?

Reply 3131

Original post by Blabyda

Just failed my 2nd test and I'm so annoyed with myself I just feel so stupid. I had 3 minors and 1 serious and the examiner said that other than that 1 mistake it was a really good drive. Doesn't help that my family thinks it hilarious because they all passed first time and I've failed twice. I feel like just giving it up, because I go to uni in a month so won't be able to resit until Christmas and I'm so scared i would fail again I can't bring myself to book a new test. Anyone got any tips for getting over multiple failures?

What were the 3 minors and 1 serious?

Reply 3132

Blabyda

Original post by Altobi

What were the 3 minors and 1 serious?

1 minor for progress and 2 for hesitation; so they aren't really a concern and are probably just from being a bit overly cautious. The serious was when I was on a dual carriageway and there was a cyclist (in a 70 zone strangely enough) and I went to go in to the outside lane and for some reason I hesitated and didn't go, but braked instead. It was a deserved fail because it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do but what's annoying is that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with my driving that I can work on and fix, but I jut have to trust my own judgement more. If I had just followed my instinct I would have pulled out and all would have been fine 😱

Reply 3133

Original post by Blabyda

1 minor for progress and 2 for hesitation; so they aren't really a concern and are probably just from being a bit overly cautious. The serious was when I was on a dual carriageway and there was a cyclist (in a 70 zone strangely enough) and I went to go in to the outside lane and for some reason I hesitated and didn't go, but braked instead. It was a deserved fail because it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do but what's annoying is that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with my driving that I can work on and fix, but I jut have to trust my own judgement more. If I had just followed my instinct I would have pulled out and all would have been fine ��

I too failed just yesterday. I'll give you the same advice that I've given myself. The thing is, everybody knows driving is not hard. It's driving properly, lawfully and in conjunction with the Highway Code that's tricky. You should carry on taking lessons/driving privately in this manner until it becomes second nature to you. That way, come the date of your test, you won't even need to think about driving properly, it will just be the norm to you.

Reply 3134

Original post by sr-96

Oh so they don't normally discuss the minor faults?

Not on a fail, no.

They will give a brief overview of them on a pass, but on a fail, there are far bigger fish to fry. There are rare exceptions, however, where some driver faults show a pattern or have some relevance to the debrief.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3135

Original post by Altobi

I was about a yard or two maximum away from the white line at the traffic lights when it turned amber. There were pedestrians waiting at the lights and I was told by my instructor to always stop on amber if there are pedestrians there.

I just did exactly what my instructor had told me.

This is what happens when instructors teach a "black and white" scenario rather than judgement. There is rarely a fixed procedure to carry out every single time; the circumstances are infinitely variable and require different approaches. If a learner takes his instructor literally every time, it might be the right thing to do one day, and totally wrong or even dangerous on another.

As I was so close to the white line, I had to break pretty instantly to stop before the white line. This did not give me time to check my rear view mirror before breaking.

You should have already known what was in your mirror well before the need to brake, and varied your braking pressure and timing accordingly. Regular mirror updates help you to plan. Combine this with anticipation that the lights may change, then when the worst happens, you can make an informed judgement based on all the circumstances front and rear.

The fault in this instance would not be for "not looking at the mirror" during that split second, but failing to react correctly to the 30 tonne lorry on your back bumper (or whatever) that was following you for the past mile before the lights. In that scenario, the presence of the rear danger would outweigh the risk from the stationary pedestrians while the amber light is "fresh". It would have been wiser to continue on. If the lorry then follows you through on a "stale" amber, then you know you've made the right decision. This whole judgement, taking place over the large distance well before the lights, is what constitutes "effective use of mirrors before changing speed" and is what is assessed on the test. You aren't simply marked down for the split second where you didn't look.

I also suspect (from the rest of your post) that you are prone to overreacting and braking harshly for insignificant hazards that aren't really that big a deal. If I saw a couple of pedestrians standing somewhere near the lights, but weren't even close to stepping out, I wouldn't factor them in much at all. Traffic would have to stop before they could cross the road anyway (would you step out in front of a 30mph car mere yards away from the lights with a lorry close behind it?) so I really feel you have overreacted.

The second time was when a child ran out across the road in front of my car. I had to do an involuntary emergency break, again not giving me time to check my rear view mirror.

If the emergency was genuine and completely unpredictable, then the necessity to save the child outweighs the need to react to the rear view mirror. Again, from my experience, candidates who rack up faults for mirror use have usually over-reacted to a hazard in the middle distance that didn't require a total stop, but they anchored up forcing following traffic to screech to a halt. Many over-react to a pedestrian just stepping off the pavement on their right, even though they can continue to drive perfectly safely on the left. Depending on the hazard, perhaps lighter braking, or even easing of the power was all that was needed. I'd really have to have been there to comment further.

In my mind, these 2 scenarios should not have counted towards my minors. Hence 4 - 2 = 2. 2 < 3 therefore I should not have failed my test. Am I right or am I wrong and unlucky?

This is a driving test, not a maths test. Forget sums, equations and calculations. You don't know how an examiner assesses or "how many faults you are allowed in a box", so just concentrate on your driving. If the examiner felt uncomfortable with your mirror use and judgement, that's how he arrived at his decision, not some arbitrary numbers.

As for "unlucky", the fact that the light changed at that moment was down to luck. The fact that pedestrians were present at that location was down to luck. Your judgement of (and reaction to) those circumstances were fully within your control and that is what determined the pass or fail that day, not luck.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3136

Juno

20

Original post by Altobi

Thanks for your reply.

What would be the correct thing to do in the traffic light situation? I just did exactly what my instructor had told me. If there is something else expected of me in a situation like that then I'd like to know incase it happened again next time.

You need to be more aware of what's around you, and have more planning and observation skills.

If there is a car behind you, they will not be expecting you to do an emergency stop for a traffic light. That's like going to A+E for a papercut - it's not not what they're meant for. An emergency stop is only for emergencies, and should be a last resort kinda thing if you can't plan another way out of the issue (that's a terrible explanation, but if you have another way of driving safely and legally, you do). So Bob behind isn't expecting it, and you haven't looked to see if he's there. He may be expecting to stop at the traffic light, but by you being there you're making him stop a whole car length shorter than he would have been - and your braking was also a lot harsher. So if he's too close he will hit you - and whilst yes, that's his fault for being too close, you made the situation happen.

If a traffic light is on green, you should already know that the only thing is can do is turn amber and then red. It's not going to do anything else. So if it has been green for a while, you start assessing what is round you and should be aware what is behind you. Then when it starts turning amber, you make a decision. Amber means "stop if it is safe". If Bob is behind you, it might not be safe. The pedestrians are already waiting so you can already see they know how to cross the road. They're not going to run out in front of you just because the green man says so, and there's also a delay between the light turning red (which it isn't yet, it's still amber) and the green man anyway. So if you're that close that you have to do an emergency stop, in the time it takes the light to go from amber to red and the green man to come out you'll be gone, and the pedestrians won't move until you're out of the way.
If you do assess the situation preparing for the light to change and it doesn't, it doesn't matter. You're just now extra aware of what is behind you and can use that in the future.

With the child, it's a similar thing. You should have seen a child playing by the road (and even before that, would have realised it's school holidays so more children will be around) and had the awareness that potentially they might be a hazard. So then you start taking the appropriate action of checking your mirrors and assessing the situation. As Advisor says, you might not have needed to fully stop but could have done something else instead.

Don't just take from this that you missed four mirror checks. That's not what the examiner was trying to say. He's saying that in general, you have a weakness in this area that is bad enough to potentially cause a problem. You need to decide when it's appropriate to check your mirrors, and then use the information you have to decide appropriate action. You don't need to make a blanket rule of "check mirror every 10 seconds" or anything silly like some people do. The highway code just says you need to check "frequently", and that you should check them "in good time before you signal or change direction or speed". That will vary with different situations.

Reply 3137

tinkerbell_xxx

15

Original post by somethingunique

Your major fault was being too close to parked car??? WTF?

Yeah, she marked down my steering as the major :angry:

But I was slowly moving away from the parked car and wasn't about to hit it so I really don't understand! Not one person I've told about this understands how my steering was my major :cry2:

Reply 3138