- Hi there, Smart Driver, Rick with Smart Drive Test talking to you today about space management for the purposes of passing a driver's test and for smart, defensive driving.
Stick around, we'll be right back with that information.
Space management for the purposes of passing a driver's test, is key.
Space management trumps speed management, in other words, you need to maintain your distance rather than applying the posted speed limit or whatever the flow of traffic is.
Stopping in Traffic
You see here, when I'm stopped in traffic, that I can see the tires of the vehicle in front of me making clear contact with the pavement.
That is a critical skill to pass a driver's test.
It's also critical for keeping you safe when you're sitting here and parked.
If a car comes up behind, you're watching your center mirror where you're sitting here, and if they come up too fast, you can move up.
And oftentimes that's enough to get the vehicle behind you to get stopped before they rear-end you.
The other thing is, if that vehicle in front of you breaks down, you can drive around it without reversing in traffic, because the last thing you want to do, is reverse in traffic, it's both unpredictable and dangerous, so don't do it.
So if you can stop so you could see tires making clear contact with the payment and keep that habit, your whole driving career, you're going to be a lot safer.
Anticipating the Traffic Lights
Now you saw that vehicle in front of me raced up to the traffic light and came to a stop and then had to get going again, it's not efficient.
You see that I've backed off, I kept my space behind the vehicle and I didn't have to come to a stop at the traffic light, you can also see that he was, the vehicle in front of me was tailgating the vehicle in front, and, finally, the vehicle just changed lanes to prevent that vehicle from tailgating.
So I just hung back and because I'm hanging back and I've got a good buffer of space in front of me, I move up, I move back, I move up and I move back and I don't have to brake and my vehicle is not undergoing the wear and tear that you're going to do with aggressive braking and aggressive throttling.
And when you stop at intersections, if you're the first one in the line, make sure that you stop behind the stop line because you can see that this stop line is farther back from the intersection, if I didn't stop back here, the cars coming around the corner are going to cut the corner off, potentially could strike the front of your vehicle, that's the reason that you have to stop behind the stop line.
How to Stop at Stop Lines
You stop so it just rolls under the front of the car.
If you stop back so you can see the stop line, you're going to be too far back from the intersection, and other cars are probably going to honk at you.
And, again, getting it up to speed as quickly as possible, for the purposes of the driver's test, when there isn't any other traffic around you.
But if there's other traffic around you, then your space management is going to come first and your speed management is going to come second.
So there's nobody in the roundabout, we just go straight through, we don't have to signal.
You can signal when you exit the roundabout, if practicable.
Here, we're not going to block the intersection, we're going to let that guy go because it doesn't take any time out of your day to be nice.
The last point about stopping in traffic so you can see the tires of the vehicle in front of you making clear contact with the pavement is, is that if everybody did that in an ideal world, the traffic could all move off at the same time when the traffic light goes green and there would be less traffic congestion, but that's just not going to happen in any kind of world we live in.
You Can Alway Manage Space In Front of Your Vehicle!
So you can always manage the space in front of your vehicle.
You always have that two to three second following distance.
And I know that some drivers are going to say, "Oh, but somebody's going to cut you off, "they're going to take that space." Not very often.
Every now and again they do that, but for the most part, they do not do that, they do not cut in front of you.
And as I said, it does happen, but because you're maintaining space, smart space around your vehicle, you're much safer.
Solid white lines, you can see those are near the intersection, do not change lanes.
Your Vehicle's Blind Areas
The other three sides of the vehicle, the two sides and the rear, the passenger side is your second biggest blind area, and to the rear of the vehicle is your biggest blind area.
Near signal, shoulder check, and changing lanes over to the left, and I had my signal on, indicating to the vehicle behind me that I wish to move over, not that I was going to move over, and I'm going to turn left here and we get past the traffic island, shoulder check, and we move into the turning lane.
And, again, when we're in the turning lane, we stop so we can see the tires making clear contact with the pavement, I cannot stress that enough.
Turning Left And Right
And turning left, left lane to left lane, turning right, right lane to right lane.
As soon as we get around into the left lane, because you're going to be doing the posted speed limit for the purposes of practicing for your driver's test.
You're going to move back over to the right lane because the right lane is the slow lane and the left lane is the passing lane for those of us that live in North America.
And you can always control the space in front of your vehicle, and that is smart space.
If you can control that space in front of your vehicle, it's always going to leave you an out, because in terms of defensive driving, it's faster to drive out of an emergency situation than it is to try and brake to avoid a crash in the event of an emergency situation.
Faster to Drive Out of An Emergency
- So you want smart space around your vehicle so that you can drive out of an emergency situation, whether it's to the left or to the right.
So the other thing that you don't want to do, is you don't want to pace somebody on a multi-lane road, you don't want somebody in this space beside you.
New cars are really good because they have blind spot detectors, either on the mirror or up here in the corner on the vehicle, and they are excellent for helping you out.
And, of course, that does not mean that you stop doing shoulder checks if you have those on your vehicle, it's just another aid, because, remember, you always need to double-check, you always need a backup.
[Clip from the movie Serenity]
- We're fried, I've got no control!
- Where's the backup, where's the backup!
Technology is Great....But
- And when you do that, when you double-check and you are not relying on technology, you're not relying on your backup camera, you're not relying on your blind spot detectors to observe and see the space around your vehicle, you're going to be much safer.
So the vehicle behind me has kept good space, I was watching my center mirror as the vehicle that was approaching, this lights turned, and we can proceed.
Left lane to left lane, around the corner, and the other woman is a way behind me, and so we move over to the right lane and maintain the speed, posted speed limit is 60 kilometers an hour or 40 miles an hour here and it's gone to 50.
And, again, there's no point rushing up here because the traffic is backed up and stopped.
And I'm probably in the wrong lane because I'm behind the truck lane here, but, again, I stopped so I can see the tires making clear contact with the pavement.
That way, if I want to change lanes, or I want to move over, I can do that.
And I was a little bit concerned about that exit there that I was going to be blocking that, but the truck in front of me moved up far enough that I'm not blocking it now.
You want to try not to block those.
When you're moving up here, you want to maintain that space so other people can get out.
You know, cause you know what I say, it doesn't take any time out of your day to be nice to other people, so you could let one vehicle out and then proceed.
Good Observation is Key to Good Space Management
Okay, we're going to turn right here, shoulder checking, shoulder checking again.
And space management, the key to space management is good observation.
And then as soon as we get around the corner, there's no traffic here, so we want to try and get up to the posted speed limit as quickly as possible.
If you have your driver's license, then you want to drive the flow of traffic.
Speed Limit Inside the City
Okay, so I'm doing 50 kilometers an hour or 30 miles an hour for those of you in the States.
And of course I got a Jeep coming up here on the left.
I want to change lanes so I wait for the Jeep to go past and then I climb in behind the Jeep.
Because there's going to be people who are going to do that, you're going to put your signal on to move over and they're just going to be, you know, rammin' up there, going 4,000 miles an hour.
You know, not that a Jeep can do 4,000 miles an hour, I know that's not possible.
We just stay back here, a good space behind them.
Again, always maintaining so we can see the tires making clear contact with the pavement.
We never get closer than that when we're in the line of traffic and the line of traffic is going slow, we always want to maintain that smart space around our vehicle.
Potholes...Always Potholes
All right, and you can see it was really bumpy there, I kind of moved over to the left of the lane to try and avoid some of that bumps and lumps and potholes and whatnot.
Okay, it's going to two-lane here, we're going to move over to the right, signal to the right.
And, again, we're maintaining our posted speed limit of 50 kilometers an hour or 30 miles an hour as according to the speed signs here.
That's the maximum speed in the city unless otherwise posted, 30 miles an hour or 50 kilometers an hour.
In New York City, the speed limit inside the city is 25mph unless otherwise posted - those New Yorkers like to be differerent!!
On highways, it's 80 kilometers an hour or 50 miles an hour.
And we're going downhill here, and for those who're on driver's test to maintain your posted speed limit, again, you may have to brake a little bit to maintain 50 kilometers an hour or 30 miles an hour.
That gives you some techniques and skills about space management to pass both the driver's test and to stay safe when you're driving and be a defensive driver.
For another video, click here, to subscribe, click here.
And, remember, pick the best answer, not necessarily the right answer.
Have a great day, bye now.
Blooper
Oh, she's smoking a cigarette, that's probably why she's not very happy.
This woman beside me is looking very unhappy.
Page 2
8 more tips to pass your driver's test with any class of licence, anywhere in the world.
//www.youtube.com/embed/dC1iJ3MzooI
8 More Tips & Techniques to Pass Your Road Test | Road Test Smart
Closed Caption
Introduction
Hi there smart drivers, Rick with Smart Drive Test.
Eight more tips for passing your road test:
1) space management;
2) speed management;
3) communication;
and 4) observation;
are the four fundamental components of an any road test, regardless of class of license anywhere in the world.
Those are the four fundamental components that you have to demonstrate to be successful on a road test - speed management, space management, observation and communication.
I am going to go into more detail a little bit later here in the video.
LEARN THE SECRETS THAT DRIVING SCHOOLS DON'T TELL YOU!
As well, we're going to talk about new technology on cars, particularly backup cameras.
No you cannot use the backup camera for the purposes of a road test.
And I will give you more information about that.
Practicing practice, practice, practice!
The more practice you can get driving, the higher chance of success you're going to have on your road test.
We talked a little bit about driving examiner's and what to expect on your road test.
And finally we're going to talk about doing a mock road test.
Hire a local driving school before you go down for your road test and preferably do it seven to ten days before your driver's test.
So stick around, we'll be right back with that information.
[INTRODUCTION & MUSIC]
Hi there smart drivers, Rick with Smart Drive Test - eight more tips to pass your road test.
Tip #1 - Space Management
Space management...
number one.
Don't get near anything, don't hit anything and stay away from other road users on the roadway.
And I'll put a card up here for you in the corner for pedestrians crossing the roadway when you're turning.
You have to have at least one lane of traffic between you and the pedestrians.
So stay away from other pedestrians and vulnerable road users: bicycles.
This is the reason that we shoulder check is so that you can check your blind spots around the vehicle and ensure that you're not near pedestrians, bicycles, or scooters.
So space management - don't get near anything, don't strike anything.
If you strike a any object--a fixed object or you strike another road user--unfortunately you're not going to be successful on your driver's test..
Space management is number one.
Tip #2 - Speed Management
The second criteria for a road test:
2) speed management.
You have to be able to do the posted speed limit or the traffic flow or the capability of the vehicle, whichever is less.
So posted speed limit - you have to maintain a constant flow.
If you look at my video here on a mock road test - on how to do a road test - you're going to see in the camera--I'll put a card up for you in the corner here--you're going to see in the camera that i rarely hit the posted speed limit in residential areas.
It's only when I get out onto the bigger road that I actually get up to the speed limit.
If the flow of traffic is less than the posted speed limits than that's what you do.
If you're driving a higher class vehicle--a bigger vehicle, a RV, you're pulling a trailer, you're doing a heavy trailer endorsement, tractor trailer or bus, and you're going up a hill you can only do what the capability of the vehicle.
So that's the last speed requirement for speed management in terms of a road test.
Tip #3 - Communication
Number 3: communication.
You have to communicate with other road users what you are doing.
And that is done through your lights, your signals, your horn, appropriate hand signals - don't tell other road users they're number one, especially on a driver's test.
You won't be successful!
Get eye contact with other road users--pedestrians, riders, and cyclists--if you're unsure what they are doing or if they're going at an intersection.
And finally the position of your vehicle, where your vehicle is on the roadway communicates to other road users what you're doing on the roadway.
If a vehicle is in the left-turning lane, most likely that vehicle is going to turn left.
Tip #4 - Observation
So communication - that is fundamental for passing a road test.
Number four, observation.
You have to observe when you're doing your slow speed maneuvers, when you're reversing the vehicle - you have to do a 360° degree scan.
That means you look forward, you look to both sides of the vehicle, and you look out the back and check your mirrors.
A 360° degree scan and as well observe - when you're driving down the roadway you need to scan intersections, laneways, railway crossing - any place that there's going to be an intersection between you and other road users.
And other vehicles - you have to observe the whole time that you're driving for the purposes of your road test.
It indicates to the examiner that you are looking, you are looking at other road users, you're interpreting traffic patterns, and you're predicting what other vehicles on the roadway are going to do in relation to those traffic patterns.
Because for the most part, traffic is predictable and you can predict what other road users are doing on the roadway.
Tip #5 - Practice, Practice, Practice
Driving is NOT a spectactor sport!
Now you'll hear me say this again and again and again when I do this...
when i do the videos here: number 5...I think we're up to number 5? Number 5 is practice.
If you don't practice for the purposes of your driver's test, you're not going to be successful.
Practice slow speed maneuvers and I'm going to put a card up here for you in the corner on fundamentals of driving.
Learning the fundamentals of driving: the steering wheel, the brake, and the throttle, and the clutch if you're driving a manual transmission are the primary controls of the vehicle.
It's like doing music, you have to practice scales to get good at it.
The same thing with driving, you have to practice the fundamentals.
It's the same thing with martial arts, you've got to do wall punches, you got to do punches, kicks, you got to shadow box - you have to know the fundamentals and it's no different with driving.
You have to practice the fundamentals.
If you don't practice the fundamentals, you're not going be good at driving.
And it's going to be unlikely that you're going to be successful on a road test.
Slow-Speed Manoeuvres
And again practice the slow speed manoeuvres, this will translate into all of your overall driving and make your driving better overall.
Tip #6 - Technology - Won't Always Keep you Out of the Muck!
Number six - technology.
Backup cameras - all these new vehicles have beepers and backup cameras.
And for the purposes of a road test you cannot rely on technology for the purposes of passing your road test.
Unfortunately I've had smart drivers who've left comments here that they failed because they used the backup camera while they were backing into the parking space and doing the reverse bay parking.
You have to turn your body and you have to look out the back window of the vehicle for the purposes of a road test.
And the reason that they do that is because the examiner is thinking you're not always going to be driving the same vehicle that you're in.
You're going to be moving around to different vehicles and you're going to have to know how to do it regardless of the technology that's in that vehicle.
So you have to turn around when back up and look out the back window - look out the back window while you're reversing the vehicle for the purposes of the road test.
So know that.
That's a question that I've had quite a bit - about backup cameras.
Know that you can't use the backup cameras as your main line of sight when reversing.
Tip #7 - Driving Examiners Aren't All Grumpy!
Number seven - driving examiners.
Driving is not objective; there isn't a formula - it's subjective.
And when I get into a vehicle with somebody that I'm doing a road test with or I'm doing an evaluation with I can tell very quickly--within two or three minutes--whether that person can drive or not.
Driving examiners are no different.
As well, driving examiner's each have their little quirks.
I worked with many different driving examiner's and we had a driving examiner in Victoria, British Columbia here who solid white lines were his pet peeve.
If you crossed over a solid white line he was going to ding you for it.
Here in Vernon, BC where I now live and I now work we have a driving examiner's - if you're driving a larger class vehicle and you bang off the road markings-- the lane demarcations--you're going to lose points for that.
In other words, when you wander in the lane.
So every driving examiner has the little quirk.
I've had lots of smart drivers tell me that they were unsuccessful on the road test because their turns were too slow or some other aspects out their driving caused them to fail.
That's not particularly true.
We have a saying in martial arts: "One thing shows all!"
And what happens is, driving examiners are not going to pass you on your driving test if your fundamentals are not in place; if you have not done the work and practiced your slow speed maneuvers.
Because they know that you are not up to a certain standard be able to drive, but they're going to tell you that your turns were too slow or some other aspects of your driving.
Because they can't say, "Oh the person can't drive!"
Your driving is simply not up to a standards, and they have to be specific.
It has to look objective, so when they tell you that something happened--it was not a dangerous action because the dangerous action is something different--it's just that you're driving isn't up to a certain standard.
And it comes back to practicing your slow speeds maneuvers - you have to practice your slow speed maneuvers or you're not going to be successful on your road test.
And when examiner's tell you one thing that was wrong with your road test and that was the reason you failed, oftentimes that's not the only reason you failed.
You failed because you're driving was up not up to a standard.
So practice, practice, practice and know that each driving examiner expects a certain level of competency when it comes to driving.
Tip #8 - Do A Mock Road Test - It's $$ Well Invested!
Number eight - Mock Driver's Test
Seven to ten days before you go for your road test, if you haven't taken driving lessons, hire a local driving school and go out for a mock road test.
You are not going to learn from the videos on this channel how to drive! Driving is not a spectator sport - you have to get in the vehicle, regardless of class of license whether it's a motorcycle, a car, a a bus, or a truck and you have to get in the vehicle and you have to drive it.
If you don't get in the vehicle and practice and drive, you're not going to learn how to drive.
And you are not going to learn how to drive from these videos.
These videos will give you a great deal of information about what is expected of you for the purposes of passing a road test and for defensive driving and helping you to drive safely when you get your license, but it will not help you pass the road test if you don't practice.
You need to get in the vehicle and you need to practice.
The same thing is true for being a good baseball player, being good at sports, being good at dance, being good at music.
You have to do it! If you don't do it, you're not going to be successful.
So practice, practice, practice.
Get a mock road test seven to ten days before your road test and a driving instructor will be able to identify the gaps in your abilities.
Things that need to fix or strengthen before you go for your road test.
So make sure you do a mock road test before you go down for your driving exam.
Conclusion
Quick review of eight tips to pass your road test.
1) Observation;
2) communication;
3) speed;
and 4) space management.
Those are the four fundamentals of a road test regardless of class of license and regardless of where as a test is in the world.
Those four fundamentals are all the same.
Space management, don't get near other road users, don't get near fixed objects.
And unfortunately if you strike a fixed object on your road test, you're not going to be successful.
Speed management - the posted speed limit, traffic flow, or the capability of the vehicle whichever is less.
Communication - you have to communicate to other road users what you're doing by your lights, your signals, hand signals--appropriate hand signals-- and the position of the vehicle on the roadway will indicate to other road users what you're doing.
You have to observe - scanning intersections or any points of conflict along the roadway.
Scanning railway crossings - as well, shoulder checking to look for other road users in your blind spots, particularly vulnerable road users which include motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, riders on motorcycles.
Those are all vulnerable road users.
So shoulder checking.
As well, doing 360° degrees scans.
Anytime you put the vehicle in reverse, you're looking out the back window.
Checking your mirrors to both sides and looking out the front of the vehicle - observation.
That is the huge component of any road test.
Practice, practice, practice, practice slow speed maneuvers because this will improve your overall driving and you will learn to drive faster if you do your slow speed maneuvers.
And practice, practice, practice.
You cannot rely on the technology in the vehicle to back up.
You cannot use backup beepers or backup cameras.
You simply can't do that for the purposes of the road test because what they're thinking is that you're going to move around in different vehicles and drive different vehicles.
And if that technology isn't in another vehicle, you won't be able to observe properly and drive that vehicle safely.
So that's what they're thinking in terms of not relying on technology for the purposes of your road test.
Driving examiners - all driving examiners have little quirks, but if you're driving is up to a certain level you're going to be successful on your road test.
As well, driving examiners - if you are unsuccessful on your road test, will tell you one thing that you did wrong.
Oftentimes, it's not just that one thing!
Oftentimes your entire driving ability was not up to a certain level and if it's not up to a certain level the driving examiner is going to tell you one thing and that was the reason you failed, but oftentimes that's not it at all.
So I come back again to practicing the slow speed maneuvers and getting your driving up to a certain level.
It's the same thing as music or martial arts or any other activity - you have to do it to get better at it.
You have to practice.
And finally, seven to ten days before your road test go down and do a mock road test with the local driving school.
The driving instructor will identify thegaps in your knowledge, skills and abilities and that way you'll have a few days to be able to work on that and improve those skills and abilities that you need the purposes of a road test.
Question for my smart drivers:
Do you have any tips for new drivers going down for a driver's test?
Leave a comment down in the comment section there, all of that helps out the new drivers working towards getting their license.
If you like what you see here share, subscribe, leave a comment down in the comment section.
As well, hit that thumbs up button.
Check out all the videos here on the channel if you're working towards the license or starting a career as a truck or bus driver - lots of great information here.
As well, head over to the Smart Drive Test website.
Awesome information over there and tremendous online courses that you can purchase.
And in May 2017, we're bringing out "Air brakes explained simply." It updates the 40 year old air brake manuals that are currently in circulation in North America.
As well, there's a hundred air brake questions--multiple choice questions--that you will be asked on a CDL (Commercial Driver's License) theory exam.
So look for that in May 2017.
I'm Rick with Smart Drive Test.
Thanks very much for watching.
Good luck on your road test.
And remember, pick the best answer not necessarily the right answer.
Have a great day.
Bye now.
Blooper
number...
what number are we on? number six, seven, eight - we're on number eight - no we're not on number eight, we're on number six.
[LAUGHING] Yes, okay number nine, number seven