Driving School Learning Tips from Sydney’s Testing Officers

 

It all starts with getting the L plate, after a short exam and your own personal logbook.  So begins your journey to Sydney driving and the freedom and independence that goes with it.  It is nerve racking for most and quite exhilarating for some. And for most first timers in driving schools in Sydney, they seem to worry too much about the actual driving or operating this modern machine on wheels.  They completely forget the what driving schools teach about the other aspect of driving which involves everything that happens outside the car – Sydney’s road rules, road signs, and interacting with other cars.

Sydney’s Testing Officers understand how the driving test can be quite intimidating along with the fact that they should somehow impress a person they are not acquainted with. While it is understood that being under pressure makes the learners forget things here and there but there are just certain things that should come naturally after 120 hours of practice driving.  Based on their observations, while learners are still in driving schools, they should get used to the following driving practices until it becomes second nature.

·         Making your intensions known – Signaling is on the top of Sydney test officer’s blunder list.  It is a basic rule that prevents accidents and ensures smooth traffic flow.  Flicking the switch is not enough, allow the message to be noticed first (about 5 seconds) before moving from a curb or leaving your parking space. It’s not a good idea to leave it on either.

·         Checking Blind Spots and Mirrors – Learners somehow forget to pause to check before they merge into the main road traffic or changing lanes which could certainly lead to a sideswipe accident.  Practicing caution during the learning period required should produce a learner who makes himself aware of what going on around him.

·         Heeding the Stop Sign – Slowly rolling forward is not stopping.  Some learners do not seem to understand the meaning of the Stop Sign.  Some think it is a suggestion rather than a command. And there are still some who stop on top of the stop line instead of before it.  The stop sign is used to control traffic on busy streets and areas with limited or restrictive visibilities that are often used by both pedestrians and other vehicles. Learning to stop automatically on a stop sign is a practice that keeps people and drivers safe.

·         Calculating safe gaps in traffic – Yes, it does take experience and a lot of driving hours to get used to judging gaps and the relative speed of incoming traffic, but if a learner feels that this is his or her weakness, it’s better to do a lot of observing while an experienced driver is the one driving.  It’s probably not something you build upon in driving school but paying attention to what an expert driver does helps you with your judgment when it is your turn on the behind the wheel.