\nResponse to traffic lights (108,671 faults)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Errors linked to observation, awareness, and decision-making dominate the list, suggesting that situational awareness, rather than technical driving ability alone, is one of the biggest barriers to passing.<\/p>\n
Dangerous faults \u2013 the most severe mistakes made during driving tests \u2013 showed a similar pattern, with junction observation issues and failing to check mirrors when changing direction again ranking as the top two faults.<\/p>\n
Other common high-risk mistakes include poor steering control, misjudging crossings, and failing to account for obstructions, highlighting ongoing issues with hazard perception and forward planning among learner drivers.<\/p>\n
The data also revealed that some learner drivers are being caught out before they even begin driving.<\/p>\n
A total of 889 serious faults were recorded between January 2024 and March 2025 during eyesight-related checks, which are assessed at the very start of the test and can result in immediate termination if not met.<\/p>\n
There were also more than 350,000 total faults \u2013 including over 11,000 serious or dangerous faults \u2013 recorded during the vehicle checks stage of a test.<\/p>\n
While these categories are far less common for faults than driving-related errors, the findings highlight that basic preparation and awareness of test requirements are issues for some learner drivers.<\/p>\n
The areas producing the most fault-free drivers<\/p>\n
Some test centres recorded significantly higher numbers of fault-free tests, where learner drivers completed their assessment without a single recorded mistake.<\/p>\n
Ipswich recorded the highest number of zero-fault tests (1,139), followed by Sidcup in London (847), Norwich Peachman Way (752), Lee On The Solent (734), and Worthing (724).<\/p>\n
An Evans Halshaw spokesperson commented: \u201cMany learners understandably focus on the basics of controlling the car during their driving test. However, our data analysis shows that passing your exam is just as much about awareness and decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cJunctions, for example, are one of the most demanding parts of everyday driving. They require you to read the road, anticipate other drivers, and make safe decisions in real time. It\u2019s where even small lapses in concentration can quickly turn into serious faults, so you should put in plenty of practice around this area.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor anyone preparing for their test, building confidence in real-world scenarios \u2013 especially junctions, mirror checks, and reacting to traffic \u2013 can be the difference between passing or failing<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s also worth remembering that your driving test actually starts before you even begin driving. Simple checks like eyesight requirements are there for a reason, and being unprepared can mean your test ends before it\u2019s even properly begun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Birmingham driving centre is the number one in the country for fault rates on driving tests –…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1055413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,47605,289928,393,289929,68010,4884,289927,16,15],"class_list":["post-1055412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-birmingham","tag-birmingham","tag-britain","tag-driving-test","tag-driving-tests","tag-england","tag-evans-halshaw","tag-fault","tag-great-britain","tag-learner-drivers","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116827640329294318","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1055412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1055413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1055412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1055412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1055412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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