04/08/2026
👀 “EFFECTIVE OBSERVATIONS” 👀
Number 1 of the 10 top reasons for failing a driving test.
Not making effective observations at junctions
What you must be able to do
You must always:
make effective observations before moving into a new road
make sure it is safe before proceeding
Any mistakes you make in this area will be counted under the ‘Junctions - Observations’ fault on your driving test result.
These are some examples of mistakes that would count towards this fault.
Failing to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle
When you turn either left or right from a minor road, you make observations but fail to judge the speed of the approaching vehicle. You move off, forcing the vehicle to slow significantly.
Entering a roundabout with a vehicle approaching from the right
When you approach a roundabout, there’s a vehicle approaching from the right. You still enter the roundabout, causing the vehicle approaching to slow down.
Making no effective observations at all
When you emerge from a junction, you make no effective observations at all. This causes:
a vehicle approaching from either the left or right to do an emergency stop to avoid hitting you
the driving examiner to use the dual controls to brake
Making no observations when joining a dual carriageway from a slip road
When you’re on a slip road to join a dual carriageway, you enter the dual carriageway without making any observations, or you do not give way to the traffic on the main carriageway.
Going straight ahead at a crossroads
When you approach a crossroads, you do not recognise that it’s a junction. You emerge and cross the crossroads without making any observations to the right or left.
Looking too late
When you emerge from a junction, you look too late (either left or right) for the observations to be effective, as you’re already partly into the next road.
Repeatedly not looking left when turning left
Throughout the test, when you turn left from a minor road into a busier road, you do not make any effective observations to the left. This means you’re unaware of any parked vehicles, obstructions or other possible hazards.
