Failing to make effective observations at junctions and check mirrors properly when changing direction are the top two reasons people in the UK have flunked their car driving tests over the last three years. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said from January 2019 to December 2021, 363,908 serious or dangerous faults were recorded during the tests of hapless motorists, who failed to observe junctions correctly during their driving tests across Great Britain.
During the same period, 285,465 serious or dangerous faults were recorded against those who failed to check their mirrors properly before changing direction. The figures were obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted to the DVSA by electric bike retailer Avaris eBikes , as part of the company’s research into safety and awareness on the roads.
The number of faults marked for each reason in 2020 and 2021 are lower than those recorded in 2019 - however this may be due to a slump in the number of driving tests taken during and post-pandemic. In 2021, 93,250 faults were recorded for failing to observe at junctions, compared with 79,698 in 2020, and 190,960 in 2019.
In 2021, 73,734 faults were recorded for failing to check mirrors while changing direction, compared with 63,512 in 2020, and 148,219 in 2019. The figures represent the number of tests where failures were recorded, for each of the faults listed. Some driving test candidates scored fails for each of the manoeuvres during a single test.
When it comes to junctions, the DVSA says candidates must make effective observations before moving into a new road and make sure it’s safe before proceeding. They could be marked with a serious or dangerous fault for failing to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle and forcing it to slow, entering a roundabout with a vehicle approaching to the right and causing it to slow, going straight ahead at a crossroad without realising it’s a junction, looking too late, making no observations when joining a dual carriageway from a slip road and making no effective observations at all.
Drivers are expected to use the mirror, signal, manoeuvre routine effectively - checking mirrors carefully before signalling or changing direction or speed. Mistakes candidates are failed for include not using their mirrors when exiting a roundabout, causing a vehicle to slow when changing lanes on a dual carriageway, trying to change lane on a roundabout when a vehicle is directly alongside them and exiting a roundabout and not checking mirrors - cutting across vehicle on the left.
In the most recent financial year, ending in March 2022, DVSA data shows 1,112,424 car driving tests were conducted with a 49.6% pass rate. In the previous financial year, from April 2020 to March 2021, only 437,352 tests were taken with a 49.8% pass rate. According to the DVSA, drivers failing to look properly was a factor in 37% of all reported accidents in Great Britain in 2019. It’s also the reason many cyclists get caught up in incidents on the roads.
Another FOI request submitted by Avaris eBikes to the London Metropolitan Police service last year revealed more than 12,000 road traffic incidents involving both drivers and cyclists plagued Greater London between 2019 and 2021. Anne Iarchy, 49, has been cycling for 15 years. She regularly witnesses drivers exiting junctions and halting when it’s too late. Anne, from Finchley in North London, said: “I see lots of cars coming out of streets and stopping when they’re already halfway into the next road. Sometimes it’s because other cars are parked badly so they can’t see oncoming traffic, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes it’s just a habit and too late.
“Many drivers don’t indicate, or indicate at the last moment, and as a cyclist there’s no way to prepare yourself by slowing down. I think if people checked their mirrors properly when they turn or switch lanes, they hopefully would indicate sooner.”
Richard Heys, the founder of Avaris eBikes, said: “Not checking mirrors in the right way or taking the time to stop and look properly at a junction might seem like a minor to some drivers, but it can be the difference between getting home safely or being involved in an accident with another driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian.
“People make these mistakes even once they’ve passed their driving tests, often when they’re in a rush or because they think the chances they’ll hit someone or something is low, but the truth is accidents can happen to anyone at any time, so caution and awareness on the roads is imperative.
“We value the lengths the DVSA go to to ensure drivers are taking the right actions before they’re allowed on the roads by themselves.”
The DVSA said the most common reasons Brits fail their driving tests are:
- Not making effective observations at junctions
- Not checking mirrors properly when changing direction
- Not having proper control of the steering
- Incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions
- Not moving off safely
- Not responding appropriately to traffic lights
- Poor positioning on the road during normal driving
- Not responding correctly to traffic signs
- Not having control of the vehicle when moving off
- Not keeping control of the vehicle while reverse parking
