This article is going to be about driving test results. If you're learning to drive then this article is essential viewing for you, I really mean it. I guarantee that you will get something from this article, because what this article is going to give you details of and there is a lot of information packed in this article, it's going to give you information about the experience I've had of observing a lot of driving tests, and also being there for the de-briefs with the examiner and the pupil. So I'm passing on here really key information to you, this will save you lots of time and lots of money, so read this article.
There's something at the end of this article which uncovers itself only by reading the other stuff so read this article all the way through. Ok, there's some themes, some very common themes that crop up for the reason for test fails. And knowing what those kind of themes are would be really useful to know wouldn't it?
Well here they are. Observations. There's loads of reasons why people fail tests to do with observations. It can be observations, lack of observations at junctions say, not knowing that it's actually safe, it might be not giving yourself the opportunity to work on and adjust to what you have observed. So you are doing the observations, but you're not actually responding or acting on the information that you've got from doing the observations. It might be to do with the timing of observations.
Another theme, is not driving to the conditions. Now this might be driving too pacy, too fast for the conditions, I don't mean in terms of breaking speed limits here, I'm just talking about too fast for the driving conditions. Or it might even be, too slow. It might be to do with the law. Now the law, there can be many things that crop up. Things like, going over the stop line, the solid white line for traffic lights. Going over there on an amber. Or even a red. But even an amber is not good, point of no return. Yellow box junctions you know those yellow box junctions, and when you can enter them, and when you can't?
Driving too fast for whatever the speed limit is. Solid white lines, the solid white lines you have in front of you, stop, and also the solid white lines in the middle of the road, that you are not supposed to cross. You know those silver studs that are on pedestrian crossings? You're not supposed to stop on those are you, remember the theory test?
There's another one. And green filter arrows at traffic lights, they can cause a lot of driving test failures. Another theme is vulnerable road users, by that I mean, your cyclists and your motorcyclists and your scooters, your pedestrians, they could be to do with you are doing a manoeuvre, and you weren't aware that they were around, it could be to do with the fact that they were going to use a zebra crossing as you are approaching it and you didn't respond to them appropriately.
You might even, be slowing down too much for the pedestrian and kind of indirectly inviting them to walk out in front of you. So vulnerable road users is another theme,and manoeuvres as well, good old manoeuvres, they always get in there don't they? Control, control of the car, the accuracy that's required, due regard to other road users, in the process, and done efficiently.
And the last one is nerves. Because a lot of people say you know I failed the test because of, my nerves, my nerves, but actually my experience is that if you dig deeper, very often there's a reason for these things, and their reasons, typical things that crop up are things like, well actually I wasn't too familiar with where I was at that point, I didn't like it and that took me by surprise, and that bit there took me by surprise, I just didn't know about it. Or I've heard a lot of people say, well actually, multi-laned roundabouts, oh dear, no I don't like those, I haven't been on those very much, don't like those at all. You know, and that's what did it for me. Now all these things are to do with training, aren't they? Lack of training, not thorough enough training. On my Intensive Driving Course one of the slogans for it is you drive more, you experience more, you learn more.
And that's a key thing with it. So a lot of stuff gets put under the umbrella of nerves, but actually is it nerves, or is it lack of preparation? Let me give you a quick analogy about nerves. It's something that I've got personal experience of, and that's to do with doing interviews, being on the interview panel. And when you've got somebody who comes to you for a job, they are applying for a job and they are there for the interview, they are going to be nervous.
You wouldn't be human if you weren't nervous at that point. However, if that person is saying the right things, about their experience, and their skills they they've got and how they can develop themselves to do the role that's required and what their attitude to learning is, you know? You're listening, as an interviewer, you're listening to these things, you're ticking boxes, because the person is saying the right things. They are still going to be nervous, but they are giving you content, if you want to put it that way. As opposed to somebody who is sitting there and the occasion has just got the better of them, and yea they're very nervous and they're actually not telling you very much about their experience and their skills you know? And for that moment in time, the occasion has got the better of that person.
And that's why I like that analogy with the driving test because for that moment of time in the driving test which is minutes give or take a couple of minutes, for that moment in time, that is your opportunity to show to the examiner that you are capable of driving independently, safely, with due regard to other road users. You get my meaning with this? So, I just think that you've got to, if you're thinking it's all to do with nerves, oh I failed four times to do with nerves, then think about , the actual training, thoroughness of the training.
Anyway, let's get to the crunch because I've noticed that people who come on to my Intensive Driving Courses, particularly people of years and over, they like to get to the crunch and find out the low down, get the actual low down on these things. Here it is. This is the golden nugget of this article. Have you noticed that all these things that I'm talking about have got very little to do with not being able to drive, you know the practical skills of steering, and changing gear and the clutch, the brakes, people can do that when they are on the driving test. You don't fail the driving test because you can't steer, very very seldom does it ever happen.
I know that's a weird thing... you might think is that really true? It is, believe me. People can drive when they get to the driving test. The difference is, and this is the key thing, is whether you are a thinking driver or not. That's the difference. Because thinking drivers are considering things like forward planning that's required, anticipating hazards, potential hazards, and so therefore they are what we call a proactive driver, as opposed to a reactive driver. A reactive driver is driving with the blinkers on and responding to things as when they crop up.
Whereas a thinking driver is all the time looking forward and considering what they might need to be doing in the not too distant future. And so that's the key thing with this, that is the golden nugget from this article, you need to be a thinking driver.
If you don't agree with that, or if you don't think that I've delivered on my guarantee that you are going to get something out of this, then go back, listen to the stuff before that I've gone about, those themes, see where you fit in those themes.