The 5 Most Common Mistakes People Make on Their Santa Clara DMV Driving Test

The Santa Clara DMV on Flora Vista Avenue is one of the busiest testing centers in the Bay Area. The examiners are fair, but the streets around the school are hard for students who aren't ready. It's frustrating to fail your driving test, but knowing what mistakes people often make can greatly improve your chances of passing the first time. Driving Instructors Santa Clara test prep experts often point out these five mistakes that students make the most.

1. Mistakes that are very important at intersections

One of the most common reasons for an automatic fail is not scanning correctly at intersections. In Santa Clara, especially on wide streets like El Camino Real or Kiely Boulevard, you can't just look straight ahead. Before you go through any intersection, the examiners want to see you move your head (not just your eyes) from left to right. When turning right on red, a common mistake is that students focus so much on traffic coming from the left that they forget to look for pedestrians on their right or don't stop completely behind the limit line before moving forward.

2. The "Rolling Stop" in Residential Areas

Flora Vista Avenue's residential streets, like Granada Ave and Pomeroy Ave, may seem quiet, but they're not. This peaceful setting often makes drivers "roll" through stop signs. A DMV examiner sees a rolling stop as the same thing as running a stop sign. You should count to three in your head and feel the car settle back before you press the gas. This is a big mistake that ends the test right away.

3. Changing lanes the wrong way

It seems easy to change lanes, but you need to do it in a certain order: Signal, Mirror, Shoulder, Go (S.M.O.G.). The most common mistake is to skip the shoulder check (blind spot check). You will get points taken off if you don't turn your head to look into your blind spot before turning the wheel. Also, students often slow down for no reason when they change lanes, which slows down traffic and can be seen as a dangerous move.

4. Breaking the rules for bike lanes

Santa Clara has a lot of streets with bike lanes just for bikes. The right turn procedure that includes a bike lane is a specific rule that trips up a lot of test-takers. Within 200 feet of the turn, California law says you have to merge into the bike lane (the area with the dashed line). If you turn right from the main driving lane into the bike lane, you are "cutting off" a potential cyclist, which is a very bad thing to do. On the other hand, going into the bike lane too soon (crossing the solid white line) is also a mistake.

5. Problems with Speed Control

Not only speeding is a problem; driving too slowly is a big problem as well. Driving at 25 mph on main roads like Homestead Road, where the speed limit is 35 or 40 mph, is considered to be blocking traffic. Examiners want to see that you are sure of yourself. When it's safe, you should try to drive at the speed limit, not 10 mph slower "just to be safe."

The End

To pass the test at the Santa Clara DMV, you need to know more than just how to drive a car. You also need to be aware of your surroundings and follow all the rules. You can feel sure when you go to the DMV if you practice these five things.