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Myths of the driving test and driving lessons Over the years that i've been teaching i've heard many strange and bizarre tales about the driving test and lessons. Let us look at some of the strange and mysterious things that people say and think about the dreaded driving test and driving lessons in general.
"The test is fixed, they can only pass so many people a day" It is not fixed. There are no quotas. People like to blame a fail on quotas but conveniently forget to mention them when they pass. Would you tell your friends that you passed but only because too many others failed that day and they had to stick to their quotas? You can't have it both ways, if you fail due to quotas you pass due to quotas. Here's a real life example of how stupid the quota theory is. I had a phone call once from an instructor asking if i could take his pupil on a driving test the next day because he was ill and couldn't do it (in other words he knew the pupil had no chance and didn't want to turn up for a test with him). I took him in my car as a favour and he was awful. He kept pulling out and nearly caused 4 accidents in 30 minutes. Despite that, and the people who he nearly hit blasting their horns at him, and the examiner telling him he wasn't ready, and me telling him he wasn't ready, and it being obvious to even someone who couldn't drive that he was not good enough to drive, can you guess why he said he'd failed? You got it, it's the old quota excuse. Nothing to do with nearly crashing 4 times, it was all fixed and that's why he failed according to him. As for people saying they make more money from failing you and making you pay for another test, here's why that theory is incorrect. A new test is £62. The tax you'd pay to the government on insuring your first car would be over £100, not to mention the fuel, road tax etc, sales tax.....They make more from you passing, not failing!
"Learners have to drive slowly but once you've passed you can go faster" Learners don't drive too slowly, other people drive too quickly. How many times have i been teaching people and we're doing dead on 30mph in a 30 zone yet people behind are waving and flashing for us to speed up? Many people just can't drive, they have no idea what speed limits are and couldn't stick to them if they tried. It's them are in the wrong, not you. If you think you can speed after passing then just try it and see what happens. You'll soon be back as learner with a 2 year ban and you'll have to take another theory test and then an extended driving test which is much tougher than the L test you took before. Driving while banned will result in you getting a criminal record that stays with you for life.
"If you cross your hands on the wheel or stall then you fail instantly" No you don't. Crossing your hands isn't marked on a test, it hasn't been for decades. It's just one of those things that has grown as myth but isn't true. So long as you are comfortable and remain in control of the steering at all times then why does it matter if you cross your hands? The paragraph below is a quote from an assistant chief driving examiner. "Learners can steer the car using whatever method they're most comfortable with. We always used to recommend the 'push-pull' method, but it was never essential. We're more concerned about the outcome than the method a learner uses to steer." Stalling is not a problem so long as you don't stall when pulling out on to a major junction or stall repeatedly. Of course by the time you go for a test you shouldn't be stalling at all but driving test nerves can often cause these problems.
"It costs thousands to insure a learner car" No it doesn't. Technically the instructor is driving even when you're behiund the wheel so it only costs the same as a normal car. A brand new Fiesta costs £430 a year to insure to teach in. A lot of schools want you think this to justify high lesson prices but it's not true.
"It costs a fortune to keep repairing learner cars and they blow up after a year" Rubbish. All my repairs are free. If i need new brakes, servicing, a new cluth etc. it's all free because it's included in the monthly rental which is over £100 a month less than someone who isn't an instructor would pay. They don't blow up after a year, i've taught in the same car for 2 years and known other instructor have the same car for 5+ years.
"Learn the test route and it's easier" There is not just one test route. For 10 minutes of the test you have to plan your own route, the examiner will only tell you roughly which direction to head in and you must find your own way. For example, they may just say "Head towards Sheldon" or "Take the 3rd right, 2nd left and then go to Kings Heath". There are dozens of routes that examiners follow or do the same each time just to make it easier but it doesn't mean you'll stick rigidly to that route. It wouldn't help to know the routes anyway because a road is never the same twice with different traffic, weather and hazards. Even instructors and examiners doing the job for years have trouble remembering all the routes, you'll have no chance trying to learn them in 40 hours of lessons!
"What car do i do my test in?" It's strange how many people think there're special cars for tests. There are no cars at the test centre, you do it in your instructors car. It has been known for people to turn up at test centres without a car, thinking the examiner will let you use their test cars. There aren't any! It's worth pointing out here that it is your responsibility to provide a car for a test, not your instructors. If an instructor wants to refuse the use of their car because you aren't ready then they can.
"I want an instructor with a high pass rate because then I'm more likely to pass" Pass rates mean nothing for one reason - there is no proof of them. No official records are kept and pass rates are rarely anything more than made up figures to impress people. If an instructor says their pass rate is 80% or 90%, how do you know? Lots of schools claim "The highest pass rates!" or "Excellent pass rates!" but can they prove it? Ask for proof and see! When a pupil goes on test the examiner writes down the instructors number on their badge and then the result is supposed to build up a pass rate for that instructor. However it's not compulsory for instructors to leave their badge in the car for a test so very often the results aren't recorded. An instructor only has to display their badge when giving paid tuition. Instructors used to get sent their pass rates every January but this hasn't been done since around 2003. Here's a good example of how confusing pass rates can be. There's a new instructor and their first ever pupil passes on their first attempt. For all future tests the instructor removes their badge from the car so the results never get recorded. They could have 200 fails in a row but they still officially have a 100% pass rate because none of the fails were recorded! If you look closely into the small print of people who claim 90% or 100% pass rates you will see many catches. They often only include people that went on to pass with them, saying that people who went elsewhere or quit don't count. Of course they do! They also often say 100% pass rate of those that passed, well what about the ones that failed? Many schools base pass rates on how many pupils eventually passed with them. Each pupil could have failed 4 times then passed but they still count that as a 100% rate because the pupil eventually passed. All this just shows how silly pass rates are, they can be manipulated and made up so easily that they aren't worth anything. Please don't be fooled.
"If i book a test then the instructor has to take me because I've paid for it." Wrong. It the responsibility of the person who books the test to provide a car, nobody else's. If an instructor refuses the use of their car for a test because you aren't ready, you booked it without telling them or for any reason, then you are not entitled to a refund and we do not have to take you on test. Your test may cost £62 or more but our cars cost £12,000+ and peoples lives are priceless. You can't just turn up and have a go for the sake of it.
"It's good to drive as slow as you can to show you're being careful" Driving too slowly and being too hesitant is the official number 1 reason that people fail tests. Driving slowly gives the impression that you don't know what you're doing and can't handle the car. You don't want to speed and be reckless but driving slowly will only result in you failing. You should drive as you normally do on lessons, don't change anything. If you are constantly stopping at give way lines and letting everyone else go first all the time then it can be dangerous and annoying to everyone around you.
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