Rant Driving test (Unfair?)

I've had two driving tests and failed both of them but not by any major insidants thats i would say "I did'nt deserve to pass with that driving"

Test one
All was well driving perfectly fine manouvres where fine i was quite comfortable and confident
"Ok pull into the side of the road with a one car spacing" Baring in mind this was up a hill,
So i pull up nice and gently behind this car about the distance of a peugeot 306 between us
"One car length!" So i think maybe im too close? so i pull back a little bit "One car length!" "Thats like five" i looked in amazement at his judge of distance.... so i pull forward about 1 metre between me and the car infront "Thats better drive off when you're ready" at this point i was pretty pissed off he completely knocked my confidence and so i pulled off mirror, mirror signal
nobody was there so i went ahead i was confident i had passed till we got back to the centre "Im sorry on this occasion you have'nt passed on the pulling off from a hill you failed to check you're blind spot"

At this point (not being an aggresive person by nature) i really wanted to just smack him in the face 3 hours later i think "Ok so maybe it was a little dangerous i saw nothing was coming but still its the observation that counts"

Test Two
Same man

The test started fine done all stuff right like last time even an emergency stop in a road with cars on both sides! i was going over a bridge when as i looked in my back mirror there was a line of traffic practically 30cm from my bumper "No worrys" i thought kept within the speed limit i got to the top of the bridge and going down it dips quite badly so i take my feet off the accelerator and clutch and just hover over the brake

Within seconds my speed has raised up to 34...i braked slightly to get back to 30

Back to the test centre. FAIL! "Im sorry on this occasion you have'nt passed on the bridge you're speed limited increased to 34 miles an hour in a 30 zone"

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!!! 3 seconds of 34 miles an hour and i fail!!!

both times i got 7 minors both times i had the same man both times i WAS READY TO SMACK THE .... *sigh* i consider some of this quite unfair in reality

I've got another test coming up on a cancellation date this was because of the other instructor was ill i think i might get her this time she is supposed to be less strict and generally a nicer person

 

Dude, just come get your licence here in Greece. I passed first time.

 

I had similar incidents on my tests.

The main reasons that I failed for though, were fair enough, however there were things that contributed towards the fail that I thought weren't very fair/right.

Like on a street with cars either side, which was a two way street, with not quite enough room for two cars, and I was doing about 25, and was told I was going too slow.
I actually found my examiner a bit rude when I passed too, he told me I'd passed as if he didn't really want to pass me.

I'm sure they have quotas to go on from my experience and from what others have said.


Just to make it clear, I am a good driver, my instructor said that when I did fail he was very surprised and the things I failed for, he'd never seen me do while learning to drive, so we put it down to the usual nerves.

I've forgotten about it all by now though, , not driving, just the test, . 3 years on and I've got full NCB, and I've only had one little bump where my brakes locked up on a greasy round and I just nudged into someone.

 

Sorry to sound harsh, but that sounds like reasonable cause for failing.
I'd have had you for coasting too

 

Your only given the benefit of the doubt to break the speed limit a little when joining traffic. On my test i left the test centre on to a main road which was a 30 limit.

I had nothing on the right of me, and traffic approaching from the left which i wanted to join. I waited for a nice big gap, and when pulling out the car coming for the left increased his speed, at which point i gave it a boot full to prevent an accident. This car in question speed up from 30 to 50 easily, as if he didn't see me. NUMB NUTZ!

The examiner then said it was his fault and i took the right course of action, as he noted my observation and the fact once safe i applied the brakes to slow to the limit. Only problem i had was forgetting to check my blind spot when moving off later in the test, the mistake i made is i glanced back when he was explaining the next step so i knew what was coming on this empty long road. So i just used the mirror. Whoops! lol!

 

The first one sounds a little harsh, however checking your blind spot is increadibly important, and somehting that causes tons of accidents if not done. The second deserved a fail I'm sorry. You should know that a car speeds up down hill and should easily be able to keep spot on 30, especially in a test!

These are two things you certainly won't do again on your next test, and you should be confident in the knowing that you are perfectly capable of doing the more difficult manouvers. I'm sure you'll pass on your next try, then all will be forgotten.

I was quite lucky that by the time I did my test a few months after my 17th birthday, I already had 7 years driving experience at home on the farm. I used to drive anything from clapped out cars, tractors, jcb's. If I could drive the clapped out cars on the farm with no brakes, buggered clutch, a gearstick that sometimes came out in my hand and a wheel that would pop out of the ball joint on the wishbone (sending the wheel up into the arch, and that corner of the car down into the ground), then the test was quite easy. Doesn't mean I didn't get any minors though, ended up with 4, all for putting my indicator on before checking my mirror (stupid rule anyway). My biggest problems were the silly habbits I'd gotten into, such as driving with one hand and crossing my arms on the steering wheel.

Good luck.

 

I failed 1st time.

Following Cyclist doing 30mph in 30 zone. (Was going down hill) i stayed behind him as he was comfortably doing the speed limit.

Black car overtakes me and the biker. Apparently that was my fault as I should have over taken him. However, if I did I would have had to break the speed limit as he was doing bang on 30mph.

Nevemind, passed the second time Effing and Jeffing, stalled pulling off the car park and mounted the curb while doing a 3 point turn.

Anyone for Irish Lottery?

 

I failed for similar reasons on my second attempt.

It all depends on the mood of the examiner at the time.

For example, I passed with three minors despite failing to do observations as I pulled away from a reverse around the corner, with either of the two guys I'd had before, they'd have failed me.

 

Lol, our driving tests here basically consists of; You driving around a few blocks, make one or two left hand turns (the kind where you have to cross a lane of traffic) without killing anyone or speeding, then perform a three point turn on a deserted strip of road, and voila your done. Yet somehow people still manage to fail it...

 

i agree with you when you're annoyed with the whole doing 34 bit, i came off a 40 road on to a 30, i got a minor for still doing a.out 34 as i entered the 30. failing you for that takes the michael..

 

I failed my first 2 times also, passed on my third alright.

That sucks he failed you just for going over the limit once by 4mph, I got 3 minors for speeding on my first test and that was eventually what failed me.

One was doing 40 in a 30 (I think)

And the other two were for doing 30 in a few 20 zones despite the fact the sign has a green circle round it meaning that the limit was only recommended, there was a school nearby but it was wasn't during term time so I didn't think it would matter but hey ho.

Second time was because an ambulance showed up behind me and I didn't get out the way in time, I was so gutted.

 

Should do it in Florida, costs you 20$, you drive around a closed course at 15mph, you park the car head-in, make a stop, demonstrate an "emergency high speed stop" at 30mph, and pull a 3 point turn and you're done.. lol

 

I got a mark when I went to stop at a 4-way stop. I came to a complete stop, there was no one at the other stop signs, but I still waited 3 seconds, and then drove off. I got a mark for waiting too long!

But all was good, I passed. It just depends on who you take your test with. I'd say it would be a good idea to take it with that other examiner.

 

I failed my first test because a car came hurtling out of a side street and came to a screeching halt in front of me. Apparently the fact that I failed to plow through him to avoid "holding up traffic" was enough to fail me.

Passed the second time with no faults at all though

 

i failed my first as a car was clearly indicating left to turn into the side road i was in slowing down to turn, i pulled out (still had plenty of time anyway) and the old lady decided that she didnt want to turn. bearing in mind i had already pulled out i was done for slowing down traffic.

Second time round i went into the wrong lane when going across a cross road (my fault)

third time fine.

 

I thought you were going say that you failed because you never came to full stop.

 

Passed first time, despite stalling once (going from a small residential road onto a 40 mph dual carriageway, no slip road to join with...), something else, and my favourite one "You left it entirely up to that black man on the pavement to not cross the road at that zebra crossing just back there." "There was a person?"... I had probably seen him and not paid any conscious thought to his actions beyond 'he's stopping', and forgot seeing him soon after.

My one bump was when I first got my car, trying to get it through a gap that I hadn't lined up properly for, I folded my mirror in with the back bumper of a transit van flatbed!

 

Y'know, if you do have a legitimate reason for doing something that causes you to do something irrational, you can make a point of it at the time, and at the end of the test, ask about the appeals process.

Unfortunately, DeadP1xels, both those fails would be considered your fault. The first for not checking your blind-spot (and Heaven forbid you admit that you felt annoyed - that can be an instant fail, walk back to the test centre, kind of thing), and the second for the reason that if someone goes in to the back of you, it's their fault - if you stayed at a maximum of 30, and said to your examiner "Those guys behind me are a bit close, I'm feeling a touch nervous", you clear yourself of any confusion, the examiner might take you on a different route to get away from the drivers behind, and the cars behind (not wanting to crash in to you, obviously) would have slowed down to match your speed.

If it had got too much, asking the examiner if it's OK to flash the brake lights is acceptable too (3 very brief, very light touches on the brake pedal, not enough to actually deploy the brakes) - I still do that, even after passing!

Ask your instructor if they'd mind taking you on a couple of mock tests, ideally with one of their colleagues playing the role of the examiner. I don't know whether it's possible to request a different examiner at your test centre, but if this guy is putting you off, it might be worth checking in to.

 

When you were going 34 you had your clutch in? Don't put your clutch in when braking until you start to reach a speed your current gear can't handle, unless it's an emergency stop.

If it was just a bit over the speed limit without having the clutch in then that does seem very harsh. When I passed my test I had a minor when I went slightly over 30.

The test is a bit ridiculous, you can challenge the invigilator if you and your instructor really think you should have passed but it is very difficult to pull off.

I also find it stupid you can let someone who has never been in a driving seat of a car before on the road simply because they have someone old with experience in the car. Sure, instructors with their own brake pedal, but just your dad in the other seat? Crazy.

 

I probably drove the worst I've ever driven on my test day; kept gearing up way too early, amongst other things including stalling at a junction, and at the end of the test I clipped the kerb at the examiners car park and parked at the biggest possible angle the car would fit in the bay. For some reason I got it into my head that first gear was offensive and the fact that I was driving in Wycombe in the wet amongst heavy traffic didn't help. Somehow the examiner passed me with 13 minors, she probably realized that I was having a bad day or she just wanted to go in for a cup of coffee or something - I didn't make any major mistakes so that probably contributed. I'm told that I'm generally a pretty good driver so I'm just going to chalk the whole experience up to nerves. I've now been on the roads for about a week and everything seems to be going fine apart from a tendancy to stall (I always under-rev for some reason).