Top 10 Faults made in Driving Tests
1. Not making effective observations at junctions
• Failing to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle
• Entering a roundabout with a vehicle approaching from the right
• Making no effective observations at all
• Making no observations when joining a dual carriageway from a slip road
• Going straight ahead at a crossroads
• Looking too late
• Repeatedly not looking left when turning left
2. Not using mirrors correctly when changing direction
• Not using mirrors when exiting a roundabout
• Causing a vehicle to slow when changing lanes on a dual carriageway
• Trying to change lane on a roundabout when a vehicle is directly alongside
3. Not moving off safely
• Moving off from behind a parked vehicle into the path of an approaching vehicle
• Repeatedly moving off from the side of the road with no blind spot checks
• Pulling off from the right-hand side of the road, causing an oncoming vehicle to slow or stop
• Not making any rear observations when moving off following an emergency stop
4. Incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions
• Positioning in the left-hand lane when turning right at a roundabout
• Obstructing traffic when you wait to turn right
• When you want to turn right at the end of the road, you incorrectly
position to the left
5. Not having proper control of the steering
• Repeatedly not steering enough or steering late on the approach to junctions when turning left
• Not steering enough when going around a bend
• Steering late when turning right into a minor road
• Repeatedly mounting the pavement when pulling up on the left
• Steering late when moving out to pass parked vehicles
6. Not responding appropriately to traffic lights
• Failing to react to red traffic light
• Stopping after the first white line when there are advanced stop lines for cyclists
• Not progressing when you’re waiting
to turn right at a junction and it’s safe to proceed
• Not going ahead when a green light is showing and the junction ahead is clear
• Going ahead when a green light is showing but the junction is not clear
7. Not responding correctly to traffic signs
• Going to the wrong side of a ‘keep left’ sign
• Ignoring a ‘stop’ or ‘no entry’ sign
• Driving in a bus lane
• Choosing the wrong lane at a roundabout with clear signage
• Acting late or not at all to speed limit changes
8. Poor positioning on the road during normal driving
• Repeatedly driving too close to the kerb or centre of the road
• Unnecessarily driving in the right-hand lane of a dual carriageway
• Cutting across the normal road position when you go ahead at a roundabout with no lane markings
9. Not responding correctly to road markings
• Not following direction arrows on the road
• Straddling lanes on a roundabout
• Crossing double white lines where the line nearer to you is solid
• Ignoring a box junction
• Not following road markings at mini-roundabouts
10. Not keeping control of the vehicle during reverse parking
• Wheels ending up on the pavement at the end of a parallel park
• Too many attempts to reposition when parking
• Losing control of the car when parking in a bay
• Ending up parking outside of the bay
