A common driving habit that a lot of test candidates seem to have is that they use the car gears to try to slow down the vehicle instead of the brakes.
I know that many years ago this was standard practice (before the introduction of synchromesh transmission), but nowadays vehicle technogy has changed all that and the standard way of driving is use the brakes to slow down the car to the appropriate speed required for a junction, and then match the gears to go with that speed. This will also stop a lot of people from coasting as they tend to keep the clutch down because they know the car will jerk if it is too fast for the gear they are in.

A general rule of thumb is that if you are emerging at a closed junction you are going to need first gear, while moving from a major road to a minor road is usually 2nd gear (there are exceptions of course, and if you have enough driving experience will know when to do something else), so get used to braking to this speed, and then doing a block gear change. It doesn’t matter what gear you are in, the gear shift should be done once (4th to 2nd, 3rd to 1st or even 5th to 1st).

On the driving test, using block gear changes shows the dsa examiner that you have acquired advanced car control skills, and is evidence that you are ready to drive unsupervised (as long as you don’t commit any serious/dangerous faults).
Start today to use the brake to slow gears to go technique on your lessons whether it be with an instructor or learning to drive with family or a friend, as it will take sometime to change the old habit before test day.

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When you take to the road for the first time, you want to be sure that you do so the right way – this means confidently, comfortably, and most of all, safe. With the following tips, you can make your first driving experience a much more successful one.

Choose Your Teacher Wisely

While it might seem fun at first to have your friend or parent teach you how to drive, there’s one thing you should keep in mind. Most drivers have at least some bad habits that they’ve developed over the years, bad habits that they aren’t aware of, and which they can’t help but pass along to you. It might be the case that these bad habits are no big deal, but when you’re first starting out as a driver, you want a totally clean slate, free from dangerous pre-conceptions. For this reason, many people find it preferable to go with lessons from a qualified driving instructor.

Choose Your Car Wisely

Aside from your teacher, the car you’ll be using to learn to drive is one of the most important considerations that you can make. Unfortunately, for most people, there’s not really much of a choice at all – they must simply make do with whatever car they might have access to. This means that a majority of individuals are learning to drive on improperly tuned cars, or cars that bear no similarity to the ones they will actually be driving, or worst of all – cars in unsafe mechanical condition.

This presents yet another reason why many people are going the route of seeking out professional driving lesssons. Sydney has quite a few of these available, and by seeking them out, you’ll be able to use a car that is kept in optimal condition, which you can put your complete faith in and have one less thing to worry about.

Learn the Brakes

Observing someone’s style of braking is the number one way to distinguish an amateur driver from someone who has been doing it a while. Beginning drivers have a tendency to ride the brake, and to slam it down at the slightest indication of a need to stop. In fact, it’s not at all uncommon to find first time drivers coming to a stop meters and meters before a stop sign or traffic signal. This is because they just don’t realize how sensitive the pedals on a car really are.

While this can sometimes be humorous to observe, however, the reality is that operating a vehicle in such a way, even if it’s only for a short while, drastically reduces the lifespan of that vehicle, and can be severely injurious to braking systems. Therefore, one of the best things you can do to be ahead of the curve when it comes to learning to drive is to learn the proper way to brake from the very beginning.

Manual or Automatic

Of people who “know how to drive”, it’s shocking how many don’t know how to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. Automatic transmissions have become commonplace, and some people spend their entire lives driving nothing but. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it can sometimes lead to unsafe situations. What might happen if you’re one day called upon to drive a manual in an emergency? The period of time while you’re learning to drive represents the ideal time to learn to operate a manual in addition to an automatic. By possessing both types of knowledge, your driving skills will improve substantially.

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One of the show me tell me questions the DSA examiner might ask you before the start of the practical car driving test is to demonstrate how you would check that the car horn is working.

Tip: Did you know that your driving test will be cancelled if the vehicle’s horn was not working, and you will lose your very costly test fee!

So when on the test would it be appropriate to use the car horn? The attached video clip taken from an actual driving lesson shows an example of such a situation.

It is more appropriate to have used the horn to stop the car from entering the main road, than to stop on a major highway un-necessarily and affecting other road users or try to get past the vehicle by driving on the wrong side of the road.

Other situations where you migh want to use the horn during the dsa practical car test include if you are behind a car at traffic lights and the lights change to green but the car driver is not paying attention, then a short beep is acceptable to alert them.
You could also use the horn to stop a pedestrian from walking into the road if they are not paying attention (on a mobile phone or listening to ipod/mp3 player).

More Reading
Driving test age is still 17.

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If you are asked to do a bay parking exercise either to the left or right during the DSA practical car assessment, this driving test tip might save you failing.

If possible always choose a bay where you don’t have cars parked next to the space that you will be reversing into.

I’ve seen people failing their driving test while doing the bay park maneuver either for hitting the stationary car (yes it does happen) or getting too close to the other vehicle.

There is nothing wrong with doing the exercise between 2 cars (and some might prefer this), but you must be confident that you can control the car and not end up too close to the parked cars, also you will need to be very observant because the occupants of the car could open the doors at anytime (an example would be if you are doing the bay park as the last part of your test, and someone has just failed, they might be too upset to think safety and might open the door without looking!).

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Passing your driving test is the last obstacle between you and becoming a fully licensed driver and gaining the freedom that goes along with that designation, capable of going anywhere you like, anytime you like. However, statistics show that most people don’t pass their driving test on the first try, no matter how long or how hard they prepare for it. If you’ve been training for weeks or months, or even years, to pass your driving test, don’t let it all come to nothing. Take the following precautions, and you can ensure that you’ll pass your driving test the first time out!

Nervousness

By far, the number one cause of otherwise qualified drivers failing their tests is nervousness. This is only natural, of course. You’re used to driving along in the company of someone you know, someone who has a vested interest in your succeeding. Now, you’re sitting next to some grim figure with a clipboard, someone ready to mark down each and every little mistake you make. However, there’s no real need to feel nervous in such a situation. As long as you relax, you should have no trouble recalling all that you’ve learned about driving and be able to perform admirably, regardless of the pressure inherent in any exam.

One way to help prepare for the nervousness of a test is to learn driving from a qualified driving school. Sydney has a great number of these, and by learning from a qualified professional, you get used to the feeling of driving with someone else in the car who is judging you… and most importantly, you come to learn that this judgment isn’t a negative thing at all! When the real test comes, you’ll be able to completely relax and do your thing.

Concentration

Concentration is another important matter. Even if you aren’t nervous when you take your driving test, you can easily become distracted as you find yourself wondering things like “am I doing well?” or “what are they writing on that clipboard?”. If this happens, it’s all too easy to make a mistake that can end up preventing you from passing the test. Don’t take this risk!

Of course, that’s easier said than done. How can you keep your focus in an inherently distracting situation? Again, the services of a professional driving instructor can be a major help here. As you learn to drive at a driving school, each day you go out will involve someone observing your driving and making minor corrections to your techniques. As such, you’ll be used to this feeling of observation and appraisal and come to recognize it as the valuable service it really is. When the test comes around, you’ll hardly even be aware that what’s going on is anything out of the ordinary, and as such, you’ll be able to focus and concentrate much more easily.

Rules of the Road

Of course, it goes without saying that the reason some people fail their driving tests isn’t because of nervousness or concentration, but also just because they don’t properly understand the rules of the road, or didn’t study and learn them properly. This is obviously quite vital to passing any test and even if you have no anxiety at all, if you don’t know the rules, you won’t be getting your license. With the help of a professional driving coach, you can be positively certain that you know all the required rules and regulations well ahead of time, thereby increasing your likelihood of passing even further.

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Not everyone thinks learning to drive a car is a skill that they need to acquire especially if they live in a city with very good transportation links and can get anywhere they want by public transport or if necessary by taxi.

Being able to drive a car is a life skill that once acquired could very useful in the future if not required now, and because it is easier to learn to drive when you are young, will cost you less, there is no reason why you shouldn’t do it now rather than later.

Being a driving instructor, I frequently come across people who have either had a lesson on two when they were 17 yr olds, never took a driving test and much later in life now need to drive and are forced to take lessons due urgent needs to be able to drive a car. Some people even make it till their 40s and then find out that having a full UK driving licence will be paramount to thier moving to that dream house of theirs in the countryside.

The main resaon I’m writing this is that just like many of us never gave any serious thought to learning French or Spanish when we were growing up, you now find out that life would be much easier if we had acquired the skill while young and bright.

Learning to drive becomes much harder the older you get, and if you can get someone to help with the cost of driving lessons while you are bright and young, then why not take advantage of it. Christmas is round the corner, so why not ask for a gift of a couple of driving lessons instead of a game console, new mobile phone or those designer clothes you really have been hoping for. Knowing how to drive a car will last you a life time, an XBox 360 console with the latest driving game will not!

More Reading
Age for driving is not changing.

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