Top ten reasons for failing the Irish Driving Test

 2. Use of mirrors

The number two reason candidates fail the Irish Driving test is mirrors or more precisely, not using mirrors. This is crucial to passing your test and the examiner will know very quickly if the candidate has a good understanding of mirrors and how to use them. It’s hard to fake good use of mirrors so practice is the key. For a long time the advice given was to move your head exaggeratedly so the tester would be sure you’re looking in the mirrors. These days there are reports of testers failing students tests because of this. It is easy to understand why that might annoy the tester.

Mirrors section on the driving test marking sheet.

Moving off – Observation is very important throughout the whole test and no less so when moving off. At the beginning of your test it also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate good use of mirrors. It’s a chance to show the tester you know what you’re doing.  I covered this in the previous blog on observation but here’s a reminder: check all your mirrors before you do anything then concentrate on the rear view mirror and the right wing mirror. You’re checking to see if there’s anyone around that you may alarm before you indicate your intention, this includes cars and cyclists. When you’re happy your indication won’t startle anyone go ahead and indicate. Check rear view mirror again and right wing mirror and of course don’t forget a glance over your right shoulder to check the blind spot. If all is well pull out. When you’re out on the straight have a quick check in all mirrors to see that everything is tranquil behind you.

On the Straight – When driving on the straight you cannot have too much information about what’s going on around you so you’re looking ahead, obviously but you’re also checking all around you including behind you using all three mirrors available to you so you get a complete picture. Every couple seconds have glance in your mirrors to keep the picture up to date. What are you looking for? You’re looking for anything that may become a hazard or even a factor to you. You might see someone approaching very fast and need to react to that, you might see a crazed cyclist trying to get passed you (let him/her) or a motorbike. Ideally and mostly you’ll see all is well behind you but that’s well worth knowing too.

Overtaking – Overtaking is similar to moving off. Check mirrors to make sure that you won’t alarm anyone when you indicate, when you’re happy with that indicate and check mirrors again especially the right wing mirror and the rear view mirror and begin to overtake. Keep checking the mirrors during the manoeuvre. When you have passed the obstacle (hazard, bike, car etc) it is very important, using the left wing mirror, to check you have safely cleared the obstacle and therefore you’re not pulling in too early. Cyclists can speed up, cars can act the maggot and accelerate so stay aware. When you’re happy you’re clear pull back in to the appropriate lane and once again check all is well behind you using all the mirrors.

Changing lanes – Changing lanes is much the same as overtaking. You need to be sure you have the space to move into the lane you’re aiming for. You don’t want to impede anyone already in the lane. Check the rear view mirror, left wing mirror if heading into the left lane and right wing mirror if you’re heading into the right lane.

At roundabouts – Roundabouts are all about position. If you get your position right everything becomes easier. So assuming you have approached in the correct position and you’re turning left. Have look in your rear view mirror to make sure nothing strange is occurring then check your left wing mirror to make sure there are no eejits creeping up on your inside. Begin the turn if all is clear and it’s important to check your rear view mirror and your right wing mirror to make sure there’s no one attempting a wide left turn on your outside (it happens). When you’re back on the straight have another glance in all mirrors to make sure all is well behind you.

If you’re going straight on once again position is key, you want to know if there’s anything on your left (there shouldn’t be room if your position is correct) and if there’s anything on your right. If there is someone on your right try to be sure they’re not aiming for the same exit as you by looking for any signals. At this point you’re using all the mirrors and looking around too. Begin the left turn having indicated of course and don’t forget to check left wing mirror again to see no one is on your inside.

If you’re taking the third or any exit after 12:00 you will also be moving across a lane if you have positioned yourself correctly. If all the other drivers on the roundabout are good drivers this lane will be empty but how often does that happen so check carefully your rear view mirror and left wing mirror before you begin to indicate, when you’re sure you’re exit is clear and you’ve passed the pervious exit switch your indicator which should be indicating right to indicate left and exit carefully. As always when you’re clear of the roundabout make sure all is well behind you with a glance in all mirrors.

Turning right – The most important mirror check on turning right is the right wing mirror as you’re about to make the turn. Why ? You’re checking to see that no one is trying to overtake you on the right. This can happen if they haven’t seen your indicator or if you haven’t indicated at all which of course will never happen. It is especially dangerous if a car is attempting to pass you on the right as you are beginning to turn right as the car will be travelling at speed and the car will either have to hit you or pull directly onto the wrong side of the road. You should also check your rear view mirror for a general picture of what’s going on behind you and a glance at the left wing mirror to make sure no one is sneaking around on your left to attempt to turn right. This can happen where there is a right filter light with a queue – some selfish and bad drivers will try to sneak into the right turn position on your right to jump the queue. You may feel like ramming them but this is never a good idea. Defensive driving is the key but back to mirrors, it’s best to know who’s there even if you hate them.

Turning Left – The key mirror for this is the left wing mirror. Why ? As you turn left you slow down but also you usually get closer to the edge of the road towards the kerb. This is a serious hazard to young or bad cyclists who will not anticipate this hazard and creep up on your left inside. You may be cross with them, you may want to shout at them but they still don’t deserve to be crashed into so be aware of them.

Slowing, Stopping – To slow down or stop you need to know it is safe to do so. How do you establish this ? Look in your mirrors, all of them. You’re checking that slowing won’t impede or create a hazard for anyone. You don’t want to stop suddenly if there’s a speeding loony behind you or if someone is very close to your rear. If you’re pulling in to the left or the right you obviously want to check the wing mirror on the side you intend to pull into. Do this more than once as other road users can come out of anywhere.

In conclusion – your mirrors are crucial for safe driving. To drive safely you must have a complete picture of all that is going on around you. Conditions change by the second and that’s why you need to keep looking. You should never be surprised by something coming alongside your left or right or appearing in your mirror because if you’re using your mirrors properly you’ll already know who’s there and have made an estimation of what they’re likely to do but still be prepared for something unexpected.

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Top ten reasons for failing the Irish Driving Test

1. Observation.

The number one reason candidates fail the Irish driving test is observation. The driving tester has a marking sheet that he/she places a mark against every time he sees an error being made. The observation category is split into seven sub categories.

The green marks indicate minor faults/not serious.. you can get as many green marks as you want – they have no effect on the test outcome and aren’t counted.

The blue marks are more serious. They indicate potential risk/danger such as breaking speed limit, stopping too close to the car in front etc. You are allowed a maximum of 8 blue marks. 9 and you fail.

The red marks are instant fails. Things like breaking a red light, driving up on the footpath, not giving way to pedestrians etc. One red mark and you fail instantly.

Moving off – the candidate should check in all the mirrors before beginning to move off but also and most importantly the blind spot, this should be done just before moving the car. To check the blind spot you MUST look through the window over your right shoulder. The blind spot is the area that you cannot see using your mirrors or looking straight ahead.

Overtaking – includes passing a parked vehicle or any hazard on the road. It also includes cyclists. The candidate should check all the mirrors before beginning the maneuver and only then begin to overtake. When the overtaking maneuver is finished it is very important to check in the inside mirror that the obstacle/car/bicycle is successfully cleared.

Changing lane – to change lane to a right hand lane you must check all mirrors but especially the rear view mirror and right wing mirror before moving off the straight. A glance over your right shoulder to check the blind spot is also important.

At Cross Junction – look in all directions, slowing if necessary. Even if the junction is traffic light controlled. Remember a green light doesn’t mean steam ahead it means proceed with caution.

At Roundabouts – A roundabout should be treated like a cross junction in many ways but remember to get your positioning right. If well positioned, observation should be straightforward, if you’ve put yourself in the wrong position you’ll have more work to do with your observations.

Turning Right– One of the common reasons candidates get marked down here is forgetting to look into the junction they’re turning into. This is important to see if there are any hazards to deal with. Of course you must observe all around you including your right wing mirror for any crazies who might try to pass you as you turn right. You’re looking for cyclists too.

Turning Left – You’ll be looking to the right here, into the road you’re turning into and remember to be vigilant even if there are traffic lights. Very important to have a look at the left wing mirror to check for reckless or bad cyclists creeping up on your inside on the corner. They might annoy you but they’re vulnerable and should be given space.

If you do make a mess of observations and impede or restrict another road user because you didn’t see them or went for a gap that wasn’t there you’ll probably get a mark on the Observation part of the marking sheet and another in the Right Of Way section and it may be in the red section.

You may also get a mark in the Observation section if your windows are dirty, steamed up or blocked in some way so you should know how to clear the windows properly especially if they become steamed up which is common in rainy Ireland. That means knowing how to use the air heating and blowing system.

For more information have a look at some videos on youtube – make sure to search under driving safety www.youtube.com

Irish Driving License.

Every year many learners in Ireland do their driving test, most of those tested are in search of their first driving license, the rest are made up of recent immigrants to Ireland and people who have been ordered by the courts to re-sit the test due to a drink driving conviction. The pass rates for car tests is 50.7 %. Meaning one in two people will fail their test. See www.rsa.ie for more details.

Some statistics from Irish roads.

279,877 Irish drivers are on learner permits.
212 people died on Irish roads in 2010, down from 238 in 2009.
The 212 who died consisted of 44 pedestrians, 5 cyclists, 91 drivers, 55 passengers and 17 bikers.
38% of deaths were aged under 25
Sunday was the most dangerous day of the week with 54 deaths
43% of road deaths happened at the weekend.
The hours between 18:00 and 20:00 were the most dangerous, with 27 deaths (13%)
The average monthly fatality rate was 18 in 2010 compared to 20 in 2009 and 23 in 2008
The safest month of the year was December when 10 deaths occurred.
This is also the safest month on record.
Safest county – Longford (2 road deaths)
Most dangerous county – Dublin (21 Road deaths)
It’s not all about population density though, there were 19 road deaths in Donegal in 2010.

Some statistics from European roads..

35,000 people die on Europe’s roads year (nearly 100 per day)
Denmark is the country where you’re least likely to be killed.
Slovenia, closely followed by Greece is where you’re most likely to be killed.

Driving instruction in Ireland.

Until the 30th April 2009 anyone could give driving lessons or a driving courses to learner drivers without the need to demonstrate any previous training or driving aptitude which meant there was a very inconsistent level of training and consequently some very erratic driving on Irish roads which is reflected on our annual road casualties figures – http://tiny.cc/birg5 . Since that date driving instructors and people offering driving lessons or driving courses must have first qualified as Authorised Driving Instructors (ADI’s) through the Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA). Once qualified the driving instructors join a national register of authorised driving instructors and are permitted to teach the art of driving as part of an established school or independently. These driving instructors are examined by the RSA regularly to ensure the highest driving standards are being maintained.

The new register of driving instructors is designed to ensure that all new learner drivers are receiving a very high quality of driving instruction. Under the old system there was a tendency to instruct drivers with the information required to pass the test, the new guidelines and development of the register of authorised driving instructors are an attempt to arm learner drivers with the skill and techniques required to drive safely and considerately for life thereby making roads safer, not only for fellow drivers but for all users of the Irish road network which includes vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists and motorbike riders.

On April 4th 2011 the RSA introduced legislation that requires any candidate doing their driving test to have undergone a minimum of 12 hours instruction with an authorised driving instructor in an attempt to ensure that the essential skills have been passed on to the candidate in a formal setting with an appropriately trained instructor. This is in line with legislation in other EU member states although not yet introduced in the UK. In France for example the minimum is 20 hours.

Our goal at driving courses Ireland is to train our pupils to the highest level of safe, defensive driving. We do this by offering one to one training focusing on the needs of the individual. Working together we can identify weak areas and build on strengths to bring the pupil up to and beyond the level required for the Irish driving test. Our goal is to produce confident, conscientious drivers who will take the skills they have developed with them throughout their driving lives and keep themselves and other road users safe.