Driving Test and Examiner
Shaykh Jamir Meah is asked if feeling that one has been “let off lightly” during a driving test means that one should contest the result.
Question:
Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.
I took my driving test today. I live in the UK and the examiner passed me, yet I am very sure that I had a serious fault (fail) when talking with my instructor. I also feel that I was let off and given minors when I think I would have deserved a major, so I think it was the discretion of the examiner. Now, is it okay for me to accept the license or shall I contact them to let them know my view?
Answer:
Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.
I pray you’re well insha Allah. Congratulations on passing your driving test.
Driving test examiners are obliged to measure tests by a set standard, and have a duty to ensure that all people that they pass on the driving test have demonstrated themselves to be sufficiently competent and responsible drivers.
If you have passed your test, then the pass and your driving license is valid. You do not have to analyze or question the examiner’s decision.
However, if you feel that there are certain areas of your driving that you feel need improving, perhaps you could arrange a few additional lessons with your instructor to perfect these skills, so you feel assuredly confident and safe on the road.
Don’t forget, driving is a skill and it takes times to perfect. New drivers are rarely accomplished at the wheel and are prone to mistakes, even when they have got their license. However, with enough practice, very soon it will become second nature to you.
Lastly, don’t forget to say the supplication for boarding a vehicle when entering your car:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ
Glory be to Him who has brought this under our control whereas we were unable to control it. Surely we are to return to Him.
and Bismillah when starting to drive. Use the stereo for beneficial things! Cars and the ability to drive, like every thing else we have been given, are blessings, and the best way to show gratitude for a gift is by utilizing and benefiting from it in the way that it was intended for use, namely, in obedience and for good.
May Allah give you success in your driving and make it a source of ease and blessing for you.
Warmest salams,
Jamir
Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
