Pass With Us!

Here at Always Pass we have a good first time pass rate, as we make sure our learners are well prepared for their test.  The driving test is difficult to pass, you have to be a good driver to pass. It wouldn’t be worth having a test if it wasn’t tricky! It’s there to ensure only good drivers are allowed out on the road. The DVSA have published a guide showing the top ten reasons people fail their test. It’s worth being aware of them so you can ensure you’re not falling into any of these common faults.

Not having proper control of the steering

This sounds a bit daft – of course you need to have control of your car to pass your test! But 1 in 10 accidents in Great Britain in 2019 were caused by drivers making a poor turn. This could be cutting the corner when turning into a road, or turning too late. You could be steering too late when moving past parked cars. This would mean you’re too close to the cars and could hit them.

Incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions

If you’re turning right you need to leave enough room for other cars to pass you on the left hand side. If you’re turning right at a roundabout you need to be in the right lane so other traffic knows where you’re going.

Not moving off safely

When pulling away you have to check your blind spot, and check behind your car. It’s important to check it’s safe to pull away. You should get into a routine of checking before you move every time, so you don’t fail your test this way, or worse cause an accident.

Not responding correctly to traffic signs

Speed limits, bus lanes, stop and no entry signs are there for a reason. You have to obey these signs. This is why you have to pass your theory test before you take the practical driving test, to prove you understand what these signs mean.

Not having control of the vehicle when moving off

When moving off you need to be able to drive without stalling or rolling back if you’re on a hill. You need to make sure you’re in the correct gear and have proper control of your vehicle. It sounds so simple, but if you’re nervous it can be easy to be flustered and stall or forget to check you’re in first gear before moving off. You will achieve this with plenty of practice. A mock test should help you to sort problems like this out before you take your test.

Not keeping control of the vehicle during reverse parking

Whether you’re parking in a bay or a parallel park you need to complete the manoeuvre without hitting the curb and have control of the car at all times. It might feel like a trivial thing, but in the rest of your driving life you’ll need to be able to park your car.

Darker Nights

Now the nights are drawing in and everyone is looking forward to Christmas it’s a good time to think about lights, and not just the ones on your tree. It’s very important to be seen in the dark afternoons and evenings. It’s not something everyone thinks about, we often get into the car, and as long as we’ve remembered to flick the light switch on we forget about it. We know it’s good practice, whatever the time of year to periodically check your lights.

Headlights and Indicators

Now check your headlights and indicators. Get back in the car and turn on your headlights and hazard lights. Get out to check everything is as it should be, you should see headlights, rear (red) lights and indicators on the front and rear. It’s worth doing this in the dark if you can, as you will be able to check your headlight alignment as well.

Alignment

Headlights should be angled so they don’t blind oncoming traffic. If one of your lights seems to be a bit off you can get it realigned in a garage, or you may be able to adjust it yourself.

To check alignment you will need to make sure there’s no weight in the car, so you don’t have anything in the boot or a friend sitting in the car. You also need to know your tyres are all inflated as they should be. You will need a wall that you can use to measure the field of light on. Park about 60cm away from the wall (facing it) the ground should be flat.

Turn on your headlights, not fog lights or full beam. The headlights will produce circle shapes on the wall. You need to use tape or chalk to make a cross on each circle. One line should go vertically from the top of the circle to the bottom and the other should go horizontally across the widest part. Where the two lines meet in the middle is the centre of your headlights.

The centre of both plus signs should be the same height, so use a tape measure to check. If they aren’t, you may need to lower one plus sign so that they are the same height.

Once you’re happy with your marks and they’re both the same height, reverse your car so it’s about eight metres from the wall. If the middle of your headlights still fall within your markings, then you don’t need to make any adjustments. If they are falling above, below, or to the side of the plus symbols, then you’ll need to realign your headlights. If you’re not sure about checking this on your own, don’t worry. Most garages will check your headlight alignment for you.