Myth: Driving
examiners are only allowed to pass a certain number of pupils per week.
This is just not true.
Perhaps this myth originates with those embarrassed by failure trying to come
up with a convincing reason for family and friends. If you are up to driving
test standard you will pass. It’s not meant to be easy, and the fact
is that over 50% of candidates are just not up to the standard required.
Driving examiners don’t fail you: you fail yourself.
Myth: Driving
examiners enjoy failing learner drivers.
Examiners are professionals:
their personal feelings do not enter into their assessment of you. Also, they
have their bosses to report to – an unusual or inexplicable number of passes or
failures would be looked into. It’s easier for an examiner to give good
news rather than bad, and a pass means less paperwork for them.
Myth: There is a
particular examiner who has tested me at the same test centre several times and
failed me because he does not like me.
It would be easy to blame a
‘personality clash’ for failure, but again, driving examiners
are professionals. Personal feelings or prejudices are irrelevant. An examiner
whose work record showed an inclination to fail, for example women or a particular
ethnic group, would soon be spotted. We would all like to blame someone else
for our mistakes. The only way you will eventually pass is if you take
responsibility for your performance and work hard to correct your faults. Talk
to the experts at TLC Driver Training if you can’t understand why you keep
failing.
Mistake:Taking the
driving test in your own car.
This might seem like a good
idea, but in fact it isn’t. The pupils who turn up in their own vehicles are
usually those who have had no professional driving tuition, or
are so dangerous the driving school has not let them use their vehicle. The
examiner will be aware of this from the beginning of the test and it is likely
to make him or her nervous. In addition, the car will not have a dual braking
system, which may mean the driving examiner might be inclined to intervene,
verbally or physically, prematurely. Intervention by the examiner means
failure, so you don’t want to increase the chances of that happening by using a
car without the dual brake. You have a far better chance of passing if you use
your driving instructors car.
Mistake:Delaying the
learning and taking the test until you are older.
There is no time to lose:
younger candidates out perform their seniors in passing the test.
In 2004-6, the pass rate for
17 year old boys was 51% and for girls 48%.
Pupils ten years older at 27
had pass rates of 43% and 36% respectively.
At aged 47 the rates when
down further to 35% and 25%. But also in that period, the oldest successful
candidate was female. The DSA says a pupil needs 2 hours driving tuition for
every year of life. In other words, if you are 17 you will need about 34 hours,
and if you are 20 you will need 40 hours.
All in all, it is easier and
cheaper to learn at the youngest age possible. Anyone who has been ‘back to
school’ or learnt a new skill knows that learning becomes more difficult as you
get older
Myth: My father tells
me he took only 8 hours of driving tuition and passed first time.
This may have been possible
in the dim distant past, or perhaps he has ‘competitive dad’ syndrome. The test
has grown to match the changing conditions on the roads. There are an
ever-larger number of cars, more complicated traffic conditions and signs and
routes to follow. There is now also the theory test, reverse parking manoeuvres
and the ‘show and tell’ section. Years ago, a candidate would just be asked a
few questions on the Highway Code. Older drivers often acknowledge that they
might have difficulty these days passing a test. The Driving Standards Agency
estimates that a new learner driver needs a minimum of 45 hours professional
training with a further 22 hours of private practice. You can console yourself
that with a more serious, complex test, you will be a much more competent
driver in a shorter space of time than your father. As soon as you pass, take
him out on the road and impress him!
Myth: If you stall
the car, you will fail.
Stalling happens. If it
happens in a dangerous situation, say, on a roundabout, you could be in
trouble. If it happens on a normal stretch of road, the important thing is how
you deal with it. Panicking is not a good idea. Just take a deep breath, start
again, and it is unlikely you would be failed on that one thing alone.
Mistake: Setting the
mirror slightly ‘off’ so the examiner can see you move your head which makes it
more obvious you are checking the mirror regularly.
Driving Examiners are trained
to look for those small eye movements and are likely to be less than impressed
by a mirror set at the wrong angle. Moving your whole head all the time will
just distract you from effective observation
Myth: Driving Schools
make you take more lessons than you really need.
At Sayf Driving School we
certainly don't. It is not in our best interests to have lots of learners
taking lesson after lesson with no end result. We want our former
pupilsto spread the word about their success!
The best advice we
can give you at Sayf Driving School is: trust the examining system and assume
the examiner is a professional. Treat him or her with respect. If you have any
issues or problems about a failed test, talk to us at the School and we will
investigate if appropriate. Never tackle the examiner directly.