Key points
- 'Junctions: observation' is on the DVSA's list of the most common reasons for failing.
- Most junction faults start fifty metres earlier: approach speed.
- Drill: Slow-down-early drill.
- Your DriveSQ Student Portal tracks this skill lesson by lesson.
Not looking properly at junctions has been the single most common reason for failing the driving test for years. It's rarely that learners don't look β it's that they look too late, too quickly, or without actually seeing what's coming.
What the examiner is looking for
The examiner watches whether you take effective observation before emerging or turning: looking in all directions, at the right time, for long enough to judge speed and distance β and whether you then act on what you saw.
What it looks like on test
- Emerging into the path of a vehicle you didn't see, or misjudged.
- Looking right but not left (or not re-checking right) at a crossroads.
- Arriving so fast that there's no time to look before you have to decide.
- Looking at a junction with parked cars blocking the view but not edging forward to see more.
- Missing a cyclist or motorcyclist β smaller and easier to lose behind a pillar or parked van.
Why it happens
Most junction faults start fifty metres earlier: approach speed. If you arrive at 20mph, your head has to do everything in a second. If you arrive at walking pace, there's time to look twice.
How to fix it: drills we use
Slow-down-early drill
On lessons, call out 'junction ahead' and be at the speed you'd take the turn by the time you're three car lengths away.
Look-twice rule
Right, left, right again β and at a restricted junction, a fourth look after you've crept forward.
Name what you see
Say aloud 'blue van, 30mph, too close' β it forces your brain to process, not just glance.
Creep and peep
At blind junctions, inch forward with clutch control until you can see, then decide.
Where it catches learners in Greater Manchester
Narrow streets lined with parked cars around Cheetham Hill and West Didsbury; busy town-centre junctions in Bury and Rochdale; lorries pulling out near Bredbury and Bolton. Our test-route guides list the exact roads.
Self-check before your test
Can you tick all of these?
Be honest β if not, tell your instructor and practise it on your next lesson.
In the DriveSQ Student Portal your instructor marks "Junctions: observation" as its own skill after each lesson, so you can watch it move from "introduced" to "independent" before you book.
DriveSQ Student Portal
Every SQ Driving School learner gets the DriveSQ Student Portal free β so you always know where you stand, not just how many hours you've had.
- 23 driving skills tracked after every lesson
- Theory library and 50-question mock tests
- Test-readiness checklist and instructor messaging
Why SQ Driving School?
SQ Driving School is owned and managed by DriveSQ β the Greater Manchester driving school behind the Student and Instructor Portals.
- Manual & automatic, same price: Β£35/hr
- 10 hours Β£350 β Β£320 for NHS staff, students and M16/M18/M19
- Door-to-door pick-up across Greater Manchester
Frequently asked questions
Is observation at junctions a common reason for failing the driving test?
Is a junctions: observation fault always a fail?
How do I stop making observation at junctions mistakes?
How many minor faults can you have and still pass?
Sources
- GOV.UK β Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test
- GOV.UK β DVSA reveals top driving test faults
- GOV.UK β What happens during the driving test
- The Highway Code (GOV.UK)
- Highway Code β Rules 170β183, road junctions
Published by SQ Driving School, a brand owned and managed by DriveSQ. Checked on 16 October 2026. Rules, fees and test centres change β always confirm on GOV.UK before you book.