fail driver ?

[Stormspark]

Cones? Here you get tested out on the roads.

Yes, they tested us on the roads too. At the end of the road test, there was a cone parallel park test. That's the part where my mom screwed me up, and I had to retake it.

Funny fact: I learned to drive when I was 12, on a Yugo with a manual transmission. After that I think I could drive anything.

[Gheld]

Yes, they tested us on the roads too. At the end of the road test, there was a cone parallel park test. That's the part where my mom screwed me up, and I had to retake it.

Funny fact: I learned to drive when I was 12, on a Yugo with a manual transmission. After that I think I could drive anything.

Oh, Parallel parking. Here they use cones for that too. They do it at the start of the test though. And it's just you and the instructor in the car. You get 3 attempts (although hitting something is an instafail). and the instructor gives you absolutely no feedback on how you are doing. But if you pass on your first try they'll be like "Okay that's good."and you won't have to take the other 2 attempts.

[Bigbazz]

I passed my theory and driving on my first time. I seemed to have had a really short practical test, and I passed with 2 minor errors, both for pulling away from parked position without indicating, something my driving instructor told me I did not need to do in those specific situations that I was in. My mother though did her test something like 8 times before passing, one time failing the test before even leaving the test centre!

It's all about taking a methodical approach to pass the test. You check the correct mirrors when slowing down or accelerating, indicating and mirrors when changing direction, just take your time with things and have patience. The real learning of how to drive actually happens after you pass your test, the test is testing your ability to not be a danger on the road, really.

[Stormspark]

Oh, Parallel parking. Here they use cones for that too. They do it at the start of the test though. And it's just you and the instructor in the car. You get 3 attempts (although hitting something is an instafail). and the instructor gives you absolutely no feedback on how you are doing. But if you pass on your first try they'll be like "Okay that's good."and you won't have to take the other 2 attempts.

That's pretty much what happened. They let my mom in the back seat, and she wouldn't shut up, and I hit a cone while I was telling her to please STFU. She was telling me all kinds of stupid stuff, like "you aren't allowed to look behind the car, you can only use the mirrors" and would yell at me when I tried to look. When I retook the test, I told her she was not going to be in the car, and I passed the test in about 30 seconds, and I didn't have to do all 3 attempts.

[Pull My Finger]

Wow. That's ridiculously expensive. Especially when you consider that it's far from guaranteed that you actually get proper training and competent instructors. A lot of people are failing their tests because their instructors are unable/not interested to actually work with them. Some of them are even intimidating and discouraging.

[Bigbazz]

That's pretty much what happened. They let my mom in the back seat, and she wouldn't shut up, and I hit a cone while I was telling her to please STFU. She was telling me all kinds of stupid stuff, like "you aren't allowed to look behind the car, you can only use the mirrors" and would yell at me when I tried to look. When I retook the test, I told her she was not going to be in the car, and I passed the test in about 30 seconds, and I didn't have to do all 3 attempts.

Not sure what country you're in but here it's the opposite. You have to look out the back window and only use the mirrors as a rough guide, you would fail if you spent your whole time reversing using the mirrors. It's something I got told off about a lot while learning, I found it easier to use the mirrors but had to drive that out of me. "always look in the direction in which you are traveling" etc.

[Stormspark]

Wow. That's ridiculously expensive. Especially when you consider that it's far from guaranteed that you actually get proper training and competent instructors. A lot of people are failing their tests because their instructors are unable/not interested to actually work with them. Some of them are even intimidating and discouraging.

That's cheap compared to Germany. When my dad was stationed in Germany when I was a teenager, I did some part time work in the US army hospital over the summer (a work during the summer program they had for high school students). I worked as basically a file clerk for a sergeant there. He had a German wife, and when he got out of the army he was planning on staying. He got an actual German driver's license (as opposed to the US Army Europe license), and he said it cost him the equivalent of about $5000.

[Orange Joe]

I don't want to be rude, but I have never understood how someone can fail a driving test.

[Deleted]

I don't want to be rude, but I have never understood how someone can fail a driving test.

come take on in belgium champ , it's no joke I can assure you

[Deleted]

you can drive fine.
its just another "stealth tax"

[Orange Joe]

come take on in belgium champ , it's no joke I can assure you

Whats the difference? Rules of the road are pretty much the same anywhere. Follow the speed limit. Pay attention to signs.


J/w I didn't see you mention how you failed.

[Frozenbeef]

I don't want to be rude, but I have never understood how someone can fail a driving test.

Must be different from where you live then..here we have to do a theory test and a practical the practical is also broke up into mini tests like menavours, general questions, following directions and general driving >.<

[Deleted]

come take on in belgium champ , it's no joke I can assure you

Didn't they make it a lot easier not so long ago? Parallel parking is no longer in between 2 cars, but behind a car afaik (so nothing you can bump against in the back). Turning in a lane is a joke. You don't even have to do anything anymore but drive a bit around town as far as I know, which is like the very basics of what you'll need to do in real life. What exactly is hard about it if I may ask?

Edit: the fact that you say "it's no joke I can assure you" means you probably aren't familiar enough with driving to get your license. Everything they ask you to do at the exam is what you need to do in every day situations.

[Orange Joe]

Must be different from where you live then..here we have to do a theory test and a practical the practical is also broke up into mini tests like menavours, general questions, following directions and general driving >.<

Same here. We just call it a written test instead of theory test.

[vrsick]

Some people have been driving for years and probably couldn't pass a drivers test. Some people are just terrible drivers. In my state, you have to get your permit ( a written exam), get 40 hours of supervised driving, and pass drivers ed if you want to get your license at 16. So nearly impossible to fail the actual drivers test with all the practice and shit that comes before it. I would be pretty ashamed of myself if I failed my drivers test.

[Bigbazz]

Some people have been driving for years and probably couldn't pass a drivers test. Some people are just terrible drivers. In my state, you have to get your permit ( a written exam), get 40 hours of supervised driving, and pass drivers ed if you want to get your license at 16. So nearly impossible to fail the actual drivers test with all the practice and shit that comes before it. I would be pretty ashamed of myself if I failed my drivers test.

It's different here, you have

1. Theory test - multiple choice questions... Need to read the highway code, learn regulations, road signs and safety among other things, 50 questions, you need I think 44 to pass.

2. Hazard perception - Watch a series of videos where you need to click on the screen when you see a possible hazard and when it develops... Easy to fail this part and it's as much a game as it is anything. It also has anti-cheating systems built in to stop you just clicking constantly. I think this part is a joke, albiet i passed it first time as I had a practice version at home.


3. Driving test - Up until this point you can have lessons with an instructor or learn with parents/friends in a car with your provisional licence, the only requirement to take the test is to pass the theory test, the provisional licence requires just the application. So you get tested on

1. General knowledge, car maintainence, how to check/change oil, check your water and your screen wash, your tyre pressures and the tyre tread depth.. possibly some safety related questions. They also test your eyesight by asking you to read a random number plate at a distance.

2. Then when driving they test you on various manoeuvres, small mistakes will result in a minor error but bumping something, hitting a curb or making continuous errors would give you a major error and fail the test.

3. General driving, generally you will go on well known routes with difficult parts of road, possibly heavy traffic or confusing roundabouts... Things that will test your driving skill and your ability to deal with hectic or confusing situations. Any small errors (such as not indicating, not checking mirrors) will give you a minor error (I think you get 14 minor errors before you fail), but repeated offenses will be a fail. Anything considered a major error or that could possibly be a dangerous error of judgement, lack of awareness or serious car control faults will be a fail.


Here in the Uk the test is pretty strict, it's easy to fail it really and a lot of people do on their first time. There are many people who passed the test 10-20 years ago who would fail today, both because it is more difficult now and because people tend to pick up bad habbits that go against the letter of the rules... and would pick up those 15 minor errors pretty quickly.