Yahoo News The number one reason people fail their driving test
Not looking properly at a junction has been revealed as the most common reason people fail their driving test last year, new data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data shows.
According to the latest statistics, the pass rate for driving tests so far this year stands at just under half (48.7%).
Data shows that the same reasons for fluffing the test have been consistent in recent years, with the same issues occurring time and time again.
In the year to March 2022, the top 10 most common reasons for failing a driving test were:
Not looking properly at junctions
Failing to check mirrors when changing direction
Poor road positioning while turning right onto the road at junctions
Mistakes at traffic light signals
Poor steering control
Not pulling away safely from the side of the road
Reacting incorrectly to traffic road signs
Poor road positioning during normal driving
Responding incorrectly to road markings
Making poor progress and driving at the appropriate speed
The top five reasons for 2022 are exactly the same as the previous year.
In November it was revealed that 50,000 driving tests a year are taken by learners who have already failed at least five times.
Motoring research charity RAC Foundation's analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) figures found 50,875 practical tests taken in Britain in the 12 months to the end of March were the candidates’ sixth attempt or greater.
Just 40% of the tests were passed, compared with an average success rate for all tests of 49%.
The DfT recently said the frequency of examiners having to “physically intervene to avoid a dangerous incident” has increased to one in eight tests.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the number of failed tests may provide “reassurance” to people who suspect it is too easy to get a licence, as “for some learners that’s clearly far from the case”.
He went on: “One loud and clear message this data reveals is that however hard some people find it to pass their test, becoming a qualified driver is so important to them that it is worth the money, time and energy involved in battling on to secure their licence.”
The figures came as learner drivers were found to be waiting up to six months to take their tests due to the backlog created during the COVID pandemic.
Learners faced cancellations last month when driving examiners launched a five-day strike as part of escalating industrial action by civil servants in a dispute over pay, jobs and pensions.
