failing driving test question

[sanpellegrinoringadingding]

Please can you help clear up a heated discussion name changed though as pretty sure her mum is on here.

Daughters friend has unfortunately failed their driving test.

However, the friend is saying the only reason they failed is that someone else sounded their car horn at her (directed at the learner driver)

At the time this happened, the learner was in the left lane at a roundabout, with the intention of going straight on. A van came up on the right hand side lane and cut in ahead of the learner, and sounded his horn in annoyance.

The roundabout is new and has no road markings: you can only go left or straight on. (no right turn)

Would this be correct? Daughter fully believes this to be true, and google is no help.

How many lanes are on the road after the roundabout?
If it was just left or straight on then she should probably have been in the inside lane rather than the left hand to go straight across the roundabout

Sounds like she may have been in the wrong lane?

Thanks, just a single lane on the road after the roundabout. I thought that might be the case.....she was probably trying not to lose face with her mates

If only one lane afterwards then she should have approached from the inside lane
Left lane if turning left

Or she hesitated and held driver up.

there is no way you can fail your test if someone else sounds their horn at you? Daughter is adamant you can. Flipping hormonal teenagers!

Does the paperwork state the reason?

She should have got paperwork that listed the faults. Several minor faults can add up to a major fault

P.s. you should never speed up when the lights are changing to red

Sorry, I haven't seen any paperwork, only what DD has told me. I said I was pretty sure you can't fail your driving test by someone else sounding their horn at you.....

Did the driver sound the horn as she was in the wrong lane and she was in danger of hitting them as they both tried to exit the roundabout at the same time?

I thought your position was left to go left or straight ahead, anything 3rd exit onward your position is right. Unless the lanes are individually marked.

P.s. you should never speed up when the lights are changing to red @dementedpixie

@sanpellegrinoringadingding

there is no way you can fail your test if someone else sounds their horn at you? Daughter is adamant you can. Flipping hormonal teenagers!

I'm pretty sure 'other driver sounded horn' is not a major error, no - they are given a little tick sheet afterwards that shows how many major and minor errors they made and in what category. But if she over-reacted and panicked as a result of the horn sounding, slammed on her brakes in a dangerous fashion or got flustered and missed her exit or something, then yes potentially that could be grounds for failure (aside from potentially being in the wrong lane as others are saying) as unfortunately other drivers acting like dickheads is a feature of our roads and you need to be able to keep your head and continue to drive safely either way...

She was in the wrong lane and I think that was the reason for the fail.

Vans/ lorry drivers are a nightmare on the roads though. No patience and often blow their horn and undertake/ overtake at any given opportunity so it certainly didn’t help

@NorthernStarss

I thought your position was left to go left or straight ahead, anything 3rd exit onward your position is right. Unless the lanes are individually marked.

There was no 3rd exit so only straight ahead (into 1 lane) or left

Pretty sure the paperwork says something different

Sadly I think the argument may have to go unresolved

My son just failed in a similar situation pulled out on a roundabout and caused the other car to slow a little driver beeped. They said he failed as the beep meant he had interfered with someone else's driving so is an automatic fail which seemed a bit harsh to me.

@dementedpixie

Did the driver sound the horn as she was in the wrong lane and she was in danger of hitting them as they both tried to exit the roundabout at the same time?

That would be an entirely reasonable use of his horn, that's what it is for "Warning, I am here"

It sounds as though she was in the wrong lane and worried another road user, who was in the correct lane. An automatic fail, even without any other vehicle involved, I think.

They said he failed as the beep meant he had interfered with someone else's driving so is an automatic fail which seemed a bit harsh to me. Causing another road user to have to slow down and/or avoid you is an auotmatic fail - and the examiner would have noticed even if the other car hadn't beeped, that's their job!

Did the driver sound the horn as she was in the wrong lane and she was in danger of hitting them as they both tried to exit the roundabout at the same time?

The road is unmarked at the moment, as it is a new roundabout to a housing estate - reply to @dementedpixie (sorry, missed it earlier)

You don't fail because of something someone else did. The reactions of other drivers is irrelevant. It's your driving being assessed, not people's reactions to it.

Just say oh dear that’s a shame better luck next time. Not worth falling out over.

The road is unmarked at the moment, as it is a new roundabout to a housing estate Just tell her to make sure she re-reads the bit of the Highway Code that deals with entering and exiting roundabouts.

A lack of road markings should make no difference to how you navigate a roundabout.

Interesting that others are saying she should have been in the inside lane to go straight ahead. There is a similar roundabout near us and my sons driving instructor told him the right hand lane was only for heading back the way you cam on the roundabout, and the outside lane should be used for left and straight ahead. Obviously that is not how anyone drives it in real life.

It also has no marked lanes or arrows on the road.