


What it comes down to though, Correa says, is practice. They’ve got to understand that the laws here are most strict than in any other country.”ĭMV officials refused to comment on specific challenges at any of the Orange County offices. “They’re driving on the other side of the road, and introduced to a totally different game here. “It’s not just in Spanish-speaking countries, but also in other parts of the word as well, like in Europe,” Correa said. One specific factor that Correa believes contributes to Santa Ana’s failure rate is an awkwardly located stop sign, just outside the parking lot.Īs for language or cultural barriers preventing people from passing the test, Correa said many of his foreign-born students come to the United States with driving customs from their native countries.

“If you know the area of Santa Ana, stay in Santa Ana, why are going to go to an area that you’re not familiar with?” Correa said. The problem, says Correa, is that young drivers unfamiliar with an area outside their own neighborhood are more likely to make mistakes. Although, Fullerton’s failure rate is only slightly lower than Santa Ana’s. Instead, many young drivers in the northern part of the county opt for Fullerton, mistakenly thinking it will be easier. “This is what I hear – ‘I don’t want to go to Santa Ana because people don’t pass there,'” Correa said. Rick Correa, a driving instructor and operator of GNG Driving School in Santa Ana, says many of his students have heard about the high failure rate at the Santa Ana office. “Every single drive test is so unique it’s really hard to pinpoint what’s leading to fails.” “No two drive tests are alike,” she said. If someone’s prepared, they’re going to pass the test.”įactors such as road conditions, traffic patterns and weather can all contribute to failure rates, Mendoza said. The DMV has not done an in-depth analysis of its pass-fail rates since 1995, spokeswoman Jan Mendoza said, but added that the test is meant to weed out those who are not prepared: “If a person taking the test is not prepared, it’s going to be more of a challenge to get through the test.
