Now most of you will not want to read the first part of this page, but it is the reality of what a driving test is about.
You've spent hours and hours on lessons and practice and probably spent a lot of money, to get you to this day and you now think you're a good driver.
That is possibly somewhat correct.
But what it probably means is that you can confidently propel a car in a straight line, turn around corners, park a car, and use the vast majority of the cars controls safely.
What it really doesn't make you is a "good driver" and I know that might sound harsh, but the reality of it is that it takes years and years of experience driving to a high standard to make a "good driver"
The UK DVSA Driving test has one purpose and one purpose only, and that is for someone to asses that you are at a standard to continue learning to become a good driver on your own.
The UK Driving test is the LOWEST acceptable standard of driving to permit you to obtain a full UK driving licence.
To get to become a "good driver" you'll need to continue to work on every aspect of driving to the standard your instructor and the DVSA have assessed you on, and keep building those skills, keeping up to date with any changes in the law, and not doing anything that would cause you to inconvenience or cause danger to another road user. If in 40+ years time you can still say, "I've never had a crash, Never got points on my licence, and have continued to drive the the high standard my instructor taught me to drive to. Then possibly you have become a good driver.
Everyone would love to pass their driving test on the very first attempt, but statistically only 48% pass on the first attempt 52% fail.
This does not mean that you should give up, it just means that during that 40 minutes of being assessed, the examiner at that snap shot in time did not feel that you were at the standard to warrant having a full driving licence based on what they have just seen.
It may have been just one tiny wobble that you had, that caused a lack of concentration and a poor decision made, or it may have been that actually there were lots of faults and maybe you had booked your driving test a little too soon and you need to fine tune certain parts of your driving techniques to get them to a better standard.
Whatever the result, it literally was a snapshot in time of just 40 minutes.
I like to advise my students that every minute of your driving test is assessed as a year of your life, so 40 minutes is the equivalent of 40 years.
Lets just say for arguments sake, during that 40 minutes you had 8 occasions where you were pulled in at the side of the road and then asked to drive on.
Out of those 8 occasions you only checked your blind spots on 4 occasions. That would mean you were lacking safety for 50% of the time.
Now in 40 minutes, no consequences arose from those missed checks. However, now multiply those missed checks over a 40 year period!!!
If you were missing 50% in 40 minutes, that would be the equivalent on missing them for 20 years!
It's is highly likely that by not checking your blind spots for 20 years out of 40, at some stage you are going to be the cause of an accident.
So don't take the fail that you've just been given as an insult, take it as a helpful guide from the examiner that they are trying to ensure you remain safe for the next 40 years.
Take away the crucial information that the examiner has given you and work with it. Make yourself a better safer driver. Don't look at is as a fail.
I like to suggest that the word FAIL means FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING.
There are always old folk tales about how the DVSA conduct driving tests.
So many stories such as.
They are only allowed to pass a certain percentage each day.
They never pass pupils on a Friday afternoon.
If you are from outside of your local area you are marked more harshly.
If they don't like the look of you they will take you on a harder route.
These are literally just stories, and probably created by learners who are a little disgruntled that they failed their test.
The DVSA examiners are professionals in their field. On average they are carrying out 7 tests a day 5 days a week.
That's 35 driving tests every week per examiner, and if they worked 52 weeks of the year, that's 1820 per year.
If you do the same thing week in week out, you become VERY GOOD AT IT.
And the DVSA examiners are very good at it.
Learners tend to make common mistakes, hence why a top 10 list is created EVERY YEAR.
And some of these lists hardly ever change. the same items tend to be in the top 10 every year.
So learn what they are, practice those subjects to become excellent at doing them, so that you don't become part of those top 10 results.
In summary.
The Driving test, is for you to show an examiner that you are capable of driving safely for 40 minutes having complete control over your car.
They will assess your capabilities to:-
Meet the minimum eyesight requirement to hold a driving licence.
Move off and stop safely.
Use the Accelerator, Clutch, Gears, Footbrake, Parking Brake and steering correctly.
Ensure you have set the car up to suit you before moving off, Mirrors, seat position, seatbelt etc.
That you can use ancillary items of the vehicle whilst driving and explain your understanding of others ancillary items when stationary.
You can perform an Emergency stop if requested.
Use your mirrors correctly before signalling, changing direction or speed.
Use your signals when necessary, correctly and in a timely manner.
Be capable of arriving at junctions at the correct speed, carrying out effective observations, positioning correctly, without cutting corners, mounting pavements, or crossing centre lines.
Be able to judge and make safe decisions when meeting vehicles, overtaking or crossing the path of other road users.
Show that your position in the road for normal driving and on roundabouts is correct and safe.
Showing that you understand how to deal with Pedestrian crossings, positioning your vehicles for normal stops, awareness and forward planning, having a good clearance on parked vehicles or other obstructions, can keep a safe following distance in moving and stationary traffic and can show a good use of speed.
You must be able to show that you can make progress where necessary and not be unduly hesitant when necessary.
You need to show that you are capable of responding to traffic signs, road markings, traffic lights, traffic controllers and all other road users.
You must also be able to show that you can control a car with complete control and effective observations when carrying out a requested manoeuvre such
forward bay parking, reverse bay parking, parallel parking or pulling up on the right.
As a general statistic,most new drivers will have had an accident of some sort within the first 2 years of gaining a driving licence,
and generally, a vast majority of accidents happen within a mile of the drivers house, usually because of complacency with their local area.
As another statistic, the biggest killer of people aged between 17 and 25 are motoring related!
And a final statistic, 5 people every day die on the UK roads!
So just let all that sink in before you read on.
The day has arrived, you're Nervous, Excited, Stressed, Anxious.
Yep! All the feelings most pupils feel the day their test arrives.
It's natural to feel this way, but don't worry, all these feelings will possibly help you to be more alert for the 40 minutes that lies ahead.
This is what usually happens on the day of your driving test.
Your Instructor / accompanying driver will usually ensure that you arrive about 10 minutes before the test.
Hey! nobody wants to turn up late and have additional stress.
You won't be allowed into the car park until 5 minutes before your test, Also to keep the car park clear for returning students from the test before yours.
This will give them time to get back from their 40 minutes, park up, get their results, allow them to swap seats with their accompanying driver or Instructor and make their way home.
You should then have a less crammed car park for you to park up yourself.
It is advisable to reverse into one of the parking bays so that you are ready to drive straight out at the start of your test.
Your car should be cleaned before your test starts, have adequate fuel for the test, and be fully road legal.
Tax, Valid Insurance that also covers you for test purposes, and a valid MOT certificate.
There are certain restrictions on vehicles that can or cannot be used, this information can be found on the Gov.uk website.
At the time your test should start, an examiner will come out from the test centre and call your name.
They will introduce themselves and ask that the name they have called is the name you would like to be referred to during the test.
They will ask to see your provisional driving licence and possibly your theory test certificate.
They will ask you a couple of questions and will check your licence photograph is a true representation of the person in front of them.
You will be asked to check that the Email address that you supplied when booking the test is the same address that you would like your test results to be sent to.
Once these formalities have been carried out, your actual test begins.
You will be asked to read a number plate at approximately 20 metres away. YOU MUST be able to read this, if you need glasses to do so, that is fine, but you will then need to wear those glasses for the test.
If you cannot read the number plate with or without glasses the test
WILL NOT CONTINUE.
Once this has been done, they may give you a run down of what will happen during the test.
This is roughly what will be said to you.
"The test will last between 38-40 minutes taking in different road and traffic situations, they will want you to follow the road ahead at all times unless instructed differently or unless road signs or markings need you to do something differently.
You will be asked to carry out one reverse manoeuvre and possibly an emergency stop.
There will be an independent drive section where you will need to drive independently following a Sat Nav or follow road signs, this will last for anywhere up to 20 mins of the 38-40 minutes."
You will then be asked if you have any questions regarding what you have been told.
Once this has been done they will ask you to make your way to the car and either, get in and make yourself comfortable but do not start the engine, or you may be asked to make your way to the car and open the bonnet.
Before you leave the test centre you will be asked a "Tell me" question and this may be to do with an item under the bonnet, to do with the tyres, or may be to do with something inside the car.
The examiner will make a visual inspection of the vehicle you are driving, and also take some details of your instructors badge if you are with an instructor.
The visual inspection is to check the condition of the car and tyres and also to ensure that your vehicle is road legal.
Once you are both in the car and seat belts on, you will be asked to start the engine and exit the car park turning left ( and possibly in the future turning right)
Now is the time to
"show them what you know, and the skills you have acquired in your training and practice up to today"
If you have put in the relevant time and gained enough experience,
passing your test "should" be a walk in the park.
Just "do what you do" on an everyday lesson.
Don't do something you've never done before as it is possibly wrong.
Ensure that the drive is comfortable for you and the examiner.
Do not take unnecessary risks.
KEEP IT SAFE!
There are 3 stages of "Fault marking"
Driver Faults
Serious Faults
Dangerous Faults.
A pupil may make up to 15 driver faults and still pass their test
A pupil cannot make any serious or dangerous faults as that would lead to a test fail.
A serious fault is deemed that you have caused another road user to change speed or direction because of something you did.
A dangerous fault would be when an examiner has felt the need to intervene, such as:-
Using the dual controls
Using the steering wheel to avoid a collision
Telling you to STOP because you may have missed something like a car pulling out of a junction or lights changing to red and they deem that you had not seen it happening.
Or telling you to GO, such as waiting to turn right at lights, you have passed the stop line at and are waiting for a gap in traffic to turn or for the filter light to come on. The filter light does not come on and the lights change back to red and the pupil stays where they are.
The examiner will tell the pupil to go so that the junction is clear for traffic coming from their right.
This has led to examiner intervention and therefore a fail.
So, stay calm, keep the drive safe, show what you have been taught, if you make a mistake don't think it's game over just focus on the remaining journey and continue to drive your best right up to the time that your engine is switched off back at the test centre.