Grade 3: observation on roundabout.

FreudianSlippers

Just wondering what you could get a grade 3 for observation on roundabout for?
Been driving for 10 years in various countries around the world. Did my first Irish test last week and did quite well, except auto-fail for one grade 3 in that category. A motorcycle came flying around me quite dangerously, but I was aware of him and didn't freak out or anything (obviously). I saw him mark me there for that and felt like saying "um.. I saw him and did what was the correct thing to do" but thought best to just keep my mouth shut. Anyway, does anyone have examples of what you can get grade 3s on observation on roundabouts for?

DriveSkill

Hi,

Can you expand a little on :

OisinT wrote: »

A motorcycle came flying around me quite dangerously,

Do you mean the motorcyle was on the roundabout already and when you entered the roundabout he passed you ? Did you see him before you came onto the roundabout - if so it would seem like you should have yielded to him.

Hard to give a definite answer without actually being there but as you probably know the difference between a grade 2 and a grade 3 is just that the grade 3 is considered "dangerous or potentially dangerous". In the category of observation it would mean the tester believed there was a serious lack of observation (I assume when entering the roundabout) which led to a dangerous (or potentially dangerous) situation.

BTW one simple definition of 'Yielding' is that if the other traffic which has right of way has to alter their speed or position in any way as a result of your action then you have not Yielded to them.

FreudianSlippers

Well he wasn't behind me at all really, I entered the roundabout... heard him coming and saw him come onto the roundabout, flew around me and off the roundabout. I was aware of him the whole time and even slowed down a bit and over-exaggerated maybe even that I saw the guy.

Confusing when I re-read that. Essentially I was on the roundabout before him and he came up from behind me and around me.

Wishbone Ash

OisinT wrote: »

I was aware of him the whole time and even slowed down a bit and over-exaggerated maybe even that I saw the guy

Perhaps while you were displaying you awareness of the motorcycle, you missed something else which was potentially more dangerous?

brian076

As Driveskill said, it's hard to know without being there, however it sounds to me like you should have spotted the motorcyclst approaching at speed from the right, and given way to him.

Just because you were on the roundabout first, doesn't necessarily mean you had right of way. A lot depends on the size of the r/a, how far to the right you could see on approach, and when & how often you checked to the right before entering.

If your Grade 3 was for Observation, I'd imagine it was the latter, because if you'd impeded the motorcyclist, your mark would've been Grade 3 "Right of Way at Roundabout"

FreudianSlippers

yeah that's why I was asking.. I'm really not sure exactly what went wrong, but the advice is all good stuff that I'll watch out for next time. The motorcycle came around to my left and I did yield to him, but the 3 was in observation so it is likely I paid too much attention to the motorcycle maybe