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Unfair driving test fail?

OP

you know what emma, just move on and forget it. if you keep thinking about past tests, it will be in your head when it comes to the next one. wipe the slate clean and stay calm, imagining its ur instructor next to you on the test and you'll pass it with flying colours. after reading this, you clearly sound like a fantastic driver and you were just unlucky to be faced with something you have not practised and not experienced with. best of luck with your next test and let me know how it goes x

Ah thank you so much! Yeah I will try to do that, and ill let you know how it goes :smile:

x

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Reply 21

emmatays

OP

7

Original post by Good bloke

The examiner may well not have known about the ambulance behind. The driver looked in the mirror but the examiner may not have, especially as he was distracted by the police car situation. If the manoeuvre to leave room for the ambulance involved any movement forward at all towards or onto the roundabout it is likely to have caused alarm to the driver of the car on the roundabout, just as it did to the examiner. His actions seem reasonable to me, though it is unfortunate to have such an occurrence on a test.

Yeah that is true, I guess it was just an unfortunate situation. Thank you for your reply!

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Reply 22

DMburu

I know how you feel, just had my test today and this guy failed me for the most stupidest reason!

We were on a residential road and I saw an oncoming car. I stopped as there was space on both sides to allow this guy to move into one of the spaces and he seemed pre-occupied with something and just literally stopped right in front of me. Not knowing what to do, I just moved into the space on my left and this guy just went around me. Managed to get back to the test centre to find out I failed cause of that! I'm more angry than upset as my examiner didn't even seem bothered..he just stank of cigarettes and had his head in his hand for the most part. Most people say examiners aren't looking to fail you, but some most certainly are.

How did you manage with your re-test?

Reply 23

Fjarskafinn

14

Original post by DMburu

Most people say examiners aren't looking to fail you, but some most certainly are.

No, they're not. And if you think they are, then appeal.

Reply 24

emmatays

OP

7

Original post by DMburu

I know how you feel, just had my test today and this guy failed me for the most stupidest reason!

We were on a residential road and I saw an oncoming car. I stopped as there was space on both sides to allow this guy to move into one of the spaces and he seemed pre-occupied with something and just literally stopped right in front of me. Not knowing what to do, I just moved into the space on my left and this guy just went around me. Managed to get back to the test centre to find out I failed cause of that! I'm more angry than upset as my examiner didn't even seem bothered..he just stank of cigarettes and had his head in his hand for the most part. Most people say examiners aren't looking to fail you, but some most certainly are.

How did you manage with your re-test?

I finally passed third time with 3 minors :smile:

keep going you'll do it!

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Reply 25

tashapeak

10

Original post by emmatays

I finally passed third time with 3 minors :smile:

keep going you'll do it!

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Well done!

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Reply 26

Medicinehopeful.

I don't think examiners are out there to fail you. I passed first time with 15 minors and my examiner seemed pretty p***ed off and told me to take more lessons. If he wanted to fail me I'm sure he could have just added another minor on top for a stupid reason.

Reply 27

silverbolt

19

Original post by emmatays

Hi guys. Basically I had my second driving test today and failed. I only got three minors but...

I got one major which is debatable. I was turning right at a roundabout and I was at the front of the queue. To my left in the left hand lane was a police car with its sirens on, so I witnessed all of the cars in the left hand lane move over for the police car. The next thing I know I am looking in my mirror and there are cars beeping me. I am unsure why they are beeping me so I ignore it. Then I see an ambulance trying to weave its way through the middle and my lane and I am blocking its way, so I spin my wheel to the right to let it through. My car literally moves a millimeter forward to the right but enough to let him through. Anyway before I know it the examiner is shouting 'STOP!' as he thinks I'm moving off even though there is a van going round the roundabout! I said to him 'No I wasn't going to go, I was moving out of the way for the ambulance!' and he said 'I wasn't to know that, but I have to fail you as I had to intervene'. I am gutted

I asked him if I had failed when we was driving back and he said yes, and he also said we will go straight back to the test centre as he could see how upset I was. I genuinely think he felt bad because he said to me 'You was driving excellently before and I am sorry'. My instructor was fuming and said to me that I probably would have been failed for NOT moving out of the way as I would have caused the ambulance to slow down :confused:

Any ideas whether I should have moved or stayed? I didn't pull out onto the roundabout or anything by the way, I literally just moved slightly forward but not enough to stop oncoming traffic. Thanks for your replies!

That is why you failed. You were about the move into the path of an oncoming vehicle - or so it reads to me, your at the front of the line at the opening to a roundabout, where else are you going to go but onto the roundabout itself. Yes i know you were making way for an emergency vehicle but if the van had slammed into you, youve then potentially injured three more people (you your instructor and the guy in the van) and delayed the ambulance.

That being said i really get where your coming from, it was very unfortunate but youve passed now so no need to worry, well done

Reply 28

Tuya

4

Apologies if this is a silly question, but surely there is some sort of appeal process if you failed unfairly?
I'm just thinking what would have happened to this examiner if it was some business tycoon or made man in the driving seat...

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Reply 29

Good bloke

19

Original post by Tuya

Apologies if this is a silly question, but surely there is some sort of appeal process if you failed unfairly?
I'm just thinking what would have happened to this examiner if it was some business tycoon or made man in the driving seat...

Posted from the iPad of awesomeness

There is but, without unbiased witnesses, how are you going to prove your case against a trained examiner who is taking contemporaneous notes?

Reply 30

Kim-x

12

Original post by emmatays

Hi guys. Basically I had my second driving test today and failed. I only got three minors but...

I got one major which is debatable. I was turning right at a roundabout and I was at the front of the queue. To my left in the left hand lane was a police car with its sirens on, so I witnessed all of the cars in the left hand lane move over for the police car. The next thing I know I am looking in my mirror and there are cars beeping me. I am unsure why they are beeping me so I ignore it. Then I see an ambulance trying to weave its way through the middle and my lane and I am blocking its way, so I spin my wheel to the right to let it through. My car literally moves a millimeter forward to the right but enough to let him through. Anyway before I know it the examiner is shouting 'STOP!' as he thinks I'm moving off even though there is a van going round the roundabout! I said to him 'No I wasn't going to go, I was moving out of the way for the ambulance!' and he said 'I wasn't to know that, but I have to fail you as I had to intervene'. I am gutted

I asked him if I had failed when we was driving back and he said yes, and he also said we will go straight back to the test centre as he could see how upset I was. I genuinely think he felt bad because he said to me 'You was driving excellently before and I am sorry'. My instructor was fuming and said to me that I probably would have been failed for NOT moving out of the way as I would have caused the ambulance to slow down :confused:

Any ideas whether I should have moved or stayed? I didn't pull out onto the roundabout or anything by the way, I literally just moved slightly forward but not enough to stop oncoming traffic. Thanks for your replies!

Sorry to hear this. Was your instructor in the car during your test? Unfortunately there were many ways the examiner could have decided to fail you in this situation even though from your description, it looks that you were in the right. As your instructor said, you could have been failed for not moving out of the way, or potentially for confusing or holding up other drivers as they started beeping at you. You might also have been failed for apparently not noticing the ambulance if you had stayed. Unfortunately there are a few situations on a driving test that seem to result in a fail whatever you do and this is one of them.

Two pieces of advice:

- On your next test, be sure to explain anything that might be misinterpreted by the examiner. In this situation I would have said to the examiner, "I am just going to move a little to allow the ambulance to pass safely," but don't beat yourself for not having done this on your test as the examiner could just have failed you for the beeping thing as I explained above.

- Look into applying to the DSA for a free retest; I wouldn't try arguing that you have been wrongly failed (although it does seem that way to me) but on the grounds that the examiner has not followed procedure as he told you that you had failed before the end of the test.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see that you have now passed. I am not sure if you would be able to get the first test refunded in cash or not.

Well done :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 31

Advisor

8

Original post by Tuya

I'm just thinking what would have happened to this examiner if it was some business tycoon or made man in the driving seat...

Absolutely nothing different. Candidates are treated all the same whether they're dripping in bling or don't have a penny to their name and stink of piss. It's how they behave on the roads that is marked.

Reply 32

Tuya

4

Original post by Advisor

Absolutely nothing different. Candidates are treated all the same whether they're dripping in bling or don't have a penny to their name and stink of piss. It's how they behave on the roads that is marked.

Yes, if the marker was doing it properly, then prestige should not make a difference.
I'm just pointing out that here, the marker managed to fail someone who gave way to an ambulance without crashing, in what seems like a rather remarkable feat of driving skills (or at least that's what I've been made to believe by OP). So, if I indeed was 'dripping in bling', I wouldn't hesitate to screw over that marker were I in OP's position.

Reply 33

Advisor

8

Original post by Tuya

here, the marker managed to fail someone who gave way to an ambulance without crashing, in what seems like a rather remarkable feat of driving skills (or at least that's what I've been made to believe by OP).

The trouble is, what is usually told by somebody in their inexperienced but biased opinion, and what actually happened are two different things. Some situations can only be analysed in detail with video evidence, or even better, if you were actually there.

Reply 34

Tuya

4

Original post by Advisor

The trouble is, what is usually told by somebody in their inexperienced but biased opinion, and what actually happened are two different things. Some situations can only be analysed in detail with video evidence, or even better, if you were actually there.

Agreed, but that argument defeats the point of this thread, in terms of - 'unfair driving test fail?' And nobody listens to OP because they don't have a video recording if the event. I'm going by the evidence offered to me, and if that very evidence is incorrect, the. You'd be right.

Reply 35

brownmouse

I know how it feels to fail the driving test for an unusual fault. Without being in the car at the time it is impossible to say if the examiner was right or wrong.

During the test it is a good idea to expect something unusual might happen and remind yourself to stay calm in any situation. (Take a nice deep breath) Emergency service vehicles on test is unfortunate for you especially if you have not had to deal with them much during your training.

Good observation front and rear, planning and a timely reaction is key to passing the test.

Reply 36

Quinny86

2

I had my test today and I failed with 6 minors and 1 major and I feel the major was very harsh. I failed because I was going up a narrow street with parked cars on the right, I was driving on the left and a car was coming towards me and we both got passed without stopping and the examiner said I wasn't far enough to the left and I did it on two occasions.

I feel it was very harsh and just feel very gutted as I thought I drove very well

Reply 37

med.bdk

2

Hi
it does matter in the first 5 or 10 minutes the examiners the they know if you pass or no, my case i failed first time the examiner asked to turn right but i was turning left but i have done it in the correct way and i been told if you do things correctly its ok and the second time he asked to take 3 exit at the the roundabout but i took the second but again correctly so i know he wasn't happy, while driving back to the centre at the traffic light was green but unfortunately a lady crossing the road while green light so i decided to stop for her coz she didn't want to stop so i had one serious for that, and in total i had one serious and 4 minor.

Reply 38

cheznal

2

I failed my first driving test. I was driving down a road where there are parked cars on both sides of the street and limited space on the actual road, nearly impossible for two cars to get down at the same time. Whilst driving down the road, a car pulled out of the parked cars on my right, into the middle of the road, forcing me to stop where I was so there was enough space to let him past. I failed because I stopped 'too close to a parked vehicle'.

I honestly had no where else to go, so would've failed either way - if I'd carried on, I'd have been in a head on collision with the car coming towards me, but because I'd stopped and was too close to a parked car, I failed anyway.

I'm pleased to say that I passed my second test with only 4 minors though. Now the tough part is learning to drive. I've already had to take my brother in law out as my 'instructor' so he can teach me how to drive my car (10 years older than the car I learned to drive in) as I was taught to pull away on my clutch, not use my handbrake in traffic and I looked at my dad like he was stupid when he said 'put revs on will stop you from stalling'........erm that means absolutely nothing to me! I was taught to drive my instructors car, not MY car!

Well done on passing your test though OP, it certainly is a relief when you do that x

Reply 39

PMa1

2

i just got failed on friday (my third attempt), for "I saw you see the red car but you did not react to it"

I was so stunned I didnt understand, because I thought I had passed my test. And when I asked her to explain she goes "your instructor will explain it to you" and got out of the car.

It was ridiculous. And then I understood. It was the independant bit of driving and as the roundabout was approaching, I had to take the third exit.
SO I checked interior and right mirror-(i even said check mirror, car far behind, change lanes") , It was safe to do so, hence i switched to the right lane and had accelerated to 38-40, it being a 40 road. So that was my reaction to it. I couldnt even explain myself to her, because she walked out before I could understand what she said.

Also, the car behind me sped up and overtook me on left as we got closer to roundabout and i started slowing down , and when we took the third exit, he wasnt following us there anymore..he must ve taken first or second.

So i am still reeling from what she said as a reason to fail me. Because, nowhere did she have to intervene. and also she if she really thought I was making a dangerous mistake she would ve braked or steered us away , isnt it>?
I am a mum and I have to take my kid to school and he got admission in a school pretty distant from our place. :frown:

and winter is approaching)

My second attempt- again a woman instructor failed me - for yet another ridiculous reason. my driving instructor was behind with us the whole time and he agrees it should ve been minor. I am too exhausted to type it out here...but just goes to show...they just want to make money and I feel in my third attempt..my examiner was completely biased because I am different.

Unfair driving test fail?

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