Hong Kong driving test tips: 14 common mistakes

1. Not checking before moving off

Before starting: handbrake on, gear in neutral or park, mirrors and seat adjusted, seat belt on. Before moving off: check the traffic around you, signal, and only go when it is safe.

2. Driving too slowly

The guide says that when the road is clear and safe you should not keep using first or second gear or crawl along. Use the right gear and get up to a reasonable speed (within the limit). Driving too slowly holds up traffic and counts against you.

3. Too fast at junctions, crossings and corners

Slow down when approaching junctions, zebra crossings, pedestrians and bends.

🗺️ Find the zebra crossings and sharp bends on your test route in Street View first, and slow the playback down there.

4. Following too closely

Keep a safe distance from the car ahead and remember the two-second rule. On roads with two or more lanes, avoid driving alongside other vehicles.

5. Changing lanes without mirror and shoulder checks

Use the mirrors and look over your shoulder for the blind spot before moving out, changing lanes or overtaking, and signal in good time. (Light goods vehicle candidates can only use the left mirror on that side because the load blocks the view.) If it is safe, don't stop in your lane waiting to change lanes.

6. Hesitating at junctions

You may stop at a suitable point and look right, left, then right again. Once it is safe, go as early as you can: hesitating loses the gap, and driving too slowly causes congestion.

🗺️ Junctions are where nerves hit hardest. Get to know what each one looks like, and where you can see from, in Street View first.

7. Cutting corners, swinging wide or touching the kerb

Turn at a suitable speed and keep to the proper track: steering too early or too late cuts the corner or drifts out of lane, and staying too far from the kerb is also wrong. The wheels must not touch the kerb or mount the pavement.

8. Being in the wrong lane

Keep left as a rule, and choose the lane for turning left, right or going straight well before the junction.

🗺️ StreetRoutes shows a lane hint from 400 m before each turn, which is good practice for choosing your lane early.

9. Getting traffic lights wrong

On green, don't speed up to rush through and don't slow down for no reason. If the light turns amber after you have crossed the stop line, carry on; if you haven't reached the line, stop, unless stopping suddenly would cause an accident.

10. Mishandling STOP and Give Way signs

Obey STOP and Give Way signs and let vehicles with priority go first.

🗺️ You can spot the STOP signs on a test route in Street View before the day.

11. Reversing and parking

Reverse into the marked space (S or L shape) in one attempt, without touching the cones or kerb. A private car must end fully inside the white lines; a light goods vehicle's rear must be within the 1-metre yellow stopping area. Repeated steering while stationary is not accepted.

12. Touching the railing in the three-point turn

The turnabout in a narrow road is done as a three-point turn (two forward, one back). Check traffic, signal, and don't touch the railing or kerb. Repeated steering while stationary is not accepted here either.

13. Rolling back on a hill

Coordinate steering, clutch, accelerator and footbrake so the car doesn't roll forwards or backwards when moving off or stopping, especially on slopes.

🗺️ For example, the Man Fuk Road section of the Pui Ching Road routes is uphill. See how steep it is in Street View first.

14. Leaving the car without being asked

Leaving the vehicle during the test without the examiner asking (except in danger or special circumstances) is marked as a serious mistake. Before leaving the seat, apply the handbrake, select a suitable gear and switch off the engine.