You all seem to focus on this question, rather than the positive!

But we understand.

How do i fail my Driving Test?

Ultimately, if you are prepared, including reading up a bit on ” how to pass your Driving Test“, you should be OK!

However, lets go into detail on how this all works.

Here is a top ten list of failure reasons compiled 18/19 by the DVSA, the people that conduct the driving test:

• Junctions (observation)
• Move off (control)
• Control (steering)
• Response to signals (road markings)
• Reverse park (control
• Junctions (turning right)
• Mirrors – (change direction)
• Move off (safely)
• Response to signals (traffic lights)
• Positioning (normal driving)

So, above we have the list of “bad stuff”,  where you are most likely to get it wrong, according to DVSA

Driving Test faults- how they effect the Result

In relation to the list above, there 3 types of faults you can make:

• a driving fault – this is not potentially dangerous, but is a departure from good driving

• a serious fault – potentially dangerous error

• a dangerous fault – this involves actual danger to the public, you, property or the examiner.

We will clarify some of misunderstandings on ” faults”, for you now.

You have probably been told that, you’ll pass your driving test if you make:

• no more than 15 minor faults (driver faults)

• no serious or dangerous faults (majors’)

However, it’s not as clear cut as it seems.

Serious or dangerous faults first, make one of these and it’s an instant fail.

There is another way to instantly fail a driving test though, that we will tell you about.

” ETA”, examiner took action, verbal or physical. If the examiner uses the dual controls for example, that’s physical intervention and a fail. The physical action need not be as serious as using the dual controls.

Imagine your test is on a rainy day. We all know that the car windows tend to steam up, making in difficult to see out. Windows steaming up can reach a point where is dangerous.

If this happened on your test, you let it get to the point of danger and the examiner has to tell you to put the demist on, or does it him or herself, that’s ETA.

How many driver faults or “minors” can i make?

You may have been told or read, make 15 or less and you are home free?

Well, its a case here of ” when is a minor a major”!

So, on your driving test, if you had 15 driver faults, evenly spread, you could pass.

However, it rarely works out that way in reality.

As an example, missed mirror checks, before a direction change, no other road user involved.

This is a minor fault.

Imagine you a mirror check on your test, no problem. You miss a second, then a third. There comes a point, where the examiner escalates this minor fault to a serious fault, resulting in failure. The view that they take is that this was not just an aberration, but a systemic issue with your driving and therefore-unsafe.

The point at which a minor, becomes a major is a judgement call for the examiner. They are more likely to escalate earlier on faults which are safety related, such as failing to check the right blind spot before moving off.

You now have your top 10 list ” how do i fail my driving test”, which is where you are most likely to go wrong-so don’t!

Train hard on these area’s with your driving instructor and good luck!