You’ve studied for your written test and put in the hours on the road to take the driving portion. You’re nervous, but you’re ready for the driving test. However, the thought of receiving your driving license can be a little bit intimidating. Because there is a possibility that you might fail the test, therefore you need some useful driving test tip.
Here are fifteen driving test tips to make sure you’re on the right track during the test:
1. Don’t let go of the wheel
You will get dinged if you let your hands off the steering wheel. Keep them both on the wheel at the same time. A good driving test tip for hand placement on the steering wheel? 10 and 2 is a favorite.
2. Staying too far under the speed limit
Sure, speeding is bad, but so is driving too slowly. Find the speed limit and stay there. Your test administrator is looking for confidence, and slow driving indicates nervousness on the road. Driving too slowly can encourage others around you to pass, tailgate, or drive in other unsafe ways.
3. Braking too hard
No one wants to be in a car when the driver rushes to a stop light before slamming on the brakes. Practice safe braking techniques and make and try to slow to a stop instead of making abrupt stops whenever possible. This driving test tip is a smooth way to a good grade from the evaluator.
4. Arriving in a sub-par car
Your car may not be a limousine, but make sure it at least passes the basic checklist for standards of safety. Make sure that all lights and signals are working, the ca is reasonably clean, the windows are clean, and the seatbelts work. Don’t show up in a car with a “check engine” or other warning light lit on the dash. If your car isn’t going to pass at least a cursory evaluation from the test administrator, borrow one that will for the test.
5. Changing lanes too close to an intersection
We’ve all been stuck in the wrong lane at the traffic light or have seen a potential hazard ahead in our lane while at a stop light. If this happens to you, stay where you are until you have gone through the intersection, then turn around or change lanes only when it is safe to do so. When following this driving test tip, you may need to explain to the assessor that you were stuck in the wrong lane and that it is safer for you to follow traffic signals and turn around when appropriate.
6. Speeding
Just as driving too slowly will result in a ding on your test, speeding is a bad idea, too. Again, follow the speed limit and just stay there. Your evaluator isn’t in a big hurry, and you shouldn’t be, either.
7. The four-way stop sign conundrum
When you approach a four-way intersection, you and three other cars will be looking at each other, trying to understand who should go next. The rules state that the car to the right should go first, but aren’t all the cars to the right of another car? If you think you’re about to be part of a stop sign stalemate, simply slow down well in advance of the stop sign and roll slowly towards it before making your purposeful stop. This allows other cars to go through their stop signs, effectively “resetting” the intersection.
8. Stop completely
At any red light or stop sign, the car must be completely stopped. This equates to stopping at least long enough for your car to “rock.” This is how traffic cops target drivers who conduct a “rolling stop.” Another driving test tip regarding stop signs? Make sure you are well behind your line at the intersection.
9. Failure to look in mirrors
It’s important to flick your eyes from the mirror to mirror and pay attention to what’s going on around you when driving. You will get dinged if your evaluator doesn’t see an indication that you are glancing in your mirrors.
10. Don’t get distracted
Obviously, you don’t want to be on your phone when driving. Even more obvious? Don’t touch your phone while taking your driving test. This is a pretty significant ding, if not a complete deal breaker when taking your test. It may be a good idea to leave your phone at home, or at least with someone else during your test. This is a driving test tip that is a complete no-brainer.
11. Merge Properly
When getting on a freeway, new drivers 9and many established ones, for that matter) freeze up and stop when they run out of the ramp. The proper way to merge is to speed up and find your opening, not stop and wait for someone to give you an opening.
12. Tailgating
A driving test tip that will keep you safe? Never tailgate, ever. This goes double for taking your driving test; never let the evaluator see you less than two to three car lengths behind the car in front of you. This space is a buffer zone that will protect you in the event the car in front of you slams on his brakes or makes an unexpected turn.
13. Parallel parking
This is a skill that is hard to master, but you can learn it just enough to get through your test. Our driving test tip for parallel parking is to keep it simple: don’t hit another car, and don’t run over the curb. Touching the curb is fine, but running up on to it is unacceptable, as is hitting a car in front of you or behind you. Get the car as close as you can and call it a deal; as long as you don’t play bumper cars, you will most likely pass the test without completing this portion successfully.
14. Improperly changing lanes
It’s amazing how many people will lose points by improper lane changes. This is a driving test tip that many forget to follow. Your driving test administrator will ask you to change lanes but don’t just whip the car into the next lane because he asked you to. Look over your shoulder, use your mirrors, check your blind spot, check your speed, signal your intention, and pay attention to cars in front of you, too.
15. Make sure to adjust to changing conditions
Is there slowing up ahead in your lane? Did it start to rain, or is it turning foggy? Are people changing lanes for some reason? Make sure that you adjust your own position and speed to match whatever you see is going on in front of you. You can “think out loud” to your test administrator and let him know why you are changing lanes, speeding up, or slowing down.
Your driving test is a big deal. It’s a huge step towards gaining your independence on the road. Don’t be overly stressed, though; your driving test administrator knows you are nervous and will do whatever he or she can to ease your mind. As long as you take your time and follow these driving test tips, you will do perfectly fine on your driving assessment.