Driving tips for driving test

esmerobbo

Do lessons ever stop. I have been driving 37 years car and HGV there is always something new to learn!;)

EagerLearner

Hi all, well Maureen sounds scary! I might YouTube that to make myself feel better on the day when I am trying to relax! Luckily my test is early so not much time to panic...

Cyclone - definitely the need to study is still there, however the theory test these days is not written - you are timed on a pc, plus there is an additional segment now to study for which marks you on hazard awareness. You do get a chance to reconsider before you submit it though. Yes, today's won't differ in terms of needing to study but it seems more - I believe there may have been just 20 questions whereas now you get 50 (out of 900 odd) plus the extra hazard awareness videos, of which you get 5 to be assessed on. Luckily i got 50 out of 50 on my theory, so was very happy with that.

In terms of the practical, obviously now you also have the independent driving element, plus maybe bay parking is a new element, luckily i my test centre doesn't do the bay parking. I do agree independent driving is a good thing. Plus I don't know if this is new too (prob always part of it), but now you have 20 'show me tell me questions to study too which encompass features on cars today, I believe you get two out of these to answer, but still, more info to know on the practical as it's the first things they ask you on the day...

Still, my double lesson in my test centre town is tomorrow, and I will be doing some more independent driving there which is good, as doing it in *my* town will only help a fraction towards the practical somewhere else.

Next week I will probably start revising the Show Me Tell me 20 questions again, but not too worried about those, just need to get my right hand corners, reading road signs (ie on tarmac) and roundabouts sorted as they seem to be the ones that still need focusing on.

Esmerobbo thanks for your comment, I do think the test is the start of learning, anyone who continues to learn over the years is bound to be a better driver, compared to some of the people I notice on the roads

esmerobbo

Thanks and Good luck with your test.

DaveF327

EagerLearner wrote: »

I struggle with right hand turns around roundabouts, or tight right turns to some extent, also failed my test as I went onto a roundabout when a car was on it approaching, I wanted to show confidence so grabbed a gap. They were not so close as to cause me breaking or any prob etc but they slowed somewhat according to my instructor so I failed.

Ok, assuming your gear selection, positioning and signalling procedure are all correct, you need to know how to judge gaps to avoid marks under "Junctions / Observation".

The overwhelming requirement of emerging onto any junction including roundabouts is that you must not cross the give way marking in a manner or at a time likely to cause a driver on the major road to change speed or direction in order to avoid an accident. Even if there is no actual collision, there is still a sliding scale of weights that can be assigned to faults, so if you cause someone to lose a lot of speed, this can still be marked as serious even if you didn't notice a screech of tyres or a noticeable problem at the time.

With roundabouts, one thing I've discovered from experience is that learners plan too late which leads to difficulty in choosing gaps. Roundabouts are designed to keep the traffic flowing, so it's essential that you glance early to identify "possible" opportunities, even if you need to tweak these again as you get closer. If you just arrive, stare at the line, stop, then select 1st gear before even looking right, not only will you pick up faults for undue hesitation, but you'll make life more difficult for yourself emerging into fast flowing traffic.

Two useful mantras are: "Early vision, early decision" and "plan to stop, but look to go".

To measure the effect you'll have on another driver - remember that the ideal value here is zero - you must factor in the distance you'll have to travel across the junction to "get out of the way" enough so that the car whizzing round doesn't have to brake. Generally speaking, the larger the roundabout, the larger the gap you need to look for. If you're unlucky enough to arrive at a busy moment where you're not going to go at all, aim a little short of the give way line with a slow roll, rather than a dead stop. Make maximum use of this rolling time to look for a further gap so it's easier to "slip into" when one arrives. Of course, you should still consider a total stop if you really have to, but this should only be a last resort.

If the view is incredibly restricted, your approach speed will need to be much lower, but still aim for the slow creep I mentioned earlier. You will need to take advantage of gaps in hedges or over low walls to maximise your view and judgement, but in the absence of these, look as far right as you can as you creep over the give way line. I've seen learners come unstuck as they stare ahead or even left (how silly!) at the critical moment, then miss a car bearing down at them from their right.

Now for the clever bit: assuming you've followed all the above advice and chosen a reasonable gap, there is always a margin for error. No-one's perfect and even the most experienced driver will pull out and realise the approaching car is just a little closer (or faster) than they thought. The trick is to update your observation and react accordingly. Don't just stare ahead and carry on regardless: once you've glanced where you're going and set your steering, look again at the car you've pulled out in front of. What is his bonnet doing? Is it dipping? Is it level? If it's starting to dip slightly, that means the driver is braking, so accelerate if safe to do so and get out of the way. This will lessen the effect you have on the other driver and could be the difference between a driver fault and a serious fault. Similarly, if emerging left and you pull out in front of someone, update your mirror immediately and watch that bonnet again. What is it doing? How close is it getting? Again, put your foot down and you may make that difference. Beyond the test, it's only courteous to the traffic so that you're not holding them up unduly. The learners who commit the most obvious serious faults not only chose a poor gap, but they made things worse by looking the other way whilst dawdling along at snail's pace, oblivious to the angry driver in their mirror as they haven't even looked there for over a mile.


Hope this helps

EagerLearner

Dave, I can't tell you how helpful that reply has been, I am re-reading it and wondering why my instructor hasn't gone over this in more detail with me, given that it's what I failed my test on. Maybe I am being unfair, maybe he feels he's taught me everything he can, or maybe it's my fault for not forcing the issue, but he may still have plans to help me out more on this aspect and just hasn't mentioned it yet.

My 2 hour stint is in 20 minutes so I will definately keep what you have said in mind. I am still not sure how I will be able to see what the bonnet height (on other cars) is doing in my centre mirror due to the distance, but will try my best to put it into practice! I will also be focusing on independent driving, but I am not tooooo worried about this as I think it's a good idea to have this in the test rather than a maneuvre (sp).

Thanks SO much again, I am learning alot from here and think it's possibly more valuable info that what I might glean from other learners etc as you guys do have the experience I am keen to learn from.

southoftheriver

Thanks for posting this thread, i've been learning on and off for 6 years, have my first test in Jan and really want to make sure i'm a good driver before then! No-one in my family drives so I don't get any other practice but I really want to get my license, I feel like its holding me back! Good luck with your next test!

EagerLearner

Thanks southoftheriver, it has been 7 months for me, so I can imagine you do feel it's taken over your life, but hopefully in January you and I will both have passed, eh!

Did my 2 hour stint and was much more aware at the roundabouts in terms of looking ahead, but one vehicle had indicators turning left and he didn't turn left, luckily I went quite quickly but it would have still been a fail as I should have looked a 2nd time (as suggested above by Dave) and not relied on his signal. Also my gearwork wasn't awesome, didn't reduce to 2nd gear on a couple of roundabouts and went round them in third, plus don't always get up to 4th in time before being reminded. Apart from that no other issues, independent driving was absolutely fine, (I did both the following signs one, and the remembering directional route one) so I feel quite positive. Only 5 more lessons to go now...!

Hope you all have great plans for the weekend and please do post here any advice, and southoftheriver any questions, as we can both benefit from these posts x

Inactive

EagerLearner wrote: »

Dave, I can't tell you how helpful that reply has been, I am re-reading it and wondering why my instructor hasn't gone over this in more detail with me, given that it's what I failed my test on. Maybe I am being unfair, maybe he feels he's taught me everything he can, or maybe it's my fault for not forcing the issue, but he may still have plans to help me out more on this aspect and just hasn't mentioned it yet.

.

Dare I suggest that your present instructor possibly isn't one of the best available.

DaveF327

EagerLearner wrote: »

wondering why my instructor hasn't gone over this in more detail with me, given that it's what I failed my test on.

Unfortunately, there are too many instructors out there who lack the attention to detail in their lessons that I used in one online post. They may be qualified, but only just. They may spend their entire careers on the ADI register stagnating at grade 4 without any professional development and presenting borderline learners for test. They may have a less than desirable pass rate, but it just doesn't seem to bother them as long as they keep making money and get a token pass once in a blue moon. Unfortunately, such instructors also tend to be cheap, so there will always be a queue of people willing to throw their hard earned cash at them while the more professional instructors struggle to make a living, despite getting results. Of course, you can't blame the public for being misled as this is a money saving forum after all, so I always make it clear that in the driver training industry, you get what you pay for - unless you pay for a brand name, that is.

Anyway, I digress.

I'm glad you're widening your vision and noticing the traffic earlier at roundabouts on your last lesson. I agree it's not always easy to see a bonnet dipping, especially if it's subtle. It's more noticable if you've made a complete mess of your judgement, but if you stand on a pavement and watch cars (from the front) stopping at red traffic lights for long enough, you'll soon notice that some drivers brake harder than others and there will be a visible difference in the "forward tilt" of the car.

From your post, however, it seems you have issues other than pure judgement. If your use of gears isn't silky smooth and timed to perfection by now, you should sort that out first so you can subconsciously multitask this with the observation skills I was referring to earlier.

As for other drivers' signals, yes, pulling out in front of a fast moving car with a flashing light was indeed unwise, but that is not a roundabout problem; that can happen anywhere at any junction. A flashing light tells you his bulb is working, but not necessarily that it's good to go. Bonnet dipping and wheels turning tell you that. Judge the speed and direction, not a flashing light that no-one seems to know how to use properly anyway.

It beggars belief that learners can emerge onto a roundabout from a dual carriageway exit slip road (obviously one-way) in the belief that an indicating driver would turn into the road they're waiting at. They simply wouldn't be allowed nor able to turn down there anyway, so they must be indicating for the road just afterwards. Sounds silly, I know, but I've seen it happen.

Keep practising, but tell me this: at what point on the approach to the roundabout do you actually change gear?

cyclonebri1

DaveF327 wrote: »

Unfortunately, there are too many instructors out there who lack the attention to detail I have.
Anyway, I digress.


Indeed you do.

Sorry "Dave", but self recommendation doesn't cut it with me, all the others would say the same about you, who's correct???;)


Mr perfect driving instructor? only if read from your perspective