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Driving Test

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proka123

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Go for my Ps tomorrow in a manual, and although i've had a shitload of practice in the lead up im still pretty bloody nervous. Waiting for another 4-6 weeks to get another go at it if i fail doesn't sit well with me at all. :(

Any tips on how to make the experience somewhat more pleasent or easier? And what are the testers like, fairly placid?
 
Just relax. Go about as if nobody else is in the car. It's actually really really easy, just the nerves that get you, but if you relax like I said you have nothing to worry about. Providing you know how to drive of-course...
 
Quivorir said:
Just relax. Go about as if nobody else is in the car. It's actually really really easy, just the nerves that get you, but if you relax like I said you have nothing to worry about. Providing you know how to drive of-course...
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Haha yes i think im quite capable behind the wheel. I think it's just nerves like you said, they make me do some very stupid things and im afraid that's gonna be my downfall here.
 
The test itelf I thought was quite easy also and I don't consider myself a great driver by any means. Just err on the side of caution and you'll be fine.

The only way you will fail is by breaking any of the insta-fails like speeding and failing to give way etc.

Just remember... YOU ARE NOT IN ANY RUSH.
 

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proka123 said:
Go for my Ps tomorrow in a manual, and although i've had a shitload of practice in the lead up im still pretty bloody nervous. Waiting for another 4-6 weeks to get another go at it if i fail doesn't sit well with me at all. :(

Any tips on how to make the experience somewhat more pleasent or easier? And what are the testers like, fairly placid?
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I'm glad you're not going to be one of those 'oh I'll just get a manual car after I get off my automatic P's license' people. :thumbsu:

Everyone should learn to drive a manual, should be compulsory.
 
whoopsman said:
I'm glad you're not going to be one of those 'oh I'll just get a manual car after I get off my automatic P's license' people. :thumbsu:

Everyone should learn to drive a manual, should be compulsory.
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Yeah i've actually only been driving manual through my 120 hours of practice. Dunno why i don't drive autos, just sticking to what works best i suppose.

Yeah i agree learning to drive a manual should definitely be compulsory!
 
You can't be too cautious. Drive like a nana and you'll be fine.
 
Do they still have the law that if you get beeped you insta fail? (was that ever a law?)

Some of the worst drivers ever pass these things, while some decent drivers fail them over technicalities

Just hope you dont get any whacko drivers in your area that'll throw off your concentration or state of mind
 
JuddsABlue said:
Do they still have the law that if you get beeped you insta fail? (was that ever a law?)
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Was that ever a rule?
BRB going to the licencing centre today and beeping at every L plater. Trollface.jpg
 
Poseidon said:
Was that ever a rule?
BRB going to the licencing centre today and beeping at every L plater. Trollface.jpg
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My teacher def said it was, but in my own mind I questioned it for that reason

Hoons would def just cruise around beeping learners
 

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Just relax.

That's the most important tip. On the morning of my test I scraped my car against the fence backing it out of the driveway and at the first intersection, waiting to turn right without an arrow, my leg was shaking so badly I could barely hold the clutch in.

Once I got going I relaxed and found it easy. Once I nailed my reverse park (had spent three hours the previous day just reverse parking) I just enjoyed it.

So, relax and make sure you exaggerate your actions to show you're observing all traffic.
 
Make your mirror checks blatantly obvious (move your neck, don't just flick your eyes up or to the side), they love to take points off if you're just doing a quick check.

Also, unlike one of my friends did, make sure you drive on the correct side of the road :thumbsu: :p

You'll be fine, the test itself isn't hard, it's just the nerves that get to you.
 
My driving instructor told me everyone loses points for mirrors so I made it hugely obvious that I was checking them constantly.

Just be aware mostly, if you can drive you will be fine, when he told me to turn left into a dead end street I knew a 3pt turn was coming up once that was nailed I relaxed heaps.

Like others have said as long as you don't do any of the insta fail things you will pass
 
whoopsman said:
Everyone should learn to drive a manual, should be compulsory.
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Not really very practical as most families do not own a manual car and most people will never need to drive a manual car.

This would only serve to line the pockets of driving instructors.
 
checkraiseulite said:
Not really very practical as most families do not own a manual car and most people will never need to drive a manual car.

This would only serve to line the pockets of driving instructors.
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You and a mate go camping he drives his manual car, mate gets bit by a snake and an ambulance can't make it

scenario 1 you never learnt to drive manual mate dies
scenario 2 I did learn to drive a manual I get him to the hospital mate lives

Extreme scenario but emergency situations are pretty much the crux of the argument, also driving an auto is essentially just steering. Being able to drive manual def makes you a better driver in the long run because you actually need to do something and focus a bit.
 
Something I've never understood is how '3 point turn' is considered a 'difficult' driving test maneuver on the same level as something like parallel parking.

A 3 point turn is no more difficult than getting in the car and putting your seat belt on. :confused: The only way I can imagine anyone having trouble with it is if they didn't yet have the ability to turn the steering wheel in the direction they want to go.

Totally baffles me.

Agree with the checking the mirrors thing. I did my test in NSW to get around Victoria's ridiculous bullshit and I was only there for 3 days so I had a half hour driving lesson win an instructor in the area of the only RTA that had a cancellation. She basically said that 95%+ of the driving test is doing the stupid things the RTA wanted like turning your head past the line of the mirror to indicate you are checking them and remaining stopped for an idiotically long time at stop signs etc.

If you do those little things then the driving part is no different to driving around every day like you hope to be allowed to do at the end of it.
 

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Sterge10 said:
You and a mate go camping he drives his manual car, mate gets bit by a snake and an ambulance can't make it

scenario 1 you never learnt to drive manual mate dies
scenario 2 I did learn to drive a manual I get him to the hospital mate lives

Extreme scenario but emergency situations are pretty much the crux of the argument, also driving an auto is essentially just steering. Being able to drive manual def makes you a better driver in the long run because you actually need to do something and focus a bit.
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we better make First Aid and CPR courses mandatory then too.

the costs of making sure everyone can drive a manual car is just not worth it. unfortunately you can't cover every remote scenario.
 
checkraiseulite said:
we better make First Aid and CPR courses mandatory then too.

the costs of making sure everyone can drive a manual car is just not worth it. unfortunately you can't cover every remote scenario.
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I think it was more of an 'in an ideal world, everyone would be forced to learn in a manual car' type comments. Obviously it's not practical.

Either way it's not about having the skill to do that one specific task. It's the benefit you gain from having to think about what you are doing, and being able to handle multiple tasks while driving.

Automatic transmissions, traction control, ABS and electronic stability control while making driving easier, and some of them making it safer are serving to disconnect people from the cars they are driving. All you have to do is drive around on a wet day and you will be able to see how many people have never driven anything other than cars with all the gizmos.

It's much easier to know, understand and avoid going over the limit when you can actually get to and exceed it without all manner of things preventing you from doing so. Plus the throttle/steering/braking control you are forced to develop makes you a far saver driver in general.

You can't teach experience.

There's a saying in flying that is 'A superior pilot exercises his superior judgement to avoid having to demonstrate his superior skill'. You could apply the same to driving.

But how are you supposed to use your judgement to avoid approaching/going over the limit if you have no way of finding out where it is?

What I would advocate is the driver training parts of this (ignore his complete butchering of Heikki Kovalainen's name:
 
Not learning to drive a manual can be a pain the ass

My gf cant drive manual and my car is a manual, so whenever it needs to be moved or something she cant do it, and she can never take my car if its practicle, so I kind of agree that learning is important

Only for those reasons though, I dont think it serves a practicle purpose if the driver is going to drive auto for the rest of their life. If learning manual 'teaches them to focus while driving' then lets just give them a rubix cube or something. It doesnt make sense, driving an auto allows greater concentration whether you know how to drive manual or not
 
I was a terrible driver when I got my license. I could barely do a three-point turn, let-alone parallel park! I somehow managed to pass the test and, after six years of driving, i'm yet to receive a single demerit point.

A mate of mine somehow managed to get pinged by a red-light camera during his test. He told us he was in one of those annoying situations where you aren't sure whether to commit to the amber light or stop and wait. He told us that he'd hesitated briefly, then panicked, then put the foot down and narrowly missed the amber light, receiving the horrid camera flash. Needless to say the tester asked him to pull over immediately, going on to tell him that he'd failed the test and wouldn't be allowed to drive back to the Vicroads centre. The tester was genuinly scared!
 
I didn't really understand roundabouts until about 5 minutes before my test. I had to drive hours away to do my test as it was the only one available in the time I was in Melbourne. I'd been driving on the highway for like 90 mins with no problems. As we got to the town where the Vicroads thing was there was a series of roundabouts.

I knew you had to give way to your right, but I also knew that you had to give way to people already in the roundabout. I thought I could just tack on to the back of the "conga line" of cars and I'd be all good. After I nearly got cleaned up, and a "are you fuggin serious?" from my old man, I finally understood!

I didn't learn on Manual, I should of but I was too lazy and got frustrated too easily. My Dad had a Nissan Patrol, great car to learn in (very forgiving, hard to stall) but after a few lessons of not a whole lot of success I gave it away, drove my mums car as it was an Auto. When I got to my job and did a course for a vehicle that was manual, I looked like a bit of a peanut bunny hopping around the joint until I got my shit together after a few days.

I'm 21 now, still on my Ps and am a fully qualified driving INSTRUCTOR.
 

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