Anyone a driving instructor, or taken their test recently? Got mine tuesday.

Hertz32

Got my test on tuesday, not had a single professional lesson so I've been reading up on things that trip people up and found that I have to check my mirror after every gear change. I'd been told that the test was jumping through antiquated hoops, but it just seems to be an exercise in the most noddy shit they can think of.

Still, I'll now be ultra paranoid about observation which I could live without!
Ah well, any tips from anyone? I've got all day tomorrow to practice and I intend to use it.
Test centre is High Wycombe and the place is filled with utterly crap mini roundabout systems so I'll get nailed for observation I reckon, probably because I sniffed and forgot to shoulder check and file a tax return afterwards.  

Still, my test is 9:37am so hopefully the will be some traffic left over to gridlock my half hour sufficiently that even I could pass. 

RedRabbit

It's a good while since I took my test but the general rule then was to check your mirrors whenever you intended to change speed or direction.  To be honest I'd say this is the absolute minimum if you want to be a safe driver.  Staying safe on the road is all about knowing what's going on around you.  It was drilled into me and I still check regularly without really thinking about.

That said I'd imagine that missing the occasional mirror check is, at worst a minor fault.  I think you'd need to be pretty much driving with your eyes closed (or checking your phone!) to get a major on observation.

Good luck with the test.  If you don't pass this time I'd suggest getting a few lessons with a professional.  Learning off parents/mates is a cheap way to do it but you end up picking up their bad habits and most us have more than a few of those after several years of driving. 

Handsome_Chris

I passed my driving test in High Wycombe, and if I can do it anyone can.  Plenty of opportunities for you to demonstrate your hill start. Stay away from the bottom of Marlow Hill.  Do not, I repeat DO NOT, do any of your Jim Davidson material to break the ice. 

Good luck buddy

kin

I'd recommend not nearly taking out a moped rider on your first junction exit and definitely try not to clip the curb turning into the test centre at the end of the test.

Still, second time around I passed without hitting anything. 

Hertz32

Handsome_Chris said:

I passed my driving test in High Wycombe, and if I can do it anyone can.  Plenty of opportunities for you to demonstrate your hill start. Stay away from the bottom of Marlow Hill.  Do not, I repeat DO NOT, do any of your Jim Davidson material to break the ice. 

Good luck buddy

All good points, particularly the jim davison one
Bottom of marlow hill has been my nemesis, father has been forcing me round there for the hell of it. 
I've noted that I only have to go where the examiner wants for ten minutes, after that I'm supposed to follow traffic signs according to a general direction, but I can't be failed on navigation so if he points me to Eden I'll bail and head somewhere else. 

boogieman

A mirror check after every gear change??!! Really? Sounds a load of bollocks to me. Why would that even be necessary? 

Only thing I'd say is make it obvious that you're checking your mirrors, e.g. turn your head slightly when you look, not just move your eyes. 

Good luck. 

Handsome_Chris

Well @Hertz32 , how did out get on? If you're down the William Robert Loosely having a few celebratory sherberys, do not drive home.  

Hertz32

Handsome_Chris said:

Well @Hertz32 , how did out get on? If you're down the William Robert Loosely having a few celebratory sherberys, do not drive home.  

Just back from a 3hour lesson, test is tomorrow @Handsome_Chris ;
I cant drive home from the test if i pass anyway, as passing invalidates my learner insurance such that I would need to amend it and pay about a grand... 

TheBlueWolf

If memory serves me right, safe handling of the car  is looked kindly upon. There are several other factors too  but not causing a huge pile and staying in control of the car, and making good use of shoulder/mirror checks will earn you a few brownie points. If  you have any weak spots in your driving, try to nail them too.

Oh and best of British too

TheBigDipper

The driving test works on the basis that you've passed with no faults at all and the examiner then logs any faults you might make as the test progresses. 

Major faults are a straight fail. They are things like breaking the law, doing something dangerous, etc.

Minor faults are added up and you still pass if you don't get too many of those. They are things like failing to indicate when you should, or failing to check your mirror before doing something, or poor gearchanging, poor steering. etc. If you have several occurrences of the same fault (for example, failing to use your mirrors) then that will be upgraded to a major, as it is a consistent fault and not just a one-off under stressful test conditions. 

If you're able to control the car, make sure anything you do is safe before you start doing it and don't break the law or hit anyone you should be fine. Just drive normally - don't be overcautious or too aggressive, just smooth and safe.  

Let us know what happens tomorrow and good luck! 

Nomad

boogieman said:

A mirror check after every gear change??!! Really? Sounds a load of bollocks to me. Why would that even be necessary? 

Sounds odd to me as well - like some regimented, formulaic way of ensuring the testee checks mirrors regularly.

Arguably, you should already have checked your mirrors if you're planning to accelerate or slow down, and that should have been done before any gear changes to assist the change in speed (because they come after the decision to accelerate or slow down). There are also situations where a gear change might not result in a change of speed, such as getting up to 30mph in 3rd and then changing to 4th and staying at 30mph. You should already have had good awareness of what's going on behind you when increasing speed in 3rd.

fields5069

I was told to just check the mirror constantly, with a definite head movement sideways so that the examiner noticed. Then he asked me to parallel park at the end of the test, which I stuffed up because I'd never done it in 15 months worth of lessons.

Bygone_Tones

Passed mine 1st time, but it was about 20 years ago. My rule of thumb was to check mirrors after every 3rd lamp post. 

I would also add to make sure you indicate in good time before the corner.  Thats the one that almost got me. 1 more strike on that and I would have failed. 

Its the minor stuff like that that will get you, not the main manouevres. 

Bygone_Tones

Lastly, make sure you go in with the right mindset too. If you go in genuinely believing you are going to fail, you will. But go in genuinely believing you are going to nail it, and you will.

roundthebend

I used to be a driving instructor. There has always been myths about what the examiners look for to catch you out, but that's just people not understanding things.

Mirror checks are a classic example. There's no rule about checking before every X, or after every Y. But you could easily take that kind of rule and make it work for you, but it wouldn't be making you a better driver.

The best tip I can give is to plan ahead. If there's something that is likely to cause you to change speed or direction, then you should prepare for the worst case - i.e. be able to stop safely. To do that, you'll need to make sure there's nobody following too closely (rearview mirror), or if you expect to steer into a different lane then check the relevant side mirror. Adjust your speed accordingly, so that stopping is possible and work up from that.

If you treat mirror checks as just a thing that you have to do to pass your test, then you'll probably do them wrong. Instead, think of what you'd do differently based on what you've seen in your mirror. Is the car behind too close? Is there a cyclist on your right hand side as you approach parked cars? If that information means you need to do something different to the normal, then you'll need to have given yourself plenty of time to do it. And that time comes from planning ahead.

TheBigDipper

roundthebend said:

I used to be a driving instructor. There has always been myths about what the examiners look for to catch you out, but that's just people not understanding things.

Mirror checks are a classic example. There's no rule about checking before every X, or after every Y. But you could easily take that kind of rule and make it work for you, but it wouldn't be making you a better driver.

The best tip I can give is to plan ahead. If there's something that is likely to cause you to change speed or direction, then you should prepare for the worst case - i.e. be able to stop safely. To do that, you'll need to make sure there's nobody following too closely (rearview mirror), or if you expect to steer into a different lane then check the relevant side mirror. Adjust your speed accordingly, so that stopping is possible and work up from that.

If you treat mirror checks as just a thing that you have to do to pass your test, then you'll probably do them wrong. Instead, think of what you'd do differently based on what you've seen in your mirror. Is the car behind too close? Is there a cyclist on your right hand side as you approach parked cars? If that information means you need to do something different to the normal, then you'll need to have given yourself plenty of time to do it. And that time comes from planning ahead.

All of this. I think @roundthebend and I would both agree that trying to drive in some special way "just to pass the test" may get you through it but it won't make you a very good driver. For example, regarding rear observations, if someone stops doing them once they get their  licence, they'll just end up causing a crash when they do something without enough information to make a decent judgement about it. Unfortunately, there are lots of instructors who concentrate on coaching their customers to pass a test rather than teaching them to drive or ride properly. 

The driving test (my experiences were actually for motorcyclists, but it's the same thing) is an imprecise tool. I've known examiners who failed really good riders because they were forced to - the candidate rode brilliantly yet made a silly mistake. They've also told me about candidates who they were forced to pass because they were lucky - even though they were convinced the candidate was a crash waiting to happen. 

Rocker

I failed a test for driving too cautiously and for not sounding the horn when a pedestrian stepped off the pavement some distance in front of me. Drive normally and you will be fine. Good luck....

Nitefly

Best of luck tomorrow, @Hertz32 - just drive with confidence and you'll be fine. 

Guitar_Slinger

Best of luck with your test.

What's the reason for not having lessons? 

RaymondLin

You can never check your mirror enough, literally every time you do something, check it.  And also make it obvious, like turn your head a little, especially for the wing mirrors.  They might miss you glancing at the mirrors.

Handsome_Chris

RaymondLin said:

You can never check your mirror enough, literally every time you do something, check it.  And also make it obvious, like turn your head a little, especially for the wing mirrors.  They might miss you glancing at the mirrors.

That doesn't make sense.  As soon as Hertz32 gets in the car he checks his mirror.  Then because he's done something,  ie checking his mirror, he has to check his mirror.  Then because he's done something,  ie checking his mirror, he has to check his mirror.  Then because he's done something,  ie checking his mirror, he has to check his mirror. Ad nauseum

He's not even going to get the key in the ignition if he literally checks the mirror!

 @RaymondLin , I quite literally believe that you are misusing the word literally.    :P