Don’t be late, arrive ahead of time, bring the right documents with you; what else? Preparing for your ICBC road test can get quite chaotic at times. Understandably, you want to ace the test and not make any mistakes; well, here are the top tips that will help you successfully pass your driving test.
1. Car Should Be in Good Condition
When arriving for the test, make sure your car is in decent condition. The windows should roll down with ease, all the lights (backlights, headlights, high beams) should be working along with the signals and horn. The windshield should not be stained or cracked either.
This is crucial for passing your road test because if the examiner notices you being careless about some things, they might not let you pass that easily.
Sure, you’d have all the major points engraved in your brain to ace the test, but have you also given importance to the little things? The examiner will be checking to see if you have both of your hands on the steering wheel, gain good control of your vehicle while driving, and making smooth turns.
2. Both Hands on Steering Wheel at All Times
Your driving examiner will be sitting next to you and looking at your every move. While this can get nerve-wracking, it is only human.
3. Familiarize Yourself with The Test Area
It can get confusing to drive in a neighborhood where you have never driven before. So, before the test day, it is better to go around that area to make it easy for yourself during the test. You can also ask your local driving school for help; give a mock exam to prepare even better.
4. Regular Shoulder Checks
Making full stops on the road while hitting the breaks, doing thorough shoulder checks, and checking your mirrors often are all actions that are strictly noticed by the examiner and majorly determine whether you will pass your test or not.
Do a shoulder check to be certain your blind spot is clear before you move your vehicle into another lane or in a different direction. Look at least 45 degrees over your shoulder in the direction you plan to move. If you are going to move to the left, check over your left shoulder. If you are going to move to the right, check over your right shoulder. Even if you’re not making a turn, you should carry out shoulder checks for any movement of your vehicle towards the right or left, like changing lanes.
Backing up — before you back up, make sure you do a 360-degree vision check. Look all around the vehicle using shoulder checks and mirror checks, and then turn your body to look out the rear window while backing up. Be especially careful when you’re backing out of a driveway. It’s easy to miss seeing children, pets, pedestrians, cyclists and people in wheelchairs.
If you’ve been stopped for some time, walk around the back of your vehicle to check that your path is clear. Better yet, try to back into driveways and parking spots so you can drive out facing forward.
5. Scan Intersections Cautiously
Now, scanning intersections is something that every good driver does or should do to avoid any accidents and be aware of the roads around him/her. This helps them assess the situation too.
Uncontrolled intersections don’t need as much attention and care from you; you just quickly have to scan the road and keep on driving without stopping.
6. Use Your Signal Lights
Communicate with other drivers to let them know what your next move on the road will be. Turn on the signal before making any turns, switching lanes, or exiting a parking spot.
Your signal lights need to be working when you drive out on the road, especially during the test. You will also be asked to show hand signals used for turning by the examiner, so make sure to properly learn those and not get confused when they ask you to demonstrate them.
7. Drive Carefully in The Zones
Your speed control and mental awareness will be strictly judged with this aspect. The speed limit in the playground, school, and construction zones is 30km/h; this means you should maintain a decent and steady speed between 27-29km/h.
The examiner will be noticing everything with utter precision – enter the zone’s speed limit before essentially entering the zone and increase your driving speed once you are completely sure that you have left the zone, to avoid drawbacks of any kind.
Going 20km/h in a 30km/h zone isn’t ideal either; you don’t want to try and show off that you are driving exceptionally slowly and carefully in these zones. Maintaining the right speed on the road is one of the most critical things noticed by your examiner to determine the quality of your driving.
8. Maintain Distance Between Other Vehicles
Just like maintaining speed control, maintaining appropriate following and stopping distances between other vehicles is also very important.
Following distance between your vehicle and another’s should have 2-3 seconds worth of space between one another; increase your span by a couple of more seconds when driving in bad weather conditions.
When a vehicle in front of you stops and you notice their brake lights turning on, take action. Either apply the brakes on your vehicle the moment you see the car in front of you stopping (while turning) or maneuver around that vehicle to continue your way on the road and ace your ICBC road test!
Source: ICBC