It goes without saying that you want to pass your driving test quickly and first time?

Yes of course you do, however remember, “it takes time to do things quickly”!

Meaning take your time and listen to the advice of your instructor, or it could take you much longer to get through.

This post has been put together for you as part of our series on “How to pass your driving Test”?

It’s based on various faults and issues that are reported to us by the test examiners, at local test centre surgeries.

Here are our last minute driving test tips:

1:  Moving Off and Stopping

Signalling.

Ask yourself, does anyone need to know what I am doing?

If there is- tell them with a signal.

However, you should not signal to priority traffic behind, you wait.

We have all seen motorists waiting to pull off, sitting with a signal on, which can make a motorist behind, believe that the vehicle is going to pull out in front of them, causing that motorist to brake sharply.

When you’re stationary, you have no priority, so if you slow another motorist by signalling to fast moving traffic behind, and they change speed, or swerve…. it’s a fail.

2: Signalling

Parked cars.

You should not signal to pass parked cars.

If you have been taught by Mum or Dad, they may have taught you to do this?

They may have been trained to do this, back in the day.

However, parked cars are everywhere now and doing this would lead to all sorts of misinterpretation issues

Lorries signal to pass parked cars, because a motorist behind cannot see through them and apply logic as to what is going on.

3: Meeting situations

Stationary obstructions, on your side of the road.

If you are going to make oncoming traffic change speed or direction; hold back.

Don’t be too hesitant, if you think that you can get through, without affecting oncoming traffic, slow right down or stop first and assess. Show the examiner that you’re not the sort that careers into the unknown!

If you can get through without making the priority traffic slow, but are only, say a drains width from parked cars, keep speed at no more than 10 MPH.

You must not cause oncoming traffic to change speed or direction. If you do…it’s over.

If you are unsure, slow down or stop until you are.

4: Overtaking

On a Driving Test, only do it if safe, legal and necessary.

On a dual carriageway plan well ahead, looking as far up the road as you can.

You cannot sit behind a slow-moving lorry at 50 MPH and a dry day, with a good traffic flow.

This would be a necessary overtake.

In this case, you would check your mirrors first, when it’s safe to signal, in other words you won’t slow traffic in the lane that you’re intending to enter, signal, then move into the lane.

Once you have passed the lorry and can see its headlights in the centre mirror, check the left mirror, if safe, signal and move back to lane 1

On a single carriageway, cyclist only on test (usually)

5: Parked cars on both side of the road

In this case, oncoming motorists share equal priority

You should not speed up to beat them, it is dangerous and you’ll frighten the examiner!

You and the oncoming motorist will have to work out which one of you will go first, by co-operating.

If they slow down, you have eye contact, they flash their lights and it’s safe to go…………then go!

If you don’t go and get into a “Mexican standoff”, you could fail your test by failing to respond to another motorists’ signals.

However, as you know from your training, the flashing of headlights actually means “I am here”, so don’t do this yourself, or you will get a driver fault.

6: Roundabouts

Approach every roundabout, as if you were approaching a red traffic light, hoping it will change ‘

So, you are planning to stop-looking to go.

7: Instructions

Whatever the examiner tells you to do……………it starts with mirrors. The only exception is the emergency stop, no mirror check necessary to stop.

8: Moving Off

Do not attempt to move off without checking your right blind spot first.

If you find yourself in the middle of the road, after an emergency stop, its essential to check the left blind spot as well.

9: Pulling up/Parking

Make sure that you do not pull up next to a car/van/lorry, as you will block or narrow the road.

10: Vision

Of all the” last minute driving test tips”, this one is just that- so easy to go out of the door, without your glasses!

Don’t leave home without them

You will fail your Driving Test instantly, if you can’t read the car number plate at the prescribed distance.

We hope that you like our “last minute driving test tips”, more can be found on our page dedicated to passing your driving test.