At the end of 2023, approximately 52 million driving licences were held by Great Britain's drivers.
About 42 million of those were full licences and 10 million or so provisional licences. Although those numbers are huge, they become very believable when one is stuck in a traffic jam on the M25, with vehicles queueing in front and behind as far as the eye can see.
Despite the magnitude of those figures (and of the traffic queues), not everyone who wants a licence finds it easy to get one. In the year ending March 2023, the pass rate for car tests was less than 50%. For theory tests, the pass rate was 44.2% and for the practical test, the rate was 48.4%.
Who's passing and who's failing?
The pass rates for male and female drivers are pretty close, with female drivers achieving a slightly higher pass rate than males in theory tests (45.8% vs 42.9%), and male drivers scoring slightly higher than female drivers in practical tests (50.2% vs 46.4%).
Age apparently makes a much bigger difference than sex/gender. The highest pass rate was among the 17 and under age group (59%). From that point, it was downhill all the way, with a consistent decline in pass rates amongst each more senior age group. By the time we reach the 60 and over age group, the pass rate was down to 36%.
The top 10 reasons for failing the driving test
So, what is it that defeats more than half of practical driving test candidates? We've listed the top 10 driving test failure issues from that same period (year ending March 2023). If you're planning to take your driving test in 2024, you may want to pay particular attention to these common faults.
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Not making effective observations at junctions
There are many situations where failing to make essential observations will count against you in your driving test. Like most of the elements contributing most often to test failure, observation is a clear matter of road safety. Whether we're turning from a side road onto the main carriageway, approaching a roundabout, traversing a crossroads or joining the motorway from a slip road, we must be alert to hazards in our path, or from approaching vehicles.
One common deficiency is an inexperienced driver's inability to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle. If, by pulling out onto a road, you make another driver brake to avoid an accident, then you did not choose a safe moment to join that carriageway.
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Not making proper use of mirrors when changing lanes or turning
When we change lanes on a dual carriageway or motorway, we must check our blindspots and mirrors to ensure that we don't collide with vehicles alongside ours, or move onto the path of an approaching vehicle. The same is true when changing position on a roundabout in preparation to exit.
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Failing to move off safely
Related to point 2 above. Moving off safely is largely a matter of observation and hazard awareness. If you don't check your blindspots and mirrors before moving off, you risk failing your test.
Whether you're pulling out from between parked cars, moving off from the right-hand side of the road facing oncoming traffic or moving off after an emergency stop, your examiner will expect you to carry out the necessary observations to ensure that the coast is clear and that you're not going to endanger or inconvenience other road users as you move.
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Incorrect road positioning when turning right at a junction
This heading includes things like using the lanes on a roundabout incorrectly when turning right, and not positioning your car safely and considerately when turning right at other junctions. While you're waiting to turn right, if you fail to leave adequate space on the left for other vehicles to pass (if the road is wide enough), then you are not correctly positioned.
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Not maintaining proper control of steering
Your examiner will expect you to maintain a secure grip on the wheel and to manipulate the steering wheel properly without excessively crossing your arms or getting in a muddle. When steering, you are expected to ensure the vehicle is moving at the appropriate speed for you to steer effectively and that you keep the vehicle fully under control.
Common signs of poor steering control include:
- bumping or mounting the kerb;
- swinging wide to the right as you prepare to turn left;
- turning too early and understeering at junctions, cutting off part of the opposite lane of the road into which you're turning.
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Not correctly observing and reacting to traffic lights
The obvious fault here is running a red light. The simple rule is that you must not proceed through a red light. If the traffic lights you are approaching show amber, then it's safest to slow down and stop, not race to try to beat the change to red (risking a fine into the bargain).
Other things to avoid are:
- stopping in the area designated for cyclists, between the two stop lines;
- failing to observe the lights changing to green and thus not proceeding in a timely manner;
- pulling off into the junction when the light has changed to green if your path across the junction is not clear. If you have to stop within the junction, potentially obstructing other traffic, it will not bode well for your test result.
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Failing to respond correctly to road signs
Sometimes the sheer number of road signs can be overwhelming: nevertheless, a learning driver is expected to observe signs and react properly to them. Points to remember include:
- always comply with "Stop", "No Entry" and one-way traffic arrow signs;
- don't go the wrong side of a "Keep left" sign;
- don't drive in bus lanes;
- always comply with speed limit signs early enough to ensure that you are driving at the correct speed by the time you enter the speed-restricted area.
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Poor road positioning during general driving
Drivers are expected to drive in the middle of their lane unless preparing to manoeuvre. Poor positioning faults are frequent contributors to test failure, so:
- don't weave or swerve in your lane;
- don't drive too close to the kerb, potentially endangering pedestrians and cyclists;
- don't drive too close to the middle of the road, potentially endangering oncoming traffic;
- don't unnecessarily sit in the right-hand lane of a dual carriageway or motorway;
- do observe proper road positioning at roundabouts, even in the absence of clear road markings.
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Failure to observe and comply with road markings
Just as there are many road signs to look out for, there are also a multitude of road markings that a driver is expected to obey. Ensure you understand all the arrows, lines and grids and that you react properly when you encounter them. Common errors in this category include:
- failing to follow direction arrows on the road. This includes where arrows at a junction indicate which lane to choose when driving in a specific direction;
- straddling or unnecessarily crossing lane lines on a roundabout;
- crossing double lines in the middle of the road if the line on your side is solid. This marking clearly indicates that it is not safe to overtake or stray across the line;
- entering a box junction when your exit from the box is not clear.
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Failure to effectively control the vehicle when reverse parking
It is as important to control the car effectively while parking as it is while driving. If you want to pass your test, brush up on your parking technique and avoid:
- mounting the kerb while parking;
- taking too long or too many attempts to achieve a correct parking position;
- parking outside of a marked parking bay;
- parking crookedly or too far from the kerb.
You know it makes sense
There's no denying that driving tests, theory and practical, are a pain for most people and really quite traumatic for some. That said, the knowledge and abilities that we are expected to demonstrate during the tests are intended to ensure that we drive as safely as possible, while inconveniencing each other as little as possible. When one reads the traffic accident statistics, the inconvenience and expense of learning to drive properly and passing the tests doesn't seem such a bad investment of time and money.
Drive safely.
