Here at Universal Driving School of NJ, we want to make sure you are prepared to pass your driving test.

We have listed the fundamental things you should pay attention to during your driving lessons and when you take your road-test.

Below are the top ten reasons why people fail their road-test:

1. Observing at intersections – not carefully looking at the intersection, or making a poor decision based on your what you have seen.

You should always be alert and observe people and traffic around you. Always look to see what is coming from ALL directions. Ensure that you look to your RIGHT, then LEFT, and then RIGHT again, before continuing! During your driving lessons, your instructor should insist that you look at all directions at an intersection before proceeding. Don't forget to do it on your road-test!

2. Parallel Parking – not checking all your blind spots and failing to see oncoming traffic.

Don't just go through the motions of turning your head, because you think this is what your examiner expects. You must truly be fully aware of whats happening around you, especially when your vehicles front end swings out into the road as you drive towards the curb. Use your mirrors; turn your head to keep view the areas you cannot see in your mirrors. Be careful to watch for other cars; cyclists and pedestrians!

3. Using your car's mirrors – not observing whats going on around you often enough, or not correctly acting on what you have observed.

Remember, whether you are taking your road-test or as an experienced driver, be careful and use your mirrors to see whats going on around you. This could avoid an accident.

4. Turning a corner – poor observation or lack of control of your vehicle.

Many people taking their driving test do not see other vehicles approaching from behind them or on the road they are turning into. Or they turn too far out blocking and obstructing traffic. Hitting the curb is also very common. When you turn a corner go S-L-O-W-L-Y!

5. Misusing your signal light or forgetting to turn it off.

For example, leaving your left signal light on after you already pulled over to the left, then driving off with the left signal still blinking.

6. Safely Pulling Out – poor observation.

People fail the road test because they do not adequately look at their road-side blind spot before pulling the vehicle out and into traffic.

7. Not staying in your lane and driving into the wrong lane.

Be sure to stay in your lane and follow the appropriate lane when you make a turn.

8. Poor control of the vehicle.

This happens most when turning into sharp corners. If you do not have control, you may hit the curb. Many people lose full control of the wheel when they cross their arms. It is recommended to use the pull-push steering technique that you are shown during your driving lessons. This technique reduces the chance of losing control of your steering.

9. Wrong vehicle position for turning right – at the intersection or on a one-way street.

Many people learning to drive will tend to drive in the right lane of a one-way street. They forget that it is one-way and that you can use either lane on a one-way street!

10. Inappropriate speed – amazingly speeding on driving tests is still in the top ten reasons people fail.

Whether on a road test or when you have your license, respect the speed limit or you can have an accident or cause an accident. Drive at a speed that allows you to judge the situation and have complete control of your vehicle. This also applies to driving slowly all the time. One myth about the road test is that “if you drive slow, you’ll pass the test.” This is not true. Driving well under the speed limit could be just as dangerous as speeding.

With driving lessons from Universal Driving School of NJ, you’ll be fully prepared to take your road test!

If you have any questions please call us 973-773-1771