A West Midlands driving instructor has shared three common mistakes that could cause you to fail your driving test, and learners should take note of his tips before getting behind the wheel.
Taking your driving test ranks among the most anxiety-inducing experiences imaginable, so making a handful of minor errors is entirely understandable. Minor issues such as hesitating excessively at a junction or failing to check all three mirrors before executing a manoeuvre will not result in an automatic fail. However, there are other, more significant blunders which will render your test unsuccessful and require you to attempt it again.
Now one West Midlands driving instructor has disclosed three actions which will result in immediate test failure. David Thomas, an independent instructor in Stourbridge, highlighted the three pitfalls to sidestep in a TikTok video, reports the Mirror.
Number one: driving too slow
Do one of these three things on your driving test and you will fail, he warned. So try and avoid them. Number one: driving way too slow around the streets, holding people up, being very hesitant at junctions and roundabouts, taking your time way too much. Because, you think you are being safe and the examiner is going to be happy with you, but they are not, because they do not want to get stuck behind you tomorrow.
David added: By the way, going too slow can be just as dangerous as driving too fast. One commenter questioned what constituted too slow, to which David responded: 27/28 in a 30 mph zone is fine. Another remarked: Getting involved in a crash because you are being slow is crazy. Yet way too many people do it, not just students.
Number two: ignoring road signs and markings
Continuing, David said: Number two: not paying full attention to road signs and road markings. They are all there for you, you know, all this paint that is on the road, it is there to help you to know where to go, where to be, where not to be. And the road signs, you know, the metal things on posts, they are there to help you. And if you do not respond properly to these signs when they are telling you to slow down, or they are warning you that you are approaching a tight bend, then you can fail your driving test.
He added: Be nosy when you are driving. It is really important to stay safe.
Number three: passing too closely at speed
David continued: And number three: passing things too closely when you are going too fast. I said a phrase today that I made up, and that is less room, less vroom. You gotta go slow if you are going through things and it is really tight, really narrow. Do not rush, please.
I heard somebody on TikTok actually say, talking about a mess on the roads, if you are driving down the road and you see a messy situation ahead, do not drive into it, because you are going to be a part of the mess.
One commenter responded: My instructor always says less space, less pace, but I like yours too.
Wrapping things up, David said: I hope all this helps, because I want you to stop asking for lifts. Stop getting the bus in 2026, come on.
