Transcription
Hey, it's Jacqueline and I bet you're here because you are excited to take your test. You've done all your good practice, but you just want one last example of a test so you can make sure that you're really ready.
Really ready means that if you're under 18, you've done 50 plus hours of practice with a parent or guardian. And if you're over 18, it means that you can still demonstrate your driving as if you've done 50 plus hours of practice. So really and truly, practice is the thing that's going to prepare you for your test.
The kind of practice you've been doing, I hope, is learning how to use all the car parts, learning how to make safe left and right turns in neighborhoods, being extra careful on unprotected left turns, making safe left and right lane changes. And I hope you've also been practicing your parking, pulling over to park parallel to the curb, and also parking lot parking. Those are the main skills that are assessed.
It's also really common for an examiner to take a student through some difficult intersections, some intersections that are uncontrolled, like perhaps a yield or a T intersection. They might also take you on a neighborhood where there's a one-way street, and they just want to make sure that you're watching all the street signs and you know what to do in any situation.
The driving test generally lasts from 10 to 15 minutes, so it's a really short snapshot of time for the examiner to make sure that you're ready to receive a lifetime license that allows you to drive across the United States and also to rent a car internationally if you're over 25. So it's a really big deal, and I hope you're taking it very seriously.
So let's pretend like you've done all this good work. Your parent or your friends comes to the DMV with you, and it's your time to start your test. We're going to run through the test as if we're doing a 10 or 15 minute test with all the parts. Let's begin by imagining the examiner is at the window and they asked me to do the pre-drive checklist. So I'm just going to say out loud all the parts as if an examiner is telling me.
So they might say something like: Put on your left turn signal and turn it off. Put on your right turn signal and turn it off. Put on your emergency flashers or hazard lights and turn them off. Turn on your headlights and turn them off. Tap your foot brake and release. Put on your windshield wiper and turn it off. Point to your defroster button. Honk your horn. Engage your emergency brake and release. And show your hand signals: left, right, and stop.
Once you've shown all the car parts, the examiner is going to get in the car with you. You're going to make sure anyone whoever gets in the car with you puts on their seat belts. And once the examiner is seat belted, they will advise you how to start your test.
So let's pretend like the examiner just got in the car and they might say something vague like, "Please exit the parking lot." What you need to know is that you are being assessed for parking lot driving. You are scanning the parking lot, prepared to yield if there were any hazards. You're maintaining a slow speed, about five miles an hour, and you use your turn signals just like you would do in a neighborhood. And these arrows are a great reminder that we always do a full stop when we're exiting a parking lot to check for pedestrians. So I'm looking between the wall and the wall and the cars. And because it's clear, I creep out and I do a second stop. I make sure that it's safe and then I continue.
Please do not ever roll out of a parking lot without stopping first to check for pedestrians. And especially do not do that on your test because that would be an automatic fail.
At this first left turn, I get to demonstrate my first stop and second stop skills. And if my examiner were in the car, they would see that I know that the white truck had right-of-way and that my job is to wait for them. To yield through a trail crossing, I keep a safe speed, about 15 miles an hour, because there wasn't any hazard. And then I yield safely behind the car ahead of me for the pedestrian that's crossing. And the important part about this interaction is understanding that sometimes there are unexpected obstacles, like a pedestrian crossing, and you have to be prepared to yield and stop behind another car for a pedestrian. If someone pops out, I'm going to make a left turn here, and I would be showing my examiner that I know how to yield for the pedestrian crossing and yield for the oncoming car.
When I do things that the examiner feels great about, they'll make a little circle on the score sheet showing that I'm getting full credit. And if I make an error, they'll make a little line and they'll talk to me about it later. Don't get yourself worried about anything about the score sheet.
And I said that examiners are likely to take you to intersections that show that you know the rules. So at that intersection, which was a T with no stop sign, my full stop showed that I understood that I have to do a full stop at every T. Maintaining safe speed is a really important part about doing well on the driving test. Ahead, we see somebody turning left, another car going to the left. To try to go around them, trying to go around a left-turning car on your driving test, or even in life, is a fail. If it's a one-lane road and a car is turning left, we're not meant to go around the car. We're meant to just wait. That way, we don't accidentally interfere with other cars that might be turning left or surprise a pedestrian who might be trying to cross. So we see a lot of cars over here to the left that we're going around the straight car, and that's just a reminder that we might see some behavior from other cars that isn't necessarily following the law. So it's really important that you learn to be a law-abiding driver and follow all the rules, and that's what your examiner is going to be looking for.
At this intersection where cross traffic doesn't stop, but I have really good visibility, I just scanned intentionally. I felt really safe going forward. I'm going to continue straight through this intersection. Because of this barrier, I'm going to creep forward a little more. Because it's a one-way street, I'm really focusing on the left, but I know that pedestrians or bikes could come from the right. So I am looking both ways for all hazards.
At some point, when you're out on the road, your examiner is going to see a nice open spot for you to pull over and park. When you're pulling over to park, you make a full lane change, which includes signal, mirrors, blind spot. And when you're pulling up to park, you want to make sure that you land parallel and that you don't block anyone's driveway.
Here I am ready to engage in another driving test requirement. You have to be able to reverse parallel to the curb for three car lengths. You have to look behind you to the right to make sure that nobody pops out from the sidewalk. And you are allowed to check your right mirror to make sure that your placement is parallel and that you stay in good position. You're not allowed to use your backup camera. So even though I have a backup camera, I don't get to use it on the test. And even if I wasn't testing and I was reversing three car lengths, I would look behind me because looking behind me gives me the best view. Looking in the backup camera only gives me a limited view. So you can use your backup camera as a resource when you're in tight spaces in parking lots, but if you're reversing any distance, you want to look behind you for cars or people.
Then your examiner will tell you to re-enter the road. And remember that also counts as a lane change. So of course, you'll signal, check mirror, and blind spot. And I'm going to make a left here, yielding to other traffic and thinking about how the car facing me got here first. So even though we both had stop signs, they get to go first, and then I go.
As I approach the trail, I'm cautious for the runner and I look diagonal to make sure no one else is coming. And now I'm gonna head out into a busier part. Your driving test will take place in residential and business districts only. You won't have to go on the freeway for your test. So we just did a little neighborhood driving with important things like right and left turns, yielding to pedestrians, watching for trail crossings, and we even did pulling over to park.
This is a place where it's important to note the no turn on red sign. Of course, you have to obey all traffic signs and signals during your test, and always. So you would not make a right on red if it says no turn on red. In general, on your test, don't feel like you have to rush and make a right on red. It's one test, then hopefully you'll take once in a lifetime, and so you really want to be careful.
I was noticing the cyclist passing on the right, and I wanted to make sure they passed by before I start my right turn. I did notice the light turning yellow, but I was already approaching the intersection, and remember, I have three seconds, so it was appropriate for me to turn since the light just turned yellow.
Next, I'm going to make a yield right turn, another kind of awkward intersection that the examiner is likely going to want to see you can manage. And your priority is on scanning for pedestrians, bikes, and cars, and then smoothly continuing to show that you understand that a yield turn is not a stop. It's something that you continue through as long as it's safe.
And then at some point, your examiner is going to say, "Make a left lane change or a right," depending on where you are, when it's safe. And when you make your lane change, you're going to make sure to always check the rearview mirror first to get the big view. Make sure you can see the headlights of the car that you want to change in front of. If there's busier traffic, of course, you're going to use your turn signal and follow up with your side mirror and blind spot. And the important thing is only making your lane change when it's safe. So don't make your lane change in an intersection. Don't make your lane change if there are other cars too close. And if you have to wait a few seconds or even a minute to make a safe lane change, that's okay.
At this point, we've practiced all the skills we're going to be assessed on except for a right lane change. So I'm going to make a right lane change when it's safe. I make sure it's clear, I check mirror and blind spot, and I gently adjust into my lane.
Let's make a few more right and left turns in neighborhoods, just driving along, feeling comfortable. Important to remember that the maximum speed in a neighborhood is 25 miles an hour, but you can drive a little slower without losing points. If you're near a school and you want to make sure that there are no children running around, of course, if it was school dismissal, you would drive 15 miles an hour.
Up here at this intersection, it's important to notice that there are no stop signs, so it's a yield for everybody. So you would want to approach an intersection like this really cautiously so your passenger, the examiner, feels super safe, and they know that you are a safe and cautious, cautious driver. With the bush on the left, I have to creep out all the way past the yellow line to make sure it's clear before I go. And at this T, I'm going to make a left turn and I will wow my examiner with my full stop, my creeping out for better visibility, and my perfect turn with acceleration toward the speed limit, which we know is up to 25. And I might just barely get there before I get to the light. So don't feel like you have to speed up to the speed limit of 25. It's much better to have a nice smooth pace in a residential area. Right now, I'm going 22, and that feels like the perfect match.
As I approach the intersection, I let my speed drop and I come to a nice smooth stop. It's important when you're stopping that you always stop before the limit line. So I use the left view from my windshield wiper, and as soon as the limit line disappears, I come to a full stop. If I crossed over the limit line just a little bit, or if I got too close to the car ahead of me, I could lose a point. I have to stop in the correct position. When I turn right onto a two-lane street, I always have to turn into the closest lane, right into the right lane. And I just went 32 miles an hour in a 30. So I'm just doing my own self-check, letting my speed drop back down. And I know that I would have lost a point on my driving test because if you go even two miles over the speed limit, you lose a point. And remember, you're not going to make any maneuvers unless the driving examiner tells you to. You're going to assume straight unless they tell you to do something.
This is an example of the space that we have to keep behind the car ahead of us. We have to be able to see a little bit of asphalt behind the tires. From my view, my windshield wiper runs below the back two tires with just about maybe two inches of ground, so that feels like adequate space. With my green arrow, I expect that the rest of the world stops for me, but I still look around and keep track.
Now I'm going to make a right turn over the bike lane, demonstrating my perfect right lane change into the bike lane, and then a safe turn onto this one-way street. So I just get to take up space in the middle.
At the end of your test, you'll be asked to return to the DMV parking lot, and you'll be asked to park in the parking lot. And this angle parking lot parking on the right is the easiest. The crooked car makes it look a little more complicated, but we just stay focused on our diagonal position. We come up to the sidewalk, not too close that we bump, just close enough, and then we park our car.
The examiner will tell you to turn off your car, and then they'll review your score sheet with you. When you pass, they'll give you your score sheet, you'll go back into the building, and you'll turn it in, and they'll send you your driver's license in the mail for three to six weeks, but you'll get a temporary license to use immediately. If someone doesn't pass their test, if they're under 18, they have to wait two weeks and a day to retake. And if they're over 18, they can retake the very next day. But remember, it is practice that makes you a better driver. So whatever you're doing, make sure you're practicing as much as possible and keep studying. I really appreciate you taking time to learn how to be the best driver you can be. Have a great day. Bye.