Tips And Advice When Going For Road Test?

Tyson M

First off, good luck on your test.

Before you go to the testing site, be sure to get in some practice driving and maneuvers about an hour or so before the test, if possible. This includes driving on roads near your home or the testing site interactively with other motorists, backing for a certain distance (empty parking lot or other isolated roadway), accelerating to 20 mph then coming to a sudden but SAFE stop, and some parallel parking (if possible and if required on the test). Make sure the car you're testing is has valid insurance and that the owner of the car is present at the time of the exam. It may also help if you actually drove to the testing site so that you'd already have some feel for the car you're testing in.

Turn off the radio before the exam. Here in Georgia, where parallel parking is required (that's the part I screwed up on, I'll tell you about that), the examiner will ask you to turn on the left and right turn signals, sound the horn, and press the brake to see if both taillights work. Before the test starts, whether the engine is running or not, PUT ON YOUR SEATBELT! Please don't forget to buckle up. If you have to do the parallel parking, before you even THINK about backing that car into the provided space, turn on your flashers. I got points taken off because she claims "I didn't turn 'em on" but I still passed :). If you've done well in the PP, backing test, and sudden stop, you're all set for the road test.

When starting out onto the road, turn on your left or right signal (whichever way you're told to go) in advance. Look both ways before pulling out and if there are two or more lanes or your side of the road, stay in the far right lane and do 5 MPH below the limit. But if you're told to make a left and you're in the right lane, USE YOUR MIRRORS AND MERGE CAREFULLY, especially if you're in a midsized car that may have blind spots (i.e. Dodge Stratus, Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry).

Don't be nervous. With my tips and your own applied wisdom, I bet you'll do fine.

Nick R

Be polite.Move your mirror so you have to move your head noticeably to look into it.It reminds the tester that you are observing not only what's in front of you, but also behind.Good luck

will j

The hardest part by far for me was normal parking (however I live in a state that does not require doing parallel parking), and even that was easy. Just make sure you take the turn in as wide as possible. And when you are backing out of the spot, don't start your turn too early or else you'll back over a cone. I made this mistake my first time around unfortunately and failed immediately. Other then that its a breeze, just relax and drive slowly.

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