Driving Test Appeal??

elfieb

May be risking a bashing here, but here goes....;)

I had my driving test today, everything going smoothly, until the examiner routed me down a narrow country lane. There was traffic on both side of the road, and due to how narrow the road was, I had the choice of the left hand side of my car brushing against some overgrown shrubs and bushes, or risk my wing mirror being hit on the right side. I opted to go for the shrubs and bushes, and to my amazement, I was failed for driving too close to the kerb!! You couldnt see the kerb due to the overgrown hedgerow!!
I only had 3 minor faults, would have passed had "shrub-gate" not occured.

I have been through the disappointment, upset and foolish stages, but now I feel more than a little "miffed"!

Do I have any grounds to appeal.......I know it wont overturn the desicion, and essentially it is just your word against the examiners, but both myself and my driving instructor really couldnt believe the result.

I have already booked in my retest (another £62), but not until September

Is an appeal worth it? Anyone have any experience?

red_eye

as i found ou it is his word agenst yours and they are not very helpful when you go in to talk to some one. The garden knome lookalike I had told me to take 1st exit on the rounderbout and failed me for being in the wrong lane for 3rd exit.

what is the point in the appeal no one can prove a thing.

Strider590

Around where I live, the test centre is only allowed to pass a certain number per day..... So we all knew that if we had an afternoon test, we'd fail.

Appeal would be pointless.

kriss_boy

Strider590 wrote: »

Around where I live, the test centre is only allowed to pass a certain number per day..... So we all knew that if we had an afternoon test, we'd fail.

Appeal would be pointless.

And you really believe that.... dear oh dear...

Sandoval

Strider590 wrote: »

Around where I live, the test centre is only allowed to pass a certain number per day..... So we all knew that if we had an afternoon test, we'd fail.

Appeal would be pointless.

What a load of rubbish.

Repeated throughout the entire country by people who fail their driving tests along with 'the best people pass second time'...

A test centre has twenty perfect drives from candidates on a particular day and has to fail a few of them for nothing at all in order to meet some sort of quota.

Of course they do sweetheart...

But if this sort of imaginary drivel makes you feel better about failing your driving test one afternoon then more power to you I suppose.

Hammyman

elfieb wrote: »

Do I have any grounds to appeal.......

On what grounds, the fact you weren't taken on a test route and was directed down a road which was a little bit tricky? You are supposed to be at a minimum standard to drive on all types of road (motorway excluded) to pass the test.

mikey72

If you don't think it fair, appeal.
If he is a poor examiner, he's going to eventually have so many appeals stacked up someone will look at him.

pcombo

You failed deal with it. Maybe you will pass next time.

olly300

Not worth appealing.

Your best bet is to ask your instructor to sit in the back of your car for your next test if they have heard that the examiner has a few "strange" practises.

Instructors sit and talk to each other while waiting.

elfieb

Hammyman wrote: »

On what grounds, the fact you weren't taken on a test route and was directed down a road which was a little bit tricky? You are supposed to be at a minimum standard to drive on all types of road (motorway excluded) to pass the test.

It had nothing to do with my ability to drive......it was a simple choice of do I allow my wing mirror to be hit, or possibly have a few branches brush the side of the car?

Have been back to the scene of the incident tonight with my boyfriend, and he agrees that it was a very unfair decision. We watched a number of cars, who like me during my test had to brush the hedgerow in order to get past. He also pointed something out to me, that I was unaware of at the time, it was nearing a "blind" bend in the road.....had I been positioned more to the centre of the road, as the examiner obviously wanted me to be, I would have been at even further risk of being hit!

vaio

I tend to think they form an opinion of whether you are safe to get out on your own and then depending on that opinion mark the individual items more or less strictly.

If he felt you weren’t safe then you were going to fail, if it hadn’t been that curb he’d have found something else.

I’d put it behind you, keep practicing and good luck in September (which seems ages away, could you not get anything sooner?)