Top 5 Male Faults
|
Top 5 Female Faults
|
Junctions
- observation
|
Junctions
- observation
|
Mirrors
- change direction
|
Mirrors
- change direction
|
Move
off - safely
|
Reverse
left - control
|
Junctions
- turning right
|
Reverse
park - control
|
Response
to signs - traffic lights
|
Control
- steering
|
Observations
at Junctions
A typical fault at a junction is
emerging without having checked effectively.
Making effective observations means not just looking but actually
seeing what is there, making the right decisions and then taking the right
actions. If you don't make effective observations you could cause another road user
to slow, swerve or swear.
Poor observations are often
caused by stopping too far back from the end of the road which restricts your
view into the new road. The same goes for emerging when parked cars are
blocking your view and you don’t move forward to improve your view.
Another common reason is the
amount of TIME you take to look properly. If you approach the junction too fast
or if someone behind is being impatient, you may feel under pressure to go and you
won’t give yourself enough time to look in the right places. This can
especially happen at roundabouts.
How to avoid this fault: An essential part of your
junction routine is LOOK-ASSESS-DECIDE-ACT. Make sure you get the car into a
good position where you can see clearly into the new road. Sometimes you may
even reach the give way line and still can't see because of an obstruction of
some kind. In this event edge forwards using clutch control to get a better
view and only emerge fully once you know it's safe in both directions.
Another underlying cause may
be that you are trying not to be hesitant. Hesitation in driving is not always
a bad thing. If you swap the word “hesitation” to “caution” it becomes a good
thing as caution can save lives. Many learners misunderstand this and believe
they can’t hesitate at all. You can and should when necessary, but avoid being
“unduly hesitant” or in other words “over-cautious”. Don't be rushed by an
impatient driver behind or by thinking that there’s a time limit for waiting
for a safe gap to emerge into – if there hasn’t been a safe gap, you can’t go
and won’t be expected to.
Changing
Direction -Mirrors
There are many similarities
with this fault and not making effective observations at junctions. The huge number
of mirrors checks needed means that there is a much greater chance for these to
be missed and therefore a greater chance to be marked as a fault.
There’s that old saying you
may have heard of ‘look before you leap’, well this definitely applies to observations at
junctions and mirrors. You are expected to look well before changing speed or changing
direction or signalling. Common faults include not looking in the mirror at all
or looking at the same time as taking action or after you’ve started to take action
such as changing position.
How to avoid this fault: Use your mirrors frequently
throughout your drive and be aware of what is happening behind you and how this
is changing at all times. This helps you to keep a track of what's happening
and what might happen if you want to change speed or direction. The mirror checks
you make before changing direction should confirm what you already know and
that the action you are intending to take is the right one. The key steps of
LOOK-ASSESS-DECIDE-ACT also apply to the way you use your mirrors. A good tip
is to commentate and say to yourself before you take action, for example; “I’ve
checked the mirrors, I won’t cause any danger if I signal and then change direction”
Move off safely
In this case it means failing to move off
safely. This usually means you haven’t checked all around properly – often
missing the final blind spot check just before releasing the handbrake. There’s
another link to LOOK-ASSESS-DECIDE-ACT. You need to know if it’s safe to go and
whether you need to let others know you intend to move off. This is a fault because
if you move off without knowing what’s happening around you, you might put
someone else’s safety at risk.
How to avoid this fault: Many learners get so wrapped up in
deciding whether or not to signal that they forget to check their blind spot. Make
sure you are well practised in assessing the situation around you. Your mirrors
do not show everything so get into the habit of checking your blind spot by
scanning the road, pavements and any driveways like a life depends on it. You
may get away with not looking a thousand times or miss the check once and cause
danger or worse – NOT checking your blind spot is always a gamble.
Reverse Left,
Reverse Park - Control
This usually means that the manoeuvre was
inaccurate – the wheels either hit the kerb hard
or the car was too far away from the kerb, or over the lines when bay parking.
The possible causes for this include going too fast with poor co-ordination of
the foot controls and mistimed steering. Other causes are poor spatial
awareness due to the driver looking at one particular place for too long or
only in one place. For example, the nearside mirror.
How to avoid this fault: The key to any manoeuvre is getting the
car to move at a slow but steady speed, so to be good at it get plenty of
practice at getting the car to move slowly on uphill and downhill gradients as
well as on flat roads and corners with varying degrees of sharpness.
This slow speed creates time for you to
notice and correct any mistimed steering before it
becomes a problem, giving you time to check lots of different views so you can
work out exactly where the car is in relation to the kerb or line.
Spatial awareness can be improved through
practise. Of course, you may well get the speed right but misjudge the turning
point if you are not well practised, but a slow steady speed helps as it limits
the impact. This creates time to make frequent glances into the door mirror
nearest the kerb – in modern cars with high parcel shelves and broad pillars
this is often the only way you can see the kerb and is perfectly acceptable as
long as these glances into the mirror form just one part of your all round observations
and are not the main focus of your attention.
Steering - Control
An example of this is when turning into a
side-road and the car didn’t go where it should. This results in either the car
hitting the kerb hard or swinging out
too wide. This mistiming is often caused by being too close to the left kerb on
approach, or not looking into the road when turning left or approaching too
fast. When turning too late for a right turn, again this is often because you
are not looking into the road but instead focussed too much on approaching
cars.
How to avoid this fault: After checking the mirrors, signalling
and positioning, it is essential to get the speed down before selecting the appropriate
gear for creating enough time for looking, assessing deciding and acting. Make
sure you are well practised at using the MSPSL routine and have the car fully
under control and have made your observations and decisions well before turning so that the only things you need
concentrate on when you reach the side-road is looking into the road and
judging the turning point.
Junctions - turning
right
This fault means you were late in
positioning or incorrectly positioned before turning right. If you position the
car incorrectly this gives confusing messages to other road users and leaves
doubt. This can lead to them making the wrong decision. For example, if you
stay too far back from the side-road turning point it encourages emerging
drivers to pull out in front of you. This fault also includes not moving
forwards into the correct position when turning right at traffic lights.
A common reason for not moving forwards is
lack of knowledge such as; “Am
I allowed to move forward before the filter light comes on?” or “Can I go into the yellow box?”
How to avoid this fault: The solution to this fault is reasonably
simple – study well and know your Highway Code. Be aware of the unintended
messages you can give simply by your car’s position and remove any confusion by
positioning as advised by the Highway Code.
Response to signs -
traffic lights
There are a wide range of things this
could mean, such as; the driver reacting late to amber lights and failing to
stop when it was safe to do so or not complying with a red light.
This could also mean the driver was late in
moving off when the light changed to green and it was safe to do so. Not moving
off on a green filter arrow is especially common.
These faults are often caused by not
planning far enough ahead and not anticipating the lights changing or mentally
switching off when the car stops.
How to avoid this fault: You should scan the road ahead and if
the lights have been on green for some time expect them to change. Most traffic
lights have a sensor of some kind that is triggered by vehicles approaching, so
scan for clues such as vehicles approaching or waiting in the side roads. These
sensors work in a similar way to those at pedestrian crossings and change when
activated. If you can read these clues, you can plan to reduce your speed and
therefore give yourself more time to react if the lights do actually change.
When you come to a stop at the lights you
shouldn't mentally switch off. Treat this just as a pause in moving forward and
stay alert. While waiting you need to continue gathering information, such as
watching the other traffic flow to see if they are slowing down or stopping
because their lights have changed. Remember though - Don’t be tempted to go too
early when the lights are still on red and amber – wait until the lights are
green and it’s safe to go.
Finally
To avoid getting any faults during your
test you need to be well prepared – this means knowing what to do, why you are
doing it and that have had enough lessons and practice to do it properly.
Good Luck!
©
UDIDIT Driver Training 2021
www.udidit.co.uk
