I am appalled by drivers who sit in their cosy warm cars and cannot spare a few extra moments for pedestrians or other vulnerable road users.
This morning a car driver was so in a hurry to overtake a cyclist she was almost running the poor guy over, blowing her horn impatiently all because she wanted to gain an extra second or two!
On the driving test one of the things the examiner is looking at is your attitude towards other road users, while most learners do have the right attitude while learning, it is amazing how quickly they forget what they have learnt once they pass the test!
Sometime ago there was a report in the media about a man being fined by the police for splashing a pedestrian, and this just goes to show that a lot of drivers don't consider other vulnerable road users while driving.
If you are driving, why not give that cyclist or pedestrian right of way, by slowing down, allowing them to cross the road at a junction, crossing, the few seconds you lose doing this will not cost you a fortune, and will be much appreciated!
Inconsiderate Drivers
Show and Tell on driving test
On the UK driving test, before you drive off, the DSA examiner will ask you 2 Show and Tell questions in the car park, one of them might require you to open your car bonnet.
If you fail to correctly answer one or both questions on the UK driving test, you will get a driver error.
You CAN NOT however fail the UK driving test just for not knowing the answers to these show and tell me questions, so don't get yourself in a panic if you've just discovered you have to answer these questions, and your test is soon. Although you could fail the test if you clock up more than 15 driving errors, one of which was for Show and Tell.
It is good you familiarise yourself with these questions even after you have passed your test, as they could save you from braking the law (tyres) or having a car breakdown on you.
UK Driving Test Driving Instructor DSA Show Tell
Arctic Weather and Driving
With the artic weather conditions lingering over the country, as a learner driver it might be good if you read the following article by Jon Fry about Driving in Extreme Weather Conditions. While you won't be expected to take a driving test in these conditions, you might find yourself having to be out in simiiar weather after pasing your driving test.
Even if you've passed your test, Jon has a few articles which are informative and educational to experienced drivers.
It is the responsibility of ever car driver, learner or not to make sure that they only drive in conditions that are safe for them, weather alerts are issued to warn you of black ice and snowy conditions, if the journey is not important, stay at home, it is better to stay alive and fight another day than risk the journey and put your life in danger while out driving in dangerous artic winter conditions, so don't go winter driving if it is not necessary.
Failed your driving test?
Have you recently failed your UK driving test, you are not a failure!
I have given tips to help you pass your UK driving test first time in my Pass the UK driving test first time post. But let's be honest, not everyone will pass their driving test first time, even if they have followed all the steps, as we all humans, it doesn't matter how many times you've failed-twice, sometimes we make silly mistakes at the wrong time, especially if you are overcome by driving test nerves.
You might have been totally prepared for the driving test, but on the day of the test might suffer a panic attack, be unlucky and have another driver do something that could take you by surprise, and your limited experience might not have been enough to deal with it, or for what ever reason, you made a mistake which turned out to be a serious driver error, and thus not pass the test. If you failed your test first time or 10th time, no matter how many times you have taken your test, you are not a failure!
There is a saying 'Success is failure that tried once more'.
Life is full of hurdles, and you might find learning a new language very easy, while you struggle with passing your driving test, this is normal, and it just means you need to put that little extra effort in your driving lessons, and not give up, no matter how hard or many times you have tried. Do not give up!
Depending on what your particular hurdle might be, there are various things that you could do to help you succeed!
Nerves: You might need to visit your GP, or visit an alternate medicine practitioner for some herbal remedy to help calm you down when under pressure. Always get enough rest the day before your driving test, and make sure you eat before the test.
ADI: If you've been with the same ADI, and don't seem to be making way with your test, why not have a lesson or two with another driving instructor? A new instructor might have a different approach to your problem which might suit you better! Instructors are humans, and it might be that you would relate better with someone else. Don't make a habit of changing instructors after each driving test though.
You: You might need to change your attitude towards driving. Don't see driving as a necessary evil you have to overcome, but how about treating it as a new hobby, and a skill that you want to master! Don't put un-necessary pressure on yourself, counting the number of times you have taken the test, how much you have spent, and this must be the last time, instead think about all the things you CAN do while driving and put a little more effort into those things you CANT do. Start looking forward to your lessons, and the opportunity you will have of overcoming a difficult skill.
There is nothing new under the sun, and someone has already gone through what you are going through, so go out there and get your driving license.
Success is failure that tried one more time!
UK Driving Test Driving Instructor DSA
Dealing with major roundabouts part two
In my major roundabouts part one post, I dealt with approaching major roundabouts to turn left and following the road ahead. In this final part I will deal with approaching roundabouts to turn right.
First of all if you have not read my posts on dealing with mini roundabouts and part one of dealing with major roundabouts, I suggest you read them before continuing with this post.
All the previous points I've mentioned about road signs, being able to adjust your speed on approach to the roundabout still apply. In addition a couple of things to remember for turning right at a major roundabout. First, you always indicate right on approach to a roundabout to turn right. Second, you always approach a roundabout in the right hand lane when turning right.
As in previous cases, once you've identified the roundabout, use MSM to get into the right hand lane, signal right, and start adjusting your speed so that you can make use of any gaps in the traffic if available (this might either be slowing down or even speeding up). If the roundabout is busy, then stop just before the give way line. Secure the car with the handbrake, get it ready to move off, and keep your left hand on the handbrake ready to go as soon as you spot the gap.
Once on the roundabout stay in the right hand lane, and only start to move into the left hand lane as you go past the exit before the one you need (this requires lots of practise to get the timing right), avoiding misleading signals by signalling to early. This can be a bit difficult at first when on a roundabout with more than one lane, so start off with single lane roundabouts and work you way up onto multi-lane roundabouts.
Remember once on the roundabout you do not need to give way to any other traffic, so avoid slowing down un-necessarily.
So to summarise, with roundabouts, the most difficult part is usually getting the approach right, so practise, practise, practise. Look at traffic from the right, their speed, signals and road position will give you an idea of which way they are going. You can go to a major roundabout on foot, and watch the traffic, try to judge which way they are going and imagine you are in the car waiting to enter the roundabout. Choose a moment, and see if you got it right. With time you will start to be able to know which cars are coming your way, and those that are not.
As with all aspects of driving, it takes time to become confident at dealing with roundabouts, so be patient and keep practising.
More Reading
Multi-Lane Roundabouts (3 or 4) with video from Hendon and Mill hill driving test routes.
Driving test tips for dsa practical car assessment (category B) candidates.
Red driving school instructors.
High quality honest driving instructor
