learner driver advice - driving test
reasons it is best not to be familiar with the test routes
1
You want to learn to drive, not just to pass the test. Passing your test on unfamiliar roads is proof that you have mastered the skills that will enable you to deal
with new roads and road layouts with confidence.
2
Being familiar with the roads can lead to silly mistakes such as stopping at a green light which has always been red before, especially with the 'driving test
nerves'.
3
Not knowing the roads will help you to hone in on your observation and planning skills and keep you focused in the present moment. These skills are vital for further
effective learning to take place from experience. Passing your driving test on unfamiliar roads is evidence that you have begun to develop these vital life saving skills.
4
Once you start the engine and start driving you will find yourself concentrating far more than you would on familiar routes. This increased level of concentration will
help you forget you are feeling nervous and the test will seem to be over more quickly. Rather than trying to guess what the examiner will be asking you to do next,
you will be giving each task your full attention and have the best chance of success.
5
Passing your test on roads that you don't know is such a GREAT feeling. You KNOW that you have been able to demonstrate that you can drive safely without having been
round and round the area learning the routes. You know you CAN drive. This will give you the confidence you need to start driving independently and you will NOT be one
of the many full licence holders who rarely or, in some cases, never drive.
6
By regularly incorporating the test routes into your lessons your instructor is more likely to teach you to drive strictly 'by the book' and less likely to highlight
situations where common sense dictates that we bend the rules slightly in order to make certain badly designed junctions safer to deal with. Driving is very much a
'thinking' task and you need to think for yourself rather than blindly follow a set of rules!
7
And lastly; you will know that the examiner is not sick of the sight of your tuition car and instructor because he/she has constantly been in the way on the test routes!
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