Turn evidence into useful practice

Look at the skills behind the faults.

Choose a test centre to explore recorded fault categories. These counts can help structure a conversation about observation, control and planning alongside your own lesson feedback.

Understand the count

A single test can record several faults, including more than one type. Counts are not numbers of failed tests or your chance of committing a fault. The attachment does not supply matching test denominators for a fault-rate calculation.

Keep the dates visible

We use explicitly labelled January and February 2026 rows in DVSA’s July 2026 response. Later and unlabelled repeated blocks are excluded. A centre may have only one of these months; missing observations are not zero.

Practise the full syllabus

Use the figures alongside feedback from a qualified instructor. A recorded category does not identify a test route, exact junction or guaranteed manoeuvre. Historical category names are retained, including legacy labels.

Reset

313 unambiguously matched statistical centres. The source contains 314 named centre records; unmatched names remain in the downloadable data.

Hartlepool: January 2026 and February 2026

Sorted by serious-fault count, then dangerous-fault count. The driving-fault column is a separate severity category.

Published fault categorySeriousDangerousDriving faults
Response to signs - traffic signs1259128
Response to signs - traffic lights11612129
Junctions - observation11373224
Mirrors - change direction8321174
Use of speed660241
Positioning - normal driving633195
Move off - control597376
Maintain progress - undue hesitation570608
Maintain progess - speed490659
Response to signs - road markings47660
Move off - safely438666
Junctions - turning right434130
Reverse park - Control411246
Positioning - lane discipline34977
Reverse park - Observatons290116
Control - steering2814280
Reverse right - Observation25054
Awareness/planning221111
Signals - correctly161221
Judgement - crossing141826
Mirrors - change speed130111
Judgement - meeting121089
Pedestrian crossing11645
Control - gears100140
Response to signs - other road users10032
Junctions - approach speed95222
Position - normal stops90170
Clearance / obstructions76132
Reverse right - Control7030
Taxi/Forward Park cont7078
Mirrors - signalling60364
Taxi/Forward Park obs6026
Junctions - turning left5122
Signals - necessary42102
Junctions - cutting corners4020
Vehicle checks25225
Following distance2454
Control - Footbrake2184
Ancillary controls2031
Signals - timed20117
Control - clutch1029
Control - parking brake1042
Control Stop - Promptness1012
Eyesight100
Judgement - overtaking108
Control - accelerator005
Control - balance000
Controlled stop - Control000
ECO Driving000
Highway Code000
Precautions0011
Response to signs - traffic controllers004
Reverse left - Control000
Reverse left - Observation000
Turn in road - Control000
Turn in road - Observations000

Source and reproducible data

DVSA FOI response 2606-112694 and Annex H, published 1 July 2026. Our download preserves the source categories, per-month counts, original-file checksum and exclusions. Crown copyright information is reused under the default Open Government Licence; no individual test or candidate records are included.