Driving Test tightness

Butters · 27 Jul 2007 at 09:03

SWMBO had her test the other day and failed as the examiner told her to take the 2nd exit on the roundabout and she got in the left hand lane in order to do so.

She had failed to see the road markings and hadnt noticed the arrow in the left lane was for left only and she failed.

I thought it was maybe a tad harsh but I can appreciate why it might be deemed as a fail. She is gutted but in true spirit re-booked her test immediately she got home

Tesla · 27 Jul 2007 at 09:12

I failed my first test for lane discipline.

Every time I have been in the car with my friend (who is a driving instructor) he has performed the round about I failed on as I did that day on my test.

Then, the other day he rang me and said he worked out why I failed (I failed my test almost 3years ago now!). There are VERY feint white lines on the roundabout to divide the lanes. When it's wet they cannot even be seen as they have rubbed off so much.

My brother also had the same examiner and failed his test at the exact same place for the exact same thing. Despite me warning him. This was around 2years after I took mine.

I think the mindset of some examiners is where can I fail this pupil as apposed to how can I pass him/her. I am not sure what frame of mind they are supposed to be in though.

Butters · 27 Jul 2007 at 09:14

Do you believe in the whole 'time of the month / already passed 20 need to fail 10' thesis?

chipperhead · 27 Jul 2007 at 09:45

Butters said:
Do you believe in the whole 'time of the month / already passed 20 need to fail 10' thesis?

Yeah, I've heard that one a few times, could well be true.

TheVoice · 27 Jul 2007 at 09:48

I've got my test on Monday. Feeling reasonably confident, as long as I actually think things through; it tends to be stupid small things that I occasionally mess up, so as long as I consciously think about what I'm doing I should be OK.

Hopefully, anyway.

paradigm · 27 Jul 2007 at 09:50

Butters said:
Do you believe in the whole 'time of the month / already passed 20 need to fail 10' thesis?

No, its absolute bull-pat. There are no "quotas to fill", "passrates to acheive", "numbers to fail". If you didn't pass, you weren't good enough, period.

Butters · 27 Jul 2007 at 10:01

thats what I thought.

Wicksta · 27 Jul 2007 at 10:02

paradigm said:
No, its absolute bull-pat. There are no "quotas to fill", "passrates to acheive", "numbers to fail". If you didn't pass, you weren't good enough, period.

It makes a nice excuse for those who don't pass though.

SilverTongue · 27 Jul 2007 at 10:03

nope it does exist, mates dad is an examiner he hates it though

NathanE · 27 Jul 2007 at 10:34

If she realised her lane mistake before entering the roundabout and then indicated right and got a car in the other lane to let her in then I don't think they should have failed her. Happens all the time to people that have been driving for years, and there's nothing unsafe about it at all.

If she didn't do that though and just entered the roundabout completely oblivious to her lane mistake then yeah - probably she isn't quite ready yet.

Fr0dders · 27 Jul 2007 at 10:41

sucks doesnt it ?

worst one was the road near my last place of work. Downhill road with small roundabouts on it. First two are normal with Left being straight ahead and left turn, and right being right turn only. After passing both of these, you come to a third that's completely different. Left is left turn only and right is right turn and straight ahead.

number of people who get caught out by that, as you automatically assume it will be the same as the previous two roundabouts not 100 yards up the hill.

paradigm · 27 Jul 2007 at 10:53

NathanE said:
If she realised her lane mistake before entering the roundabout and then indicated right and got a car in the other lane to let her in then I don't think they should have failed her. Happens all the time to people that have been driving for years, and there's nothing unsafe about it at all.

If she didn't do that though and just entered the roundabout completely oblivious to her lane mistake then yeah - probably she isn't quite ready yet.

If she'd have realised her mistake, realised she was in the "left-turn" lane, and taken the first exit (left), she wouldn't have failed either (assuming she indicated/observed properly whilst doing so). You cannot fail for taking a different route so long as your driving standard whilst doing so remains at test-pass level.

Sirrel Squirrel · 27 Jul 2007 at 11:41

paradigm said:
If she'd have realised her mistake, realised she was in the "left-turn" lane, and taken the first exit (left), she wouldn't have failed either (assuming she indicated/observed properly whilst doing so). You cannot fail for taking a different route so long as your driving standard whilst doing so remains at test-pass level.

aye, you can just say you misheard them

fRostiE · 27 Jul 2007 at 12:36

its not a problem if you claim you missheard them

"oh sorry i thought you said the 1st exit not the 2nd"

as long as you took the 1st exit properly and did all your drivers checks mirrors etc then there shouldnt be a problem, obvisouly they could be abit annoyed because your off their test route but still

NathanE · 27 Jul 2007 at 12:37

paradigm said:
If she'd have realised her mistake, realised she was in the "left-turn" lane, and taken the first exit (left), she wouldn't have failed either (assuming she indicated/observed properly whilst doing so). You cannot fail for taking a different route so long as your driving standard whilst doing so remains at test-pass level.

Yeah or that

Sone · 27 Jul 2007 at 12:41

i was told by my instructor if that happened just go left, its better to go different than where he says than make a bad manouver

ThomP · 27 Jul 2007 at 12:42

i once failed because i wasn't driving fast enough

task · 27 Jul 2007 at 13:08

Tesla said:
I think the mindset of some examiners is where can I fail this pupil as apposed to how can I pass him/her. I am not sure what frame of mind they are supposed to be in though.

Which would be the correct mindset for them to have.

"andy" · 27 Jul 2007 at 13:18

how come she hadn't practiced the test routes before ?

thats mainly what my lesson where about when i was learning

jon.bda · 27 Jul 2007 at 13:58

Butters said:
SWMBO had her test the other day and failed as the examiner told her to take the 2nd exit on the roundabout and she got in the left hand lane in order to do so.

She had failed to see the road markings and hadnt noticed the arrow in the left lane was for left only and she failed.

I thought it was maybe a tad harsh but I can appreciate why it might be deemed as a fail. She is gutted but in true spirit re-booked her test immediately she got home

My missus failed a couple of weeks back. Was on her way back to the test centre after doing all the manouvres etc and only with 4 minors...and had a blowout, luckily as she was slowing down to stop for traffic in a 30.

Instructor said that if she had driven for another couple of minutes the time would have been long enough for him to pass her despite the blowout...as it was he had to declare it a non-result...git...