Driving Test failure

Going along nicely (niece) - ambulance blue light behind - cars in front drive onto pavement to let ambulance pass - she follows and drives on to the pavement - examiner tells her to return to Test Centre - she's failed - seems driving onto pavement results in instant failure. Tad unfair!

 

The examiner could've looked the other way in those circumstances. They know full well that everyone does that when they see an ambulance with blues on. A quick word along the lines of "ordinarily, mounting the pavement would be an immediate fail, but under these circumstances I'm going to pretend it didn't happen".

 

Bloody jobs worth.

 

It seems bonkers but you are just not allowed to do it. You can't even move forward past a red light to make room for a blue light emergency services vehicle. If you trigger a red light camera, the fact that you had an ambulance with its blues and twos blaring behind you is not a defence and you will get 3 points.

Must be extremely stressful to stand your ground and not move in those circumstances because you know in your heart it's not morally right, but if I knew the lights had a camera on them, I wouldn't move.

 

I learnt about that rule on one of those driver safety days. Absolutely ridiculous rule.

 

The world’s gone nuts

 

On the driving test that I passed, I was coming past Barnsley hospital, which had quite a bit of traffic around it. An ambulance was coming through the traffic behind me, and all of the cars around me were mounting the kerb. The examiner looked around and then said to me, 'just hold your position', so I waited. The ambulance was able to get through quite easily as everyone else had made the space and I went on to pass my test. I guess the examiner in this instance could have shown the same courtesy to your niece, as its a situation which doesn't present itself regularly and might have been something she'd not experienced before.

I've failed many driving tests though for what I'd consider harsh reasons, and genuinely was of the belief that they had a quota every day of how many people they could pass.

 

One thing to remember is that on the test the examiner is looking at the general standard of driving and must decide if the pupil is fit and ready to be on the road alone, it may be that the examiner had already seen enough to decide the niece wasn't quite ready to be passed, and this error, no matter how unfair it may feel, just provided an absolutely solid reason.

 

Some of the fails people get are so dumb.

In my first driving test I was failed for not following instructions. I was asked to take the first available exit off a roundabout and there was a workman coning off the first exit so I took the second as I would have had to knock him over to come off there. Instant fail.

 

On mine, a old lady stepped out into the road, outside parkway cinema. Took ages for her to decide to go across or back. I pulled up didn't say a word to the examiner and waited patiently. Then set off. Passed the test. I'm just wondering what some of the morons that get stroppy and shout verbals, pipping horn, etc would have done in a similar circumstance, taking the test lol. .

 

Very harsh.

 

This is true. I made a couple of mistakes on my test and when I said this to him after I had passed he said 'I judge if someone is capable and safe and don't fail someone for one mistake' Obviously this is about 30 years ago and things will have changed

 

It is, but technically you shouldn't be driving on the pavement according to the highway code, even if making way for a blue lights vehicle. She'll pass next time I'm sure.

 

There are (or used to be when I was a DOT ADI) three error levels.. minor, potentially dangerous and dangerous. You can commit one or more ( within reason) of the first and still pass. The second type will result in a fail and the third will result in an immediate termination of the test. In extreme cases the examiner may require the vehicle to be parked in a safe place, remove the keys and walk back to the test centre and advise the instructor or accompanying qualified driver where the vehicle can be located and return the keys. Very rare but it did once see it happen,(fortunately not to me or any other ADIs I knew I hasten to add,)

 

I had a similar test...we were going along Dodworth Road and a dog ran out in front of us, I immediately dipped clutch and braked, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the examiner do the same on the dual controls, but I just beat her to it.
We did the parking and three point turn stuff, and went through the questions...she passed me..after the test I asked why we hadn't done the emergency stop, and she just said you've done it already.

 

When I did my test, my examiner was sat next to me at the Wolves away game the saturday before & recognised me, spent my entire test talking about Barnsley FC, was great!!

 

Years and years ago, my mates nervous brother reversed into a lamp post on his test. The examiner asked if he would like to try again, which he did,,,,, and passed!
Meanwhile, my own experience of the driving test reminds me of the last words my instructor said to me when I passed. "Well Tonjy, congratulations you've passed your test,,,,,,,,now fu©k off and learn how to drive". I've never forgotten it and try to live up to the words every time I drive. I guess it was his way of saying that passing the test isn't the end,,,, it's the beginning!

 

After failing his driving test twice my daughter's boyfriend persuaded his identical twin brother to take the test on his behalf - and he passed!

 

Excellent.

 

I think you have to be going a certain speed to trigger the camera. Creeping through it is normally ok.