Driving tests: 10 common mistakes to avoid during your test

Road safety experts at Road Angel have analysed government research and revealed the main reasons learner drivers fail their driving test.

The mistakes might sound obvious to those who are experienced drivers and even to those who are learning how to drive but they are still mistakes that happen so it’s best to know them so they can be avoided when you’re out on the road.

Some of the mistakes are easier to correct than others, let’s take a look.

Here are some of the common mistakes made by learner drivers during driving tests (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Top 10 reasons why learners fail their driving test

Here’s a list of the top 10 reasons why learners fail their driving test, according to Road Angel's analysis of Government research.

Other common mistakes include incorrectly responding to traffic lights and signs, bad observations, and wrong positioning when turning right.

Not checking mirrors enough

Learners will need to make sure they’re checking their mirrors regularly, particularly before signalling and changing speed or direction.

Mirrors also need to be checked along roundabouts and when changing lanes, especially on the dual carriageway to avoid other cars from having to slow down.

Bad observations at junctions

Learners often fail their test because they haven’t made effective observations left and right when approaching junctions.

Every time the car enters a new road the driver must make sure it is safe to proceed. This also applies when entering a roundabout, slip road and looking ahead at crossroads.

Poor road positioning

Poor road positioning can lead to driving test failures during normal driving.

This includes using the right-hand lane unnecessarily with no attempt to move over to the left and not driving in the middle of the road.

Failing to move off safely

A learner driver must make sure they do a six point check anytime they want to move off to ensure it is safe to do so.

They must check their mirrors as well as blind spots, indicate if necessary and avoid entering the path of any approaching vehicles.

Learner drivers will need to use their mirrors correctly, move off safely and respond to traffic lights correctly if they want to pass their test (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Incorrectly responding to traffic lights

Learners will fail their driving test if they don’t respond to traffic lights correctly.

This includes ignoring or not anticipating a red traffic light and attempting to proceed through it.

Pupils could also fail if they enter a box reserved for cyclists and block traffic when waiting to turn right at the repeater lights.

Incorrectly responding to road signs

To avoid failing their test, learners must understand and quickly react to all traffic signs when driving.

Some of the most common road signs that learners fail to respond to are ignoring ‘stop’ or ‘no entry’ signs, speed limit changes and incorrectly driving in bus lanes when the time is displayed.

Wrong positioning when turning right

Some learner drivers fail to position the car as close to the centre of the road as is safely possible.

If the car is positioned too far to the left when turning right, traffic could be obstructed, causing delays. This also includes incorrectly positioning in the left-hand lane on a roundabout when wanting to turn right, causing confusion to other drivers.

Not having control of the car when moving off

Hill starts are one of the most common reasons for learners to fail their driving test.

Rolling back on a hill, repeatedly stalling or not selecting a gear when moving off are common reasons for failing.

Lack of control when steering

Some steering issues include not steering enough around a bend, steering too late when turning into a minor road and mounting the pavement when pulling up on the left or parking.

Failing to have control when reverse parking

During a driving test, many drivers will be asked to parallel park or reverse into a bay, however, this is a common failure point for pupils.

Popular reasons for failing include losing control of the car when attempting a reverse bay park, or ending up outside of the bay lines. Another reason for failure is often also taking too many attempts to park or ending up with the wheels on the pavement.

Founder of Road Angel encourages learner drivers to practice as much as possible (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Gary Digva, founder of Road Angel, said: “It can be easy to make a mistake on the day of your driving test which can cause you to fail.

“Some of these common errors may be considered obvious but under the pressure of a driving test, it’s easy for even the best learners to make one of these 10 mistakes. 

“Getting in as much practice as possible beforehand will improve your driving skills and confidence behind the wheel, which will help control test day nerves and avoid making these common errors.

“And if you’re regularly making these mistakes during your driving lessons your instructor will most likely recommend you not to take your test yet as you’re not quite ready.

“Although it can be upsetting to hear that you’ve failed your driving test, it just means you need a bit more practice to be fully safe on the roads.”