Lee's Driver Training

Mock Test Faults Explanation


Use the following fault giude in conjucntion with your Mock Test sheet to understand the faults marked.

A pass is achieved when you receive less than 16 minor faults and no serious or dangerous faults are recorded.

You will be unsuccessful if you receive 16 or more minor faults and/or receive one or more serious or dangerous faults


Minor faults - When you as the driver have done something, or failed to do something that you are required to do by the Highway Code but that didn't cause any real problems for you or other drivers around you.  An example may be stalling at a red traffic light once it turns green,  as you are already stationary you haven't caused anyone to stop quick, but you have caused a slight inconvenience by stalling and delaying traffic for 30 seconds or so.

A Serious fault - Is where there is potentional danger to either yourself or other road users.  An example would be you are turning right into a side road and you cut the corner but were unable to see into the road before hand due to houses/fences/trees/walls/bushes etc.  Therefore you were unable to see if there was a vehicle already in the lane coming towards us.  Even if there is no vehicles there, as you could not see before hand you took a risk and so there was potentional danger - this will result in a failure.

A Dangerous fault - Using the same example above from a Serious fault, this time you cut the corner and this time there IS a vehicle coming towards us that has to slam on its breaks to avoid hitting us, or you have to take evasive action to avoid hitting the other vehicle. Your actions were dangerous and this would result in a failure.

Reversing Manoeuvres - The two areas marked for manoeuvres are Observation and Control,  To receive a fault here would mean that you failed to carry out sufficient observations before and during the manoeuvre by checking mirrors and blindspots and looking over your shoulder out of the back window.  If you fail to control the vehicle by mounting the kerb, hitting the kerb hard or unable to position the vehicle correctly for example close to the kerb during the parrallel park exercise you will receive the fault of control.

Emergency Stop - The two areas being marked here are Promptness and Control.  You will receive a fault if you do not bring the vehicle to a stop quickly enough as in an emergency.  You will receive a control fault if your vehicle veers across the road in an uncontrolled manner whilst stopping.

Cockpit Drill - You will receive a fault here if you do not carry out your full cockpit drill before moving off.  Examples would be failing to put on your seatbelt, incorrectly adjusted head restraint or mirrors etc.

Move Off - You will receive a fault here if you either fail to carry out the six point mirrors and blindspot checks before pulling off from the side of the road, or you fail to act on what you can see from the mirros or you fail to control your clutch correctly and "bunny hop" down the road or you pull out in front of an oncoming vehicle.

Controls - You will receive a fault here if you do not use controls correctly.  An example may be releasing the clutch pedal too quickly which results in the car lurching forwards each time you change gear which would damage the clutch/gears over time and be uncomfortable for your passengers.  Being in the wrong gear which results in a stall etc.  Under or over steering etc.

Use Of Mirrors - You will receive a fault here if you fail to check your mirrors BEFORE you apply a signal, change direction (including things like going around a bus or a pothole or a cyclist etc) or BEFORE you brake or change speed.

Use of Signals - You will receive a fault here if you fail to use a signal to warn over road users of your intentions when there was a need to do so.  You will pick up a fault if you fail to use a signal when it is necessary (someone to benefit from it) You fail to time your signal correctly (too early or too late) Or you signal incorrectly, signal left then turn right etc.

Clearance To Obstructions - You will receive a fault here if you fail to leave enough safety room when passing parked vehicles, passing cyclists or other stationary objects such as a skip that has been left on the road.

Response To (things that are going on around you) - You will receive a fault here if you fail to take notice of things going on around you such as road signs (no entry), road markings, traffic lights (stop at red lights and amber if safe to do so), other road users (pedestrian crossing the road), traffic controllers (road works stop go boards, police officers, 'loppy pop' crossing control person etc)

Use of Speed - You will receive a fault here if you fail to use speed appropriately.  For example the speed limit may be 30mph but there are lots of parked cars either side of the road outside a school. In this case you should slow down to a suitable speed for the conditions and not just assume that because it is 30mph it is ok to do 30mph.

Following Distance - You will receive a fault here if you drive too closely to the vehicle in front of you (not allowing a safe stopping distance) or you stop too close to the vehicle in front whilst in traffic, not allowing for unforeseen situations like an emergency vehicle behind and therefore becoming pinned in.

Progress - You will receive a fault here if you don't drive at an appropriate speed.  For example you are in a 30mph area and then the speed limit rises to 40mph and you fail to pick up your speed (make progress) when there is no reason not to do so ( clear day with good visibility, light traffic and no obstructions) Or you are too hesitant and fail to pull out of a jucntion where there was clearly enough time to do so.  This is based on "reasonableness" - if another driver in your situation would have pulled out into a suitable gap but you failed to do so due to fear or uncertainty then you will pick up a fault for hesitation.

Junctions - You will receive a fault here if you approach the junction too fast, do not take adequate observations, if there is a problem with your right or left turn or if you cut the corner.

Judgement - You will recieve a fault here if you make a bad judgement (again based on reasonableness above) when overtaking for example a cyclist or a tractor by not leaving enough time or taking a risk, by failing to observe priorities when meeting over traffic or misjuding the time and distance of oncoming vehicles when turning right into a side ride or emerging from junctions.

Position - You will receive a fault here if you are too close to the centre line, or to the kerb or straddle multiple lanes when normal driving.  Or you uneccessarily keep changing lanes when in multilples lanes of traffic.

Position Stopping - You will receive a fault here if you stop in a place that is not Safe Legal and Convenient, such as on double yellows lines, across people's drive ways, on school yellow zigag lines etc or park in a place that affects the flow of traffic such as parking oppopsite another parked vehicle on a narrow road.

Pedestrian Crossings - You will receive a fault here if you fail to stop at a Zebra or light controlled pedestrian crossing when a pedestrian is present and trying to cross.

Awareness/Planning - You will receive a fault here if you drive in a manner than does not demonstrate that you are planning and anticipating the actions of other road users or signals etc.  For example failing to slow down in time when you reach a 30mph sign and so end up speeding.  Fail to notice another vehcle indicating to change lanes in front of us, or failing to get into the appropriate lane to a turn or junction after road signs or road markings are clearly indicating that you need to do so.

Ancillary Controls - You will receive a fault here if you fail to use in good time any ancillary controls that may needed, for example turning on the window wipers when it starts to rain, or not activating the heated front or rear windscreens after it steams up and is making it had to see.

Eco Driving - You will receive a fault here if you are not in the appropriate gear for the speed we are traveling at which makes the engine labour which in turn uses more fuel and as the engine is labouring and not efficient means we are polluting more.

Action Taken - You will receive a mark in the Verbal or Physical boxes if the Examiner has to take action by verbally telling you to do something when you should have taken the action yourself, for example telling you not to go through a no entry sign.  Physycally would be when the examiner has to grab the steering wheel to avoid a collision or use the dual controls to stop the vehicle from being involved in a collision or for example from going through red traffic light etc.