I guess I've heard plenty over the years, but I've tried to bring you the most common driving test myths:
Sunglasses
I can't wear sunglasses on my driving test because the examiner will not be able to see my eyes. The worry is, if you don't have your sunglasses you may not be able to see the road. Examiners are looking to see that you act on what you see. If you don't check your mirrors you cannot make the right decisions. So whether you wear your sunglasses, baseball cap it makes no difference to how the test is conducted.
Music
Can I have the radio on during my driving test?
It's your driving test and having music on during the test is purely down to you and no one else. The only point I would add is to make sure instructions can be heard and it does not distract you whilst driving.
Mirrors
Make sure you exaggerate your movements! This is often passed onto students from family and friends but its really not needed. If you are checking your mirrors correctly it's very clear to the driving examiner that you are looking. Exaggerating your movements just looks as though you are trying to put on a show.
Clothing
Whilst I would not suggest turning up for your driving test looking like you just come off a building site, the examiner is not there to judge what you are wearing. Just wear what you are comfortable with.
Hitting the Kerb
Hitting the kerb is an instant fail!
This is not true. Losing control of your vehicle is going to result in you receiving a fault on your driving test, but it does not mean an instance fail. Driving is not only about the problems we encounter but also about how we deal with them. You should aim to keep your vehicle under control at all times.
Stalling the Car
If I stall the vehicle I will fail my driving test! If you stall your vehicle how you cope with that is more important than the fact you stalled the car in the first place. We don't want to be doing it too often, but it does not mean you automatically fail your driving test. In itself stalling does not mean you have failed, but it the result of the stall causes risk then you may fail your test.
Pull Push Steering - You cannot cross your hands!
This is definitely one of the more common myths I hear about. Having control of your vehicle at all times is important whilst driving, how you steer and achieve this is entirely up to you. So if you prefer a rotational method or crossing your hands, where you place your vehicle is what's important.
Quotas
They only pass so many on a Friday or at the end of the month.
Quotas as they are often to referred to.
The DVSA follow very strict guidelines when it comes to delivery driving tests. In fact more and more measures are put in place to make sure everyone receives an equal driving test.
One of those measure is that all examiners need to fall within a certain limit of each other. In the profession this is referred to as a variance. This basically means if any examiner was passing or failing more/less students it would stand out like a sore thumb and they would be required to under go more training.
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