Why learner fail their driving test

A driving test is conducted approximately from 30 min to 45 min depending on the circumstances such a route, traffic or incident etc. During the test, a testing officer will be in the car with you directing you where to drive and recording your performance on a score sheet. Your score will be based on your driving performance in a range of situations and your ability to demonstrate low-risk behaviors. You are assessed against five key performance areas: speed management (S); road positioning (P); decision making (D); responding to hazards (H) and vehicle control (C). A driving test is conducted approximately from 30 min to 45 min depending on the circumstances such a route, traffic or incident etc. During the test, a testing officer will be in the car with you directing you where to drive and recording your performance on a score sheet. Your score will be based on your driving performance in a range of situations and your ability to demonstrate low-risk behaviors. You are assessed against five key performance areas: speed management (S); road positioning (P); decision making (D); responding to hazards (H) and vehicle control (C).  The test starts from the Service NSW parking and will finish at the same place. The testing officer will take for a drive to different areas or zones such as quiet streets, medium traffic and heavy traffic areas, so we can say it will be a mix of different traffic conditions.

Photo: sourced from Service NSW:

In every zone, Testing Officer will mark your driving performance in a range of situations and your ability to demonstrate low-risk behaviors. Some driving behavior such as breaking a road rule or following other vehicles too closely is considered to be ‘high risk’. If you behave this way during the test your actions will be recorded as FAIL items and you will not pass, regardless of your score.

So what are the common reason people fail the test?

1. Misunderstanding:

Getting information from friends, families are good but for the driving test it could not be better as they might have a high chance of misunderstanding the information provided by them. Therefore, it is recommended to get a proper driving lesson from the best local driving instructor or school.

2. Lack of practice:

You must have heard about “Practice make you perfect”, I would say “Good Practice Make You perfect”, Make sure you do good practice for your driving test, practice in test route, get your mock test done a few days before with your best local driving instructor and listen to their advice if there is any problem or weakness in your driving, fix immediately.

3. No having good rest:

The lifestyle here is very busy, I understand but if you are going for a driving test tomorrow, have a good rest, don’t drink, go to bed early, and plan for your driving test day before. If you didn’t have enough sleep and you are tired on test day, you may not perform well and also learner sometimes overthink, do not think to much, stay calm, focus on driving, listen to the instruction, drive 5 to 10km below the speed limit.

A proper driving lesson with the best driving instructor from a local driving school will give a student more competence and confidence in what he/she is doing.  Practicing the correct techniques and maneuvers will help to pass the driving test.

However, there are some common reasons people fail the driving test.

1. DISOBEYING TRAFFIC SIGNS, SIGNALS OR ROAD MARKINGS

Be sure you have a thorough understanding of the meaning of regulatory signs, traffic signals and road markings. They tell you what road rules apply in any specific situation. Examples of this fail item include:

• Not stopping at a red traffic light. This means that all of your vehicle must be behind the stop line.
• Not stopping at a yellow traffic light when it is safe to do so. You must stop at a yellow light unless sudden braking might cause a crash.
• Not stopping correctly at a stop line. Your final stopped position must be within one metre of the stop line and with no part of your car over the line.
• Crossing a continuous centre line, lane line or edge line unnecessarily.
• Disobeying lane markings (transit lane, turn arrows etc).
• Not obeying regulatory signs such as One Way, No Entry, No U-Turn, Keep Clear and Keep Left.

2. FAILING TO GIVE WAY WHEN NECESSARY

Examples of this fail item include:

• Not giving way to any vehicle that has priority over you at an intersection.
• Not giving way to pedestrians at marked crossings and intersections.
• Not giving way if required when entering a traffic stream, merging or lane changing.

3. COLLIDING WITH A VEHICLE, PEDESTRIAN OR OBJECT

This includes mounting or straddling (one wheel either side of) a traffic dome and mounting the kerb or roundabout. You will not fail if you touch the kerb face with your wheels.

4. PERFORMING AN ILLEGAL ACT OR MANOEUVRE

An illegal act or manoeuvre is anything contrary to the Road Rules where a regulatory traffic sign, signal or road marking is not present.

Examples of this fail item include:

• Unnecessarily driving on the wrong side of the road on unmarked roads.
• Turning from the incorrect position. For example, starting a left turn from the right lane, or
• When turning left or right in an arrowed lane, you do not exit to a permissible lane.
• Stopping on a pedestrian crossing or stop line when giving way to pedestrians.
• Not driving in the left lane when required to do so.
• Making an unlawful U-Turn.
• Not using the correct lane to turn at a roundabout.
• Overtaking or passing a stationary vehicle at a pedestrian crossing.
• Entering a level crossing when unsafe to do so.
• Not wearing a seatbelt.
• Answering or using a mobile phone.

5. EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT

• The speed limit is the maximum allowable speed for that section of road under normal conditions. Exceeding the speed limit is dangerous and illegal. You will fail if you exceed the speed limit at any time including:
• The 40 kilometre per hour limit at school zones during the hours of operation.
• The 40 kilometre per hour limit when passing a bus with flashing lights.
• The learner driver speed limit.
• Speed limits at road works.

6. ACTION REQUIRING TESTING OFFICER INTERVENTION

At this stage of your driving experience you should be able to drive without any help. If the testing officer has to give you verbal or physical assistance, including using the dual controls in an instructor’s vehicle, you will fail.

7. CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION This fail item covers any unsafe act or behaviour that puts you or others at risk, such as overtaking in an unsafe manner, or giving way unnecessarily.
8. FAILING TO MAINTAIN PROPER CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE

This fail item applies to anything that could, or does, result in you losing control of the vehicle such as:

• Allowing the vehicle to roll back more than 500mm when moving off.
• Skidding or spinning the drive wheels.
• Clutch coasting (allowing the vehicle to roll along with your foot on the clutch) or coasting in neutral.
• Not maintaining effective control of the steering wheel.

9. FAILING TO EXERCISE DUE CARE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT

You must be ready at all times to respond to hazards. If a situation occurs requiring your response and you are not prepared, you will fail.

10. FAILING TO GIVE WAY TO AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE

You will fail if you do not move out of the way of an emergency vehicle.

11. DISOBEYING DIRECTIONS FROM A PERSON CONTROLLING TRAFFIC

This item includes failure to obey police, emergency services or armed forces personnel, traffic controllers (eg flag persons at road works) and pilot vehicles etc.

12. FREQUENTLY NOT SIGNALLING INTENTION

You will fail if you repeatedly do not signal when legally required to do so. You must signal:

• To give sufficient warning to other road users of your intentions when turning left or right.
• For at least five seconds before leaving the kerb.
• For at least five seconds before leaving a parking space.
• When changing lanes, diverging or pulling over to the kerb.
• When exiting a roundabout.

13. REFUSING TO ATTEMPT ANY PART OF THE TEST

You are required to complete the whole test to get a pass. You can be failed for refusing to do any part of the test.

14. REPEATED OR DELIBERATE FAILURE TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS

You must follow all reasonable directions given to you by the testing officer during the test.

15. UNREASONABLY OBSTRUCTING OTHER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS

You will fail if you unreasonably obstruct other vehicles or pedestrians during the test. This includes if you:

Enter an intersection without enough space on the other side due to traffic, blocking the intersection as a result.

Drive significantly below the speed limit when prevailing conditions do not require it.

16. RECEIVING EXTERNAL ADVICE OR INSTRUCTION DURING THE TEST

You will fail if you receive any external advice from a third party at any time during the test. This includes the time from when you sign the score sheet, to getting into your vehicle. Final position at a stop line If initially you stop more than one metre from the line you must move up and stop within one metre of the stop line, with no part of the vehicle over the line.

17. NOT PARKING TO THE REQUIRED STANDARD

During the manoeuvres you will fail if:

• The final position of your car is more than one metre from the kerb or obstructing traffic.
• Your wheels are on or over marked parking lines.
• You reverse more than seven metres from the vehicle in front during the reverse park section of the test.

18. FAILING TO MAINTAIN A SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE

You will fail if you follow too closely to the vehicle in front.

19. FREQUENTLY NOT PERFORMING OBSERVATION CHECKS

You will incur this fail item if you repeatedly miss observation checks when required. Specifically this fail item applies to checking your blind spots when you:

• Leave or return to the kerb.
• Merge, diverge or change lanes.
• Are about to reverse, such as in a reverse parallel park and 3 point turn.
• Turn at intersections, leave or join the road.
• Cross lanes within a roundabout on exiting. You must turn your head and check it is safe to proceed when moving off after being stopped at traffic lights and railway level crossings.