Five Ways to Kill Your Driving Examiner (And Fail Your Road Test)
By: Jeff Kelly | Posted: 24th July 2007
Millions of Americans take their drivers test each year. If you're one of them, chances are, it's a very big deal to you. Passing your the road test is a huge accomplishment. For a young person, it represents a major milestone in life. For others, it can mean the freedom to take their family new places or pursue a better career.
Unfortunately, about half of those taking their test for the first time will fail. And it happens for a variety of reasons. As a former driving test examiner for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), I have witnessed just about everything that can go wrong during a driving test. I've been in a car that has pulled in front of an oncoming semi, I've been rear-ended after stopping for no apparent reason and I've had someone hit the gas instead of the brake and plough right into the DMV building (much to the delight of my fellow examiners). I've even seen other examiners end up in the hospital. If you have a flair for the dramatic and a car that you're looking to get rid of, there are plenty of heart-stopping ways to fail your drivers test. Here are five mistakes that may seem harmless but can lead to dangerous situations.
1. Stopping in a yield.
Looking for a good way to get rear-ended and fail your driving test? Look no further. Stopping unnecessarily in a yield is a great way to write off that old clunker that mom lent you for the road test. Even if you don't get hit from behind, simply forcing the person behind you to slow or stop unnecessarily will probably get you a failure. The correct procedure? As you enter a yield to make right hand turn, look at the traffic in front of you. If it is slowing or coming to a stop, do the same. If it is not slowing or coming to a stop, look to the left to make sure that it is safe to proceed. If there is no traffic coming and it is clear in front of you, keep it moving!! On the other hand, if it isn't safe to proceed, then slow down or stop. The point is that you should keep moving if it is safe to do so. Otherwise, you may end up with the vehicle behind you in the rear seat of your car.
2. Signalling too soon.
If there are two streets on the right hand side of your car and the driving examiner asks you to turn at the second one, make sure that you do not signal before you are passing or have passed the first street. The reason for this? If you start signalling too early, vehicles waiting at the first road might see you coming with your turn signal flashing, think that you are about to make a right turn at their street and drive out in front of your car. Anyone for a juicy t-bone? Ouch.
3. Signalling too late. Signalling too late is also a problem. When making a turn, make sure that you signal before you start braking. This lets the vehicle following you know that you are about to slow and provides them additional time to get ready and slow down as well. Even if you don't cause an accident, signalling too late will cost you points on your test.
4. Hesitating.
Often, new drivers are either so nervous or so determined to show the examiner how careful they are that they hesitate to go when it is safe to do so. Sometimes they even wait for awhile, realize that they should have gone earlier and then pull out in front of oncoming traffic at the last second (kind of like a squirrel crossing the street). It's one thing to make sure that it is safe before proceeding. It's another thing to sit there so long that your car begins to rust. Be careful but be confident. Hesitating is not only a nuisance to other drivers but can result in a dangerous situation.
5. Backing up improperly.
This one happens A LOT, usually right at the start of the road test. If you are parked in a stall at the beginning of your test and need to back up, make sure that you are aware of the vehicles parked on either side of your car. Remember that if you are looking behind you and start turning the steering wheel as soon as you begin to back up, the front end of your car will swing out sideways and hit the parked car next to you. I can't tell you how many times I had to grab the wheel out of someone's hand to prevent this from happening. It's an automatic failure so be careful. Make sure that you have backed up straight far enough so that when you turn the wheel, the front of your car will clear the car parked next to you.
Remember these five driving tips and keep both you and your examiner on the road and out of the hospital. Good luck and good driving!
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Jeff Kelly is an author and former DMV driving examiner. For more, visit him at driverstestsecrets.com
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Tags: traffic, failure, heart, mom, apparent reason, plough, flair, freedom, accomplishment, milestone, driving test, dangerous situations, road test, young person, department of motor vehicles, lent, clunker