12 common road test mistakes in Ontario, and how to avoid them

Updated October 2026

Most people who fail a road test don't fail because of one dramatic moment. They lose marks for small habits that add up. Here are the mistakes examiners see most often, and how to fix each one.

1. Rolling through stop signs

Your wheels must stop completely, behind the stop line. Count "one, two" in your head after the car stops. If parked cars block your view, stop at the line first, then creep forward to look.

2. Skipping shoulder checks

Mirrors don't show your blind spots. Shoulder check every time you change lanes, pull away from the curb or merge, and before turning right where cyclists could be beside you.

3. Driving at the wrong speed for the street

Speeding is an obvious mistake, but driving well below the limit with no reason also loses marks. Watch for limit changes after every turn; some streets are 40 km/h while the road you just left was 50 or 60.

4. Late or missing signals

Signal early enough for others to react, and cancel the signal after the turn or lane change. A signal left flashing is a common small mistake that examiners always notice.

5. Not scanning intersections

Before you enter any intersection, even on a green light, look left, right and left again for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Examiners watch your head movement.

6. Wide or cut corners

Turn from the correct lane into the matching lane. A right turn goes into the right lane; a left turn goes into the left-most lane available. Don't swing wide before turning right.

7. Stopping in the wrong place

Stop behind the line or crosswalk, never on it. When you stop behind another car, leave enough space to see its rear tires touching the road.

8. Following too closely

Keep at least a two-second gap in the city and more at higher speeds or in bad weather. Pick a fixed point and count when the car ahead passes it.

9. Hesitating when merging

On the G test, merging too slowly is more dangerous than merging confidently. Use the full acceleration lane to match traffic speed, then move into a gap.

10. Hitting the curb or ending far from it when parking

For parallel parking and roadside stops, aim to end up close to and parallel with the curb. Go slowly, use your mirrors, and look over your shoulder when reversing.

11. Forgetting checks when leaving a parked position

After a roadside stop or parking, signal, check your mirror and shoulder check before pulling back into traffic. Many drivers do perfect parking and then forget this step.

12. Not yielding to pedestrians

Pedestrians in or about to step into a crosswalk have the right of way. Wait until they have fully crossed where required, and be patient at school crossings.

How to stop making these mistakes

Practise with someone who calls out each instruction one at a time, the way an examiner does, and who watches for the habits above. Doing a full practice route several times builds the checks into muscle memory, so you do them even when you're nervous.