Driving Test..... too harsh?

[falcon_bandit]

***Warning - mindless ranting **

Daughter been learning to drive for the last 16 months, and after a ridiculous 6 week wait for the first available appointment, she was excited to boss the test and finally get her licence.

Everything was ticked off the list during the drive as successful, then when the test was about to conclude she was made to drive to a specific location out of town down a road in which she made a single "critical" error, and therefore failed the test.

The error was not scanning enough while driving through an "uncontrolled intersection" which means there are no give way or stop signs. From what she tells me, she was already only doing 45kph, there where no cars to be seen, so she continued through.

My issue isnt giving way to the right at an uncontrolled intersection, but rather, the expectation to slam the brakes to a near stop at every intersection to thoroughly scan around the corner of the opposing road to see if they have in fact any signs or not to make a judement if it is in fact an "uncontrolled intersection".

I would not be surprised if this part of the road is the instructors favourite trick to have young people pay twice for their licence. (tin foil hat is on!!)

Even then i could deal with that fact, other than, being able to book the next day after the first fail is a fairytale, as the next available booking is another 4 weeks away, which makes me wonder how critical was that error?? Should it have been a minor error, followed by a stern lecture?

[.:4:.]

There were no give way signs so backing off and slowing but not stopping but hovering over the brakes whilst having a Bo peep is probably what your daughter did like most people. If it's because she didn't check her mirrors or blind spot that's just moronic. It looks like a straight toad.

[roKWiz]

Sorry but I agree with the tester to fail her. It might save hers and someone else life one day.

[comfortablynumb]

Looks like a well used trap to me.

Yup.....got another one.

It's a test. She fell for it. Learn and move on.

[marty351]

Was she driving a Camry?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

image

If that's the intersection in question I'd have to agree with the tester.

Very hard to see anything coming from either direction due to the bushes, especially if the other car was driving over the limit.

[Franco Cozzo]

I'm surprised they didn't fail me on my driving test, I was doing 20km/h over the speed limit at one point, didn't indicate on one turn and apparently going 'too fast' over speed bumps.

First time I ever saw traffic lights was in my driving test, I'd been continually doing all my hours just on country highways

[stock1991]

I was going to comment then I thought wonder if id pass, strict evaluation

[marcyeo]

Prediction is all part of driving - and though it IS a little harsh to fail your daughter, in the real world, I admit I get extremely peeved at drivers that stop at every single intersection and look right, then left, then right again, then drive on - when clearly there's no car in sight.

Example is roundabouts when in clear view there is no car approaching from the right - slow down, but coast on through without the need to stop! When even I as the 2nd/3rd car from the front can see that there's not a car in sight - why stop?

Prediction is all a part of being a good driver - and if approaching an intersection even from 50m away I am scanning to ensure there's no cars approaching on either side, so that efficiency of driving - meaning not needing to use brakes as often, a smoother ride for the passengers and yourself, efficiency of fuel to reduce accelerating from a stop, courtesy to drivers behind you not needing to slam on the brakes and also cutting down time on the road/journey is all part of being a courteous, safe and good driver IMO.

It is obviously written in the road rules that you need to stop at every intersection/roundabout and stop sign regardless or posted or not... so I guess they're just going by the book - but still seems excessive - or as everyone has commented already - a trap for young players..

[Iggle Piggle]

Failing to 'cover the brake' going through a cross road was an instant fail in late 80's in SA when got my licence. My bro failed due to this within 5 minutes of starting his test. I was 18 months younger so knew about this 'trap' when I did my test.

Failing is an effective way to learn something...a great way to teach someone to duck or block a punch is to punch them in the face. It's like that saying that the best way to remember your wedding anniversary is to forget it once...you will never forget it again.

[Feathers]

Many of the old RMS test centres had a stop sign at the boundary of the car park, which a lot of people didn't notice. They'd cross the footpath and then stop, rather than stopping before the footpath, and again before entering the road. Failed their test before it even began.

[Lunch]

Personally I think it's the local government that is to blame, what type of town has intersections on sealed roads without signs!?

[aussiblue]

In WA at least it usually one mistake however trivial and you are failed. And most people fail there first test. So par for the course.

[Raptor]

Isn't the real issue that there are not enough available slots for the test?

A 6 week wait initially than another 4 week wait if you were to fail is ridiculous

I doubt we'd be focused on the subject of the fail if you could book in a reasonable time (a week or two) and then be retested within the week after a fail. Than it would all be considered reasonable IMHO.

Let's not excuse a mistake just because they aren't offering enough opportunity for testing.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

In WA at least it usually one mistake however trivial and you are failed. And most people fail there first test. So par for the course.

Brother lives south of Perth, had his brother-in-law (driving instructor) over for a BBQ and just before he left my brother asked him if he had a busy day tomorrow, to which he replied, "not really, got 3 first timers to fail then it's of to the golf course" i kid you not...

[falcon_bandit]

every reply here is spot on. Its good its created a little discussion

Originally Posted by Raptor

Isn't the real issue that there are not enough available slots for the test?

A 6 week wait initially than another 4 week wait if you were to fail is ridiculous

I doubt we'd be focused on the subject of the fail if you could book in a reasonable time (a week or two) and then be retested within the week after a fail. Than it would all be considered reasonable IMHO. Let's not excuse a mistake just because they aren't offering enough opportunity for testing.

Thats pretty much it. However I'd like to think sometimes textbook answers need to make way for cases by case responses. I made her learn for far longer than that was needed, and the tester is well aware of the extended waiting times for repeat tests. The lady said "dont worry youve learned something today so all good." Cant help but think, if the tester had considered she aced everything else, and then fallen for that trap, why not pull her over & give her a talk on what needed to be done, and let her learn something that day......... instead with the 4 week wait it feels like more of a punishment & shes a menace that needs to be kept off the roads.

The way half of us drive on here, i could think of worse things lol.......

[Mercury Bullet]

Sign of the times in this politically correct world. I don't blame the tester.

When I got my license I didn't even sit a test, plod knew we had been driving for years and said you know how to drive, handed over the cash and walked out with a piece of paper.

[Iggle Piggle]

Back when I got my licence there was no minimum time or hours on your L plates and only 12 months on your P's (just one type of P plate - red).

L's was a written (multiple choice) test. 40 questions, 5 of which were an instant fail if you got them wrong (which car has right of way in different scenarios), the rest you could get up to 5 wrong...one question I remember was "what does a Dip sign mean" - dip in the road ahead, dip your headlights, or dip your head (I remember thinking WTF at that third one, isn't that low bridge).

Was younger than my mates and knew that when you rang to book your P test the earliest would be 3 months later, so I booked my P test 3 months before my 16th birthday. They weren't happy but there was no requisite to have your L's to book a P test, you just had to have your L's when you undertook the P test, so they had to book it in. Got my L's on 16th birthday, passed my P's 2 days later, so at the age of 17 years and 2 days I had a full licence and could have legally blown up to .08 (limit at the time in SA) except for the fact i was still under the legal age to drink.

And I thought I had it hard compared to elder sister who got hers in the country - single cop town, drive him out to the 4-mile (cross road 4 miles out of town), chuck a U-turn, head back to town and diagonal park between no cars in front of cop shop, then have cup of tea while he typed it up.

Bit differnt to today's requirements

[roKWiz]

I still believe in these OH&S times why are parents/relatives still teaching their children to drive anyway.
There's plenty of threads here commenting on bad driving etc but aren't we just passing down our bad habits to newer generations.
At least driving schools have qualifications to teach this stuff.
On the waiting times for testing I guess its just a sign of the times, everything takes 4 times longer now.

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

***Warning - mindless ranting **

Daughter been learning to drive for the last 16 months, and after a ridiculous 6 week wait for the first available appointment, she was excited to boss the test and finally get her licence.

Everything was ticked off the list during the drive as successful, then when the test was about to conclude she was made to drive to a specific location out of town down a road in which she made a single "critical" error, and therefore failed the test.

The error was not scanning enough while driving through an "uncontrolled intersection" which means there are no give way or stop signs. From what she tells me, she was already only doing 45kph, there where no cars to be seen, so she continued through.

My issue isnt giving way to the right at an uncontrolled intersection, but rather, the expectation to slam the brakes to a near stop at every intersection to thoroughly scan around the corner of the opposing road to see if they have in fact any signs or not to make a judement if it is in fact an "uncontrolled intersection".

I would not be surprised if this part of the road is the instructors favourite trick to have young people pay twice for their licence. (tin foil hat is on!!)

Even then i could deal with that fact, other than, being able to book the next day after the first fail is a fairytale, as the next available booking is another 4 weeks away, which makes me wonder how critical was that error?? Should it have been a minor error, followed by a stern lecture?

image

Unfortunately some of the testers will look for a significant amount of head movement in order to establish a check of the intersection but as most of us know we can use our peripheral vision quite successfully for this. Probably just a hard luck story.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by NTF6

most of us know we can use our peripheral vision quite successfully for this.

It's a pity more people walking and staring at their phone didn't use it.

[bc47]

Originally Posted by NTF6

Unfortunately some of the testers will look for a significant amount of head movement in order to establish a check of the intersection but as most of us know we can use our peripheral vision quite successfully for this. Probably just a hard luck story.

this. i know when i sat my test, i was warned about a similar thing for using your mirrors, i moved all mine slightly out of position so i had to move my head a little in order to use them before changing lanes. made it that little bit harder to drive/see safely, but there was no way i was failing due to impropper head check

[Ben73]

I didn't even know these sort of intersections still existed.
If I were her I would make it quite obvious you are doing a decent look. Brake and do and obvious head check. Not just turning her eyes while keeping her head pretty straight.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I didn't even know these sort of intersections still existed.
If I were her I would make it quite obvious you are doing a decent look. Brake and do and obvious head check. Not just turning her eyes while keeping her head pretty straight.

Quite a few of rural Qld towns have residential streets like that.

[wodahs]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I still believe in these OH&S times why are parents/relatives still teaching their children to drive anyway.
There's plenty of threads here commenting on bad driving etc but aren't we just passing down our bad habits to newer generations.
At least driving schools have qualifications to teach this stuff.
On the waiting times for testing I guess its just a sign of the times, everything takes 4 times longer now.

I tend to agree with this to the most part but to me what I see with driving schools ~ their like backyard mechanics that recon they know what they are doing but ........ , being on the road a lot my self and driving high tonnage triples or floats or the rest of the trucking biz I get to operate I cant believe how some of these drive when their in the car on their own or when their not what they let their students get away with
and as I see it there is not set thing they have to learn but the bare basics to ne on the road let alone be there with others - and that would start me off on another tangent

[falcon_bandit]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

At least driving schools have qualifications to teach this stuff.

her first initial time on the road was the worst $350 i ever spent.....apparently i was paying him to talk about where all the tamagochi's were

the rest of the lessons were by me. Probably will just stop there, as it was a little stressful, moreso for my daughter!!

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by falcon_bandit

her first initial time on the road was the worst $350 i ever spent.....apparently i was paying him to talk about where all the tamagochi's were

the rest of the lessons were by me. Probably will just stop there, as it was a little stressful

I kind of dread the day I have to teach my son to drive. Yeah he is only 8 right now but the lack of interest in anything that's not a touch screen is something that concerns me. I missed the no green p plates thing by only a few months. That sucked. 0.2 booze limit till I was 20. It was my age that created that issue. I signed off on my what turned out to be but we don't get along now wifes log book as a p plater and somehow that worked. It's not 2005 anymore so I doubt that would work. What I can see from alot of the younger people I work with and I see it with my son all the time is it's not lack of focus. Its lack of spacial awareness. By that I mean the task at hand can have full focus but it's like a race horse with blinkers on. Anything happening around the focus point gets missed. I started young. When I was 12 I used to run my brother up the street for smokes when he was too far gone to drive. Yes it was stupid but so was I at 12. But at that age your brain is a sponge and you absorb things. I'm not saying throw kids in cars, quite the contrary. But maybe, just maybe explain things before it's the time to learn the physical aspect of driving so maybe things said prior have sunk in. My dad used to alway say to me as a kid on main roads indicate before you start looking for gaps to change lanes. His logic was if someone sees the indicator and leaves space when you look and see the gap then you can move in. That stuck with me as opposed to finding a gap then indicating and moving over on a person when they may not have known you were about to do that.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I didn't even know these sort of intersections still existed..

You better have a look around your Newcastle region as there are quite a few.

[roKWiz]

I learnt a valuable lesson from my ol man one night when he was turning right from a busy road with no turn lane. He had his steering turned towards the road he wanted to turn into when we were hit from behind a pushed into oncoming traffic.
Since then I always keep the vehicle straight to the road I'm in when turning.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I learnt a valuable lesson from my ol man one night when he was turning right from a busy road with no turn lane. He had his steering turned towards the road he wanted to turn into when we were hit from behind a pushed into oncoming traffic.
Since then I always keep the vehicle straight to the road I'm in when turning.

I have never experienced it but was always told for just that reason to keep the wheels straight untill your in motion. For the reason you don't want to be pushed into on coming traffic.