Every Test Fails You For This? The Serious Risk Of Not Indicating On Your Driving Test
If you have ever failed a driving test — or come close to failing — there is a strong chance insufficient indicating was part of the problem.
Many learners believe forgetting to indicate is a small mistake. Others assume it only matters when traffic is present. In reality, failing to indicate correctly is one of the fastest ways to fail a practical driving assessment in Western Australia, especially during manoeuvres such as turning right into a driveway or completing the Left Something Behind exercise.
This article explains why assessors treat this so seriously, how accidents actually happen in these situations, and what you must demonstrate on test day.
Indicators Are Not a Formality
Indicators are not a courtesy. They are a legal communication tool that tells other road users what you intend to do before you do it.
When you indicate late — or not at all — other drivers are forced to guess your intentions. That uncertainty is exactly what causes crashes.
On a driving test, assessors are not judging whether your manoeuvre “worked out.” They are judging whether you demonstrated safe decision-making and clear communication.
If your indicator is late, your decision-making is already unsafe.
Why Assessors Fail This Instantly
Consider this common situation:
You are travelling along a two-way residential street at 30–40 km/h. You plan to turn right into a driveway to perform a three-point turn.
If you:
- Slow down first
- Indicate late
- Or forget to indicate
A vehicle behind you may reasonably assume you are continuing straight and begin to overtake.
Now you turn right.
That is a classic side-impact collision scenario.
Even if there was no car behind you at the time, assessors do not assess based on luck. They assess whether your actions could have created danger.
That is why assessors fail candidates on insufficient signalling even when the road appears quiet.
“But There Was No Traffic” Is Not a Defence
Many candidates argue:
“There was nobody there, so it shouldn’t matter.”
On a driving test, this argument does not hold.
The test is about proving you:
- Consistently apply safe procedures
- Understand road rules
- Can be trusted to make correct decisions
Not indicating shows a gap in understanding of your obligations — and that alone is enough to fail.
The Most Common Fail Scenario
During Left Something Behind or driveway three-point turns, assessors frequently fail candidates for:
- Indicating after braking
- Indicating only as they begin turning
- Forgetting to indicate altogether
Correct sequence:
- Mirror check
- Indicator ON
- Brief pause
- Gradual braking
- Position and turn
This sequence shows planning, awareness, and communication.
Anything else suggests impulsive or unsafe driving.
Low Speed Does NOT Mean Low Risk
Some learners think:
“It’s only 30 km/h, so it’s not dangerous.”
Most urban crashes happen at low to moderate speeds.
At 40 km/h, a vehicle covers over 11 metres per second.
That means:
- A car behind you can reach your position very quickly
- A misjudgement of even one second matters
Assessors know this. That is why low-speed mistakes are not treated lightly.
Indicating Creates Your Right of Way
When you indicate right early and correctly:
- Drivers behind are required to slow down
- Drivers from the opposite direction can assess your intention
When you do not indicate:
- You have not created any expectation
- You cannot assume others will yield
From an assessor’s perspective, failing to indicate means you attempted to take space on the road without first securing it.
That is unsafe.
Real Life vs Driving Test
In real life, after you are licensed, you choose how much risk you accept.
On a driving test, you must prove:
- You understand best practice
- You can apply it consistently
- You meet licensing standards
Assessors are not looking for perfection.
They are looking for fundamental safety behaviours.
Indicating is one of them.
Bottom Line
If you indicate late or not at all when turning right:
- Expect to fail
- Even if the road looks empty
- Even if nothing bad happened
Because the danger was created.
Master your indicator timing, and you eliminate one of the biggest and most avoidable causes of driving test failure.
Watch the video above for real-world examples and a step-by-step demonstration of correct indicator timing during driveway turns and the Left Something Behind exercise.
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Driving School WA, since 2001
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