Driving Test Australia

Can driving too close to the kerb fail your driving test? In this mock driving test, the driver gets too close to the kerb and the examiner has to intervene. The unsafe road position results in a fail.

Keeping left doesn’t mean hugging the kerb. You need to maintain a safe position within your lane, with enough clearance from the edge of the road. Getting too close leaves little room for small steering errors and increases the risk of striking the kerb.

Look well ahead along your intended path instead of focusing only on the kerb immediately beside you. Keep your steering smooth and your speed controlled so you can recognise and correct your position early. Any adjustment should also account for surrounding traffic and the space available.
This video highlights why road positioning matters throughout your drive. Maintaining safe clearance gives you more room to respond and helps prevent a situation where the examiner needs to step in.

Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.

How much space should you leave when passing parked cars? During Luke’s mock driving test, he drives so close to parked vehicles that the examiner has to intervene. In this case, the unsafe clearance results in a fail.
Leave at least a car door’s width of space when passing parked cars wherever possible, and allow more room when needed. Someone could open a door or step out from between vehicles, so simply getting past without touching a car isn’t enough.

Look ahead and plan your position early. Check surrounding traffic before moving sideways to create clearance, and keep your speed controlled. If the road is too narrow to pass safely alongside oncoming traffic, slow down and wait for enough space rather than squeezing through.

Luke’s mistake shows why judging clearance is an essential part of safe driving. Watch the gap beside your car and respond before the situation requires the examiner to step in.
Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.

A U-turn isn’t complete just because your car is facing the opposite direction. You also need to finish on the correct side of the road. During Luke’s mock driving test, he performs a U-turn at a residential T-intersection but ends up on the wrong side, resulting in a fail.

For the road layout shown in this video, use the available space around the corners rather than cutting the turn short. Plan the path of the whole manoeuvre, including where your car needs to finish. Your final position should put you on the left side of the road, ready to continue safely.

Keep your speed slow and controlled so you have time to steer accurately and observe your surroundings. Look towards your intended finishing position while continuing to check for other road users. Focusing only on getting the car around can make it easy to overlook where you’re heading.

Watch Luke’s U-turn to see why planning your path and finishing position matters when practising driving test manoeuvres.
Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.

If the speed limit is 50 km/h, shouldn’t you drive at 50? Not necessarily. You need to choose a speed that suits the conditions, rather than automatically trying to reach the limit.

Where the default 50 km/h limit applies in a built-up area, you don’t need to see a speed sign for that limit to be in effect. However, it’s the maximum permitted speed, not a speed you must maintain regardless of what’s happening around you.

Narrow streets, parked cars, pedestrians, poor visibility and wet weather can all mean you need to slow down. Keep looking ahead and adjust your speed early so you have time and space to respond safely.

When preparing for your driving test, practise judging an appropriate speed alongside recognising the speed limit. The aim is to make safe progress with your speed controlled and suited to the road conditions. Don’t feel you have to reach 50 simply because that’s the limit.

Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.

Moving from driving on the right in China to driving on the left in Australia takes practice. In this video, Luke positions his car at an intersection as he would back in China, leaving him on the wrong side of the road.

Luke’s limited Australian driving experience means he’s still adjusting to the change. Knowing which side to drive on is one thing, but consistently applying that knowledge at intersections can be challenging when familiar habits take over.

For overseas drivers learning to drive in Australia, this is a reminder to pay attention to road positioning as well as signs and traffic. As you approach an intersection, look ahead and identify where your car needs to be before, during and after the turn. Avoid relying on the position that feels familiar from driving in another country.

Building experience through supervised practice across different road layouts can help make driving on the left feel more natural. Watch Luke’s positioning in this video to see how an old habit can lead to a serious mistake.

Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.

What should you do if you miss a turn during your driving test? Luke is asked to turn right at the first road, but he misses it. By the time he realises, it’s too late to make the turn safely. The best response is to stay calm and say, “Sorry, I missed it.”

When the examiner asks you to take the first road on the right, start looking ahead for that road while continuing to observe traffic, signs and other hazards. Identifying the turn early gives you time to prepare your position, complete your checks and signal appropriately.

In Luke’s mock test, missing the road is marked as a minor driving error for poor observation. Trying to rescue the turn with sudden braking or steering could create a much more serious situation. Don’t attempt to follow the original instruction at the expense of safety.

If you’ve missed the turn, continue driving safely and let the examiner give you further directions. Keep your attention on what’s happening next instead of dwelling on the mistake. Those four words acknowledge what happened and let you focus on the rest of your drive.

Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.

Where should you enter a right-turn lane during your driving test? In this video, a moment of confusion leads us to enter the turning lane by crossing the solid line instead of entering through the broken-line section. This results in a markdown during the mock driving test.

For the road layout shown here, prepare early and enter the right-turn lane from the beginning of the broken line when it’s safe. Waiting too long can leave you alongside the solid-line section, having missed the intended entry point.

Look ahead, identify where the turning lane begins, and complete your mirror checks, signal and shoulder check before moving across. Planning ahead gives you time to check surrounding traffic and enter the lane smoothly, without rushing or making a sudden sideways movement.

This video shows the correct entry point alongside the mistake, helping you recognise what to look for when approaching a similar right-turn lane. Getting into the correct lane matters, but so does how you enter it.

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When should you indicate when two lanes become one at a FORM 1 LANE sign? In this video, Luke is merging from the left, but he doesn’t indicate right until he’s already halfway across. His signal comes too late, earning him a markdown during the mock driving test.

In this situation, the correct preparation needs to happen before the car starts moving sideways. Check your rear-view and right mirrors, indicate right, and check your right blind spot with a shoulder check. When it’s safe, gradually move towards the centre of the single lane.
Your indicator helps other drivers understand what you’re about to do.

If you only signal after you’ve started moving across, you haven’t given them advance warning. Turning the indicator on eventually doesn’t make the timing correct.

Look ahead for signs and changes in the road layout so you have time to prepare. Keep your speed controlled, observe the traffic around you, and complete your checks and signal before beginning the sideways movement.

Watch more driving test tips, mock driving tests, and Australian road rule videos to help you become a safer driver and pass your driving test with confidence.