The Day Of The Driving Test :: Turn Wright Driving

On the day of the test, you are bound to feel a little apprehensive, pretty much everyone who has either taken or is just about to take the test suffers from pre-test nerves, partly because they are unsure of what is involved in the test or because they don‚ know what their examiner expects from them. Contra to belief the examiner isn’t a tyrant or even a robot and they aren’t looking to deliberately fail you. In actual fact, they will help you as much as they are allowed to and will try to help you as much as the possibly can. Some of the things they are expecting to see are listed below.

Controls

All the controls including the foot pedals, gear stick and steering wheel should be handled smoothly, you should:
make proper use of the accelerator and clutch to make a smooth start
always press down on the clutch before stopping
select the correct gear to match the road and traffic conditions
change gear in good time but not too soon before a hazard
not allow the vehicle to coast by running in neutral or with the clutch pressed down
use the foot brake smoothly and progressively
brake in plenty of time for any hazard
use of the parking brake when necessary
steer the vehicle as smoothly as possible
avoid harsh steering or steering too early or too late

Moving away

Make sure you move away safely and under control on a level, from behind a parked car, on a hill using the correct observations and signaling if necessary.

Blind spots and use mirrors

The candidate must check all blind spots before moving off and check the mirrors regularly so as to be aware of the presence of other road users. The mirrors should be checked before, signaling, changing direction or speed and as part of the mirror signal maneuver routine.

Reversing

With the current test, you are only required to perform one reversing maneuver but are required to learn all of them and depending on what is available on the day of the test the examiner will decide which one to perform. The maneuvers which are required to be learned are:

The turn in the road ‚ previously known as the 3 point turn. Although it is preferred that the turn in the road be completed in 3 maneuvers it can be done in more turns and the candidate will receive a minor mark.

Reverse Park

previously known as the parallel park.

The left reverse

previously known as reversing around a corner.

The Emergency stop

The braking should be even and progressive taking into account the different weather conditions and road surfaces whilst making sure the stop is prompt.

Signaling

Signals must be given clearly and in good time to allow other road users time to change their road position or speed and in accordance with the highway-code. Signals should be cancelled after any maneuver has been completed.

The Bay Park

reversing into a parking bay similar to the ones found at a shopping centre. With all the reversing maneuvers the candidate must keep the car under full control whilst maintaining all round observations and responding correctly to other road users.