Practical driving test failed

trisp

trisp

trisp

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7 Apr 2010
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I just want to get some advice on what to do in this situation!

So today i took my second test (i failed my first because of a illegally parked van which forced me too indicate and pull into the right hand lane which unfortunately caused the car behind to slow down abit failing my test) now i fully accept that i should have checked my mirror's more and changed lane when it was safe to do so (after the car had passed) so i do not mind that i failed (well i obviously was not too pleased but i could fully understand why i failed) anyway back to the second test.

Now on my second test the whole thing was going fairly well till the end of the test (i had gotten 7 minors more then last time but it was still an acceptable score) in the last 100 yards i got a very very questionable major fault which was only noted down when we pulled up to the dsa 100 yards after it occured.....

I got a major (fail) for approaching a junction which was on red which then turned to green ( i had obviously slowed down to a stop at the line because it was on red) i was turning right at this junction and had indicated too do so i then waited for the traffic too turn right left and go forward (which made pulling forward into the junction a questionable decision) when it was clear i went over the line (it was still on green) got into the start/middle of the junction and was fully in a turning postion and as it went to orange and i was finished and in my correct lane going forward just as (i presume as i do not have eyes in the back of my head ) the lights went red.

I then got back to the dsa (around the corner) and he totted it up and informed me that i had sadly failed and then went on too tell me that i would have passed if i had moved abit more forward at the light's (over the line) when i pointed out that i was in that postion a)because when i approached they were going from red to green and b) because there were car's going forward right and left and i did not feel it was safe to do so as well as the previous reason he said bye and left my vehicle in a speedily fashion.

I have no idea how i would in this case not have picked up a minor or major if i had pulled forward into the junction i could have blocked/impeded traffic getting myself a major or minor if i had pulled over the line i would have gotten a minor or major for being over the line if the traffic had not moved, the way i did it adhered to the highway code and was the safest option that i could see (in terms of saftey and stopping me from getting faults) yet for some reason he thought what i did justified getting a major and not getting a licence :(

In my first exam the guy told me what had happened when and what i should have done answered my question's about different stages and was generally helpful, however the guy from my second test could not explain nor did he say what i had failed on the only reference to the fail was i could have been across the line instead of on the line while waiting at the traffic lights which as i have already stated would have probaly earned me a fail if i could not have proceeded.

This is not after test rage btw this is after test confusion/disappointment that i have been failed for trying to be safe and using caution when also trying not to get any minor's/major's.

I believe (from reading the result sheet) the only thing that can be done it contesting the fail and trying to get a free retest my question is a) is that the only option b)is there anyway to make sure your tester knows the highway code and are they supposed to talk you threw what has happened and answer your questions (like the first one did) or are they just supposed to blurt out what they supposedly did wrong and get out and runaway?
 
If the light was green as your front wheels crossed the line, how is that a fail. Unless there was a yellow box at the junction?
Dont worry i failed my first two, first time for going to fast at a juntion, (not speeding) and second time going to slow.
 
Just a question, you had 7 minors more than the first test already if I read that right? so how many minors did you have in total?
 
some instructors are complete **** bandits.

Just accept this and book another test. My instructor warned me that some of the testers at the local test centre had a reputation for being as awkward as possible and unfair.
 
MrLOL said:
some instructors are complete **** bandits.

Just accept this and book another test. My instructor warned me that some of the testers at the local test centre had a reputation for being as awkward as possible and unfair.
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I got a major in my first test for coming out of a junction (my lights are green), but to my right a bus was coming through.

Apparently I had the right of way and should have went (turn left) before the bus got to me, rather than wait that 3 seconds and let it go first.
 
I can't quite make out what actually happened from your OP(!), but it sounds like a junction where you were turning right across oncoming traffic at a traffic light controlled junction without a right hand filter arrow?

In those cases, the best shout is to move forward positively into the middle of the junction and wait at your normal "point of turn" position at the junction whilst the oncoming traffic passes. You're then best positioned to turn right smartly if there is a reasonable gap in the traffic.

If you sit and wait behind the line at the green light, you'll never be able to grab a gap - because as soon as you see one, you'd have to move forward to the middle of the junction, and by then it'd be too late. You'll probably find (if the examiner had been decent enough to have given you a proper debriefing) that you actually got the serious fault for unnecessarily holding up the following traffic by missing a few gaps that would have been there for the taking had you have moved forward into the junction to wait on the green light.

By waiting behind the line until it was all clear, and only going through on amber, you probably denied 2 or 3 cars behind you the opportunity to get through the lights on that cycle.

By the way - this is entirely proper practice even in a yellow box junction. Your EXIT (to the right) is clear, you're just waiting for oncoming traffic to pass before you take it. You're 100% allowed to sit and wait in the yellow box junction to wait for that gap.
 
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I failed my test the first time when a tractor had broken down on a fork junction(the side i was going into) and had spilt grain all over the road. I asked him what to do and he just shrugged and said "Your the driver" which was fair enough. I had my foot on the break as we were on a hill, while i was thinking how i was going to manage to get into the other side(which was sadly a 3 point turn because it was so awkward) i let the car roll down the hill about 2 feet, i put the break on and looked at him, he was looking in his mirror, i looked in mine then about a second later a car came round the corner. When we stopped he said it was because i rolled back when a car was coming, even thought it wasnt in my mirror till after i had stopped. Was because his mirror was on his side so he seen further round the corner. Passed 2nd time though haha.
 
It sucks failing, I failed my first and proper cried when I got in the house, felt like a right fool. But passed 6 weeks later so not all bad.

Mind was for failing to look over my right shoulder, checking the blind spot, such a stupid thing and what hurt most. Thing is I rarely do it properly now unless I'm joining from a slip rd, just check mirrors to pull off, but rules are rules.
 
Hey at least you didn't do what I did.

I failed twice, for being a bad driver basically... and then my third test, I turned up the day after I booked it ;)

So essentially I passed on my 4th test :p
 
I know someone that failed 6 times before passing on the 7th. Not crashed still for 10 years. I passed first time and crashed within the first 6 months lol.

The pass rate is 50% so statistically you have a better chance of passing on your third test.
 
Try getting a good instructor to bring your round the area of the test centre. A good instructor should show you the places that cause the most problems. Then you won't be surprised or confused when you hit those areas.
 
desires said:
So you don't think you have a better chance on passing on your 3rd test?
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I think that people are more likely to pass on their second or third test due to having more experience/having learned the lessons that their mistakes highlighted previously.

I don't think the fact the pass rate has anything to do with this though.
 
Zefan said:
I think that people are more likely to pass on their second or third test due to having more experience/having learned the lessons that their mistakes highlighted previously.

I don't think the fact the pass rate has anything to do with this though.
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Depends if the examiners are actively trying to maintain the pass percentage. I have a degree in maths and stats lol I was just trying to instill a bit of hope into the OP.
 
My examiner was actually a pretty decent guy but he put me down for 2 minors for things that weren't really deserving of it - both co-incidentally involving roundabouts.

First one as I was pulling off the roundabout a cyclist came out of nowhere (literally bunny hopped it over a verge from a carpark alongside the roundabout) at a high rate of speed and nearly went into the side of the vehicle - I pulled out into the oncoming lane to give him enough space after checking it was safe to do so, otherwise he would have faceplanted on the car :S (technically he could have given me a major for it so fair enough).

Second one I was approaching a roundabout where they were doing work on the roundabout and my view of traffic on the right was momentarily blocked by dust/smoke from the work so I slowed down and dropped into first to give myself some margin to react to anything coming from the right but he said I should have maintained speed and kept it in second :S
 
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