The officers agree that the big NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes are the small but important things like signalling – either forgetting to indicate or not doing it for long enough and observation – failing to check your mirrors or blind spots. Stop signs can also be troublesome, particularly when it comes to stopping before the line.
Signalling
Don’t just flick your indicator and drive off, you must signal for at a least 5 seconds before leaving a parking space or moving from a kerb. It is also important to signal at the right time because signalling too early, too late or leaving your indicator on can confuse other road users.
Blind spots
Not checking blind spots is another common error. You need to check your blind spots and mirrors when merging, changing lanes and during your manoeuvres. Drivers often forget to check their left hand side blind spot when turning left off wide roads. Think of it this way, if you could fit a car between the kerb and your car, a head check in your blind spot is required before turning left. You never know when something will be travelling up that part of the road. And don’t forget that an observation check is also required to confirm that it is safe to continue before moving off after being stopped at traffic lights.
Stop signs
A common mistake is not stopping at stop signs and just slowly rolling through. You have to stop the whole car behind the line at a stop sign and traffic lights. Stopping behind the line at traffic lights and then creeping forward does not count – you have to stay behind the line. You can move forward at stop signs when the view may be obscured, but only after you’ve come to a complete stop.
Judgement
Another problem is not selecting safe gaps in traffic. It’s a matter of judgement and experience. Sometimes learners will pull out and misjudge the speed of the car coming towards them or, if it’s a truck, you need to take into account that the truck takes longer to stop than a car.
Right turns
Be decisive, learners trying to turn right at lights can take too long to turn – there may be plenty of room but if you hesitate you can get into trouble.
If you have a current overseas licence and a permanent resident visa, you are
allowed to drive or ride in NSW on your current overseas licence for a maximum
of three months after arriving in Australia.
To drive with your current overseas licence during the three-month period, you must
not be disqualified from driving or riding and your licence must not be suspended or
cancelled.
You must obtain (not just apply for) a NSW licence within this three-month
period if you wish to continue to drive or ride.
Please note that if your overseas licence is not in English, you must also carry your
International Driving Permit or an English translation with your licence when
driving.
Getting a NSW licence
You must be aged 17 years or over to get a NSW driver licence. If you hold an
overseas licence to drive or ride (including a learner licence) and want to get a
NSW licence, you must go to a registry or service centre and:
• If your licence is in English, present your overseas licence.
• If your overseas licence is not written in English, provide:
– Your overseas licence and an official translation from the NSW Community
Relations Commission or the Commonwealth Department of Immigration
and Citizenship (DIAC).
– Where extra licence information is required (for example, about the first issue
date or the validity period of the licence or where the type of vehicle authorised
to be driven or ridden is not shown) a letter from a relevant consulate or
diplomatic office.
• If you cannot produce your overseas licence, provide:
– A letter from the overseas licence issuing authority confirming your licence
details and status, or,
– A letter from a relevant consulate or diplomatic office, based on information
received from the overseas licence issuing authority, confirming your licence
details and status.
Any letter provided to confirm licence details or status should be in English or
have an official English translation as described above.
Before you first attend the registry or service centre, you may wish to obtain a
letter from the driver licence issuing authority (on its letterhead), or from your
relevant consulate or diplomatic office, confirming your licence details, including
the first issue date.
You must also:
• Prove your NSW address.
• Prove your identity.
• Pass an eyesight test.
• Pass a knowledge test for each class of licence required.
• Pass a driving test for each class of licence required.
• Provide documents proving the first issue date of your licence, if it is not displayed on the licence.
If you fail the driving test, your visiting driver privileges will be withdrawn. To
continue driving in NSW you must then get a learner licence that will allow you to
drive (while supervised by a person who has an Australian full licence) and then go
for another driving test.
Recording overseas licences
Under Australian licensing laws only one licence can be used for driving in
Australia. Before a NSW licence will be issued, you must present your overseas
licence so that the details can be verified and recorded. Your overseas licence will
be returned to you unmarked.
Exemptions from tests
You may be exempt from some tests if:
• You have, within the last five years, held an Australian driver licence which can
be verified by the issuing authority, or,
• You hold a current New Zealand driver licence, or,
• You are applying for a Class C (car), or,
• Class R (rider) licence and you hold a current overseas rider licence, or one that
expired within the past five years, from a country recognised as having comparable
licensing standards to Australia.
Note: Roads & Maritime reserves the right to require a driving or riding test. A licence may
not be issued unless Roads & Maritime is satisfied that the overseas licence is valid.
What NSW licence you are eligible for
The length of time you have held an overseas car or rider licence will determine
the type of licence that you are eligible to hold.
• If you have held your overseas car or rider licence for less than
one year, you will only be eligible for a P1 licence.
• If you have held a car or rider licence for more than one year but less than
three years, you will only be eligible for a P2 licence.
• If you have held a driver or rider licence for more than three years,
you will be eligible for a full licence.
To apply for a class of licence other than one you already hold, you must pass the
appropriate knowledge test and driving test (taken in a vehicle of that class).
TEMPORARY OVERSEAS VISITING DRIVERS
From 18 April 2008, new licensing rules apply to visiting drivers who want to
obtain a NSW licence for the first time.
Information for visiting drivers can be found on our website or in the brochure
Guide for international drivers.
Campbell passed his P test today with flying colours. He had Brian as his examiner, a very competent gentleman. Thanks you and best regards for all of the work you have done for both ours kids, cheers Alister.
Distractions that divert attention from driving increase your risk of crashing.
Recent research suggests that at least 14 per cent of all crashes involve the driver being distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle. As many as one in ten fatalities have been directly attributed to driver distraction. Yet even though surveys have indicated that 98 per cent of people believe that using a mobile phone while driving, for example, is very dangerous, 28 per cent of people admit to doing it themselves.
Distractions from outside the vehicle account for about 30 per cent of the distractions that lead to crashes. And distractions from within vehicles account for up to about 36 per cent (the remaining 34 per cent is unknown).
Typically, the two biggest distractions inside the vehicle are other passengers and adjusting the sound system. Research has also shown that drivers using mobile phones and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) while driving are also much more likely to be involved in crashes. Text entry into a GPS unit while driving can be extremely dangerous. Sending and receiving text messages on a mobile phone while driving is also extremely dangerous, and is also illegal.
Passengers and crash risk
Other passengers can have quite an influence on your driving. Young drivers have a higher crash risk when travelling with passengers of much the same age than when travelling alone. For parents, distractions can come from trying to attend to young children in the back seat of the car when driving. However, regardless of the driver’s age, the fact remains that any distraction that takes away your attention to the driving task significantly increases your chances of becoming involved in a crash. When you are distracted or your attention is divided, you are more likely to make mistakes. This means that you should avoid or minimise distractions when you drive, particularly when you are engaged in complex driving actions.
Reducing distractions means reducing crash risk
Driving Distractions
While you can’t do much about distractions from outside your vehicle when you are driving, you can reduce sources of distraction inside your vehicle. This will help reduce your crash risk. Unfortunately, while modern cars have many new active and passive safety devices, they are also increasingly becoming the source of significant internal distractions. However, doing simple things like:
Fitting your car with a hands-free mobile phone car kit. This can help if you must take calls while driving. However, it would be much better to find a safe place to stop and take a call so that you are not distracted in any way when driving. Research has shown that using a hands-free mobile phone can also be a dangerous distraction, particularly in complex traffic situations.
Note: Learner, P1 drivers and provisional riders are banned from using phones in any way, including hands-free types. You must not use any function of a mobile phone while driving or riding. This includes phones in the hands- free mode or with the loudspeaker operating, or sending text messages.
Ensuring that mobile devices that can also function as GPS units are properly mounted in a cradle.
Only entering text into devices, ie GPS, mobile phone etc when you are stopped in a safe location.
Turning off the radio or stereo, particularly in new or challenging traffic situations.
Collecting loose items inside the vehicle and putting them in a bag or box or in the boot.
Telling passengers to avoid distracting you.
Note: P1 drivers under the age of 25 you must not drive between the hours of 11pm and 5am with more than one passenger under the age of 21. P1 riders are prohibited from carrying a pillion passenger.
RMS can grant an exemption from peer passenger restrictions if exceptional circumstances are demonstrated. Further information on how to apply for a passenger restriction exemption is available on the Application for Exemption: Peer-Passenger, One-Passenger or Prohibited Vehicle Condition available on our website or at a registry. An application fee will apply.
Only adjusting the radio, digital music devices, or load CDs, when stopped if you cannot get help while driving from a front seat passenger
In addition to demerit points, a heavy fine applies for drivers caught using or answering a hand-held phone while driving.
Geared reports on the top distractions turning the heads of drivers.
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NSW Police Traffic Services Commander, Chief Superintendent John Hartley, says there’s little doubt that distracted drivers can cause traffic problems and road crashes.
He explains that there are many distractions on the road, including more and more traffic.
Additionally, drivers now also have to contend with new or more affordable technologies like smart phones, MP3 players, GPS devices, and in-car DVDs, which can act as a distraction.
Here are some of the worst driver distractions:
Mobile phones (talking and texting)
Using a mobile while driving can increase the risk of a collision by four times, according to several studies. Sending a text message is even worse.
Learner and P1 drivers are not allowed to use ANY function of a phone (including hands-free) while driving.
P2 drivers may only use a mobile phone to make or receive a call, or use the audio player if the phone is secured in a fixed mounting. If you are a P2 driver, and your phone is not in a mounting, to answer your phone it must not require you to touch or manipulate the phone in any way.
All other functions such as texting, video messaging, online chatting, reading preview messages and emailing are not allowed. The new laws make it clear that a driver in a moving or stationary vehicle (unless parked) MUST NOT HOLD a phone in his or her hand other than to pass the phone to a passenger.
Adjusting vehicle settings
This is the most common bad driving habit because many people don’t realise it’s dangerous to fiddle with the radio, air-conditioning or windows while driving.
“Crashes often occur as a result of only a moment’s inattention,” says Commander Chief Superintendent John Hartley.
“While you’re changing the CD or skimming through songs on your mp3, your full attention isn’t on the road and [it is] placing you at risk of a crash.” The best idea is to make any adjustments before you set off or put your mp3 on shuffle before you begin your journey.
Passengers
Young drivers have a greater risk of crashing when they have friends in the car.
The stats also tell us that there’s more chance of causing a fatal crash when you have two or more friends in the car, especially male passengers. However, the risk is reduced when carrying an adult or a child, compared with carrying no passengers.
Eating, drinking and smoking
Aside from the obvious dangers of drink-driving, even sipping on a non-alcoholic drink takes your focus off the road.
An American study has found that eating a cheeseburger can be more distracting than talking on a mobile. And the risk of causing a crash is just one more reason not to smoke!
External distractions
As if there wasn’t enough happening inside the car, there are lots of distractions outside too. Make sure you look out for other drivers and pedestrians, while trying to block out the roadside billboards, shops and all sorts of unexpected or interesting things going on in the streets.
FOG LIGHTS
Front and rear fog lights must only be used in fog or rain, or when conditions such
as smoke and dust limit your vision. It is a legal requirement that once conditions
improve and you can see more clearly, the front and rear fog lights are switched
off.
If your vehicle is not fitted with fog lights you may use your headlights during the
day in these adverse conditions.
HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS
Your vehicle’s hazard warning lights must not be used unless the vehicle is:
• Stopped and obstructing the path of other vehicles or pedestrians.
• Slow-moving and obstructing other road users.
• Stopped in an emergency stopping lane.
• Stopped to sell a product such as food and refreshment.
• Driving in hazardous weather conditions.
• Fitted with hazard lights as part of an anti-theft or alcohol interlock device.
HORNS AND OTHER WARNING DEVICES
You must not use the horn or any other warning device unless:
• You need to warn other road users that your vehicle is approaching.
• You need to warn animals to get off the road.
• The horn is being used as part of an anti-theft or alcohol interlock device fitted
to your vehicle.
Emergency Vehicles
EMERGENCY VEHICLES
Give way when you hear a siren or see the flashing blue or red lights of an
emergency vehicle such as Police, Fire Brigade or Ambulance. The siren means to
get out of the way so the emergency vehicle has a clear passage through traffic.
Generally, traffic pulls over to the left until the vehicle passes.
I just wanted to thank you for being a great instructor and helping me get my licence back. Being a person with above knee amputation no one wanted to give me lessons, you took a chance on me.
Low risk driving
Driving is never risk free, but you should aim to drive ‘low risk’. A low risk driver has good observation, speed management and road positioning skills. OBSERVATION
The key to good observation is scanning.
Scanning is keeping your eyes moving, checking in one area for a couple of
seconds and then moving your eye to another area.
When scanning look:
• In the distance.
• At the road surface.
• To your left and right.
• Regularly at your mirrors and instruments. SPEED MANAGEMENT
Drive at a speed that is within the speed limit and this will allow you to react and completely stop within the distance you can see is clear. When you see potential
hazards, slow down and prepare to stop (referred to as setting up the brakes), for
example when pedestrians are close to the road or when other vehicles may turn in
front of you. If you cannot see at least five seconds ahead you must slow down.
Slow down on wet, icy or gravel roads where it will take longer for your vehicle to
stop.
Your ability to control the vehicle is assessed by the way you handle the tasks involved.
OPERATING THE CONTROLS
Some of the driving tasks that the testing officer will observe and record are
listed here:
Adjust driver’s seat posture and steering column (if adjustable) to ensure you have good control of the vehicle.
Operate accelerator smoothly when accelerating and decelerating.
Operate brakes smoothly and effectively.
Coordinate clutch and gear lever to make smooth gear changes.
Select appropriate gear for the situation including when coming to a stop and parking the car.
Avoid over-revving on take off and gear changes.
Driver’s seat belt is correctly fastened, fitted and adjusted (low, flat and firm).
Apply a brake when starting the vehicle.
Prevent rolling back when starting on hills.
Use park brake correctly when preparing to secure the vehicle and ensure it is fully released when driving.
Steer with both hands on the steering wheel (except when using another control), using either ‘hand-over-hand’ or ‘pull-push’ method with hands on the outside of the steering wheel.
Use other controls such as indicators, windscreen wipers and demisters.
You must be confident in your use of all controls and be able to operate them without being distracted.
Make sure you are prepared to take your driving test.
Learning Content
Review each learning goal carefully to make sure you can achieve each one
Get a copy of The Guide to the Driving Test and familiarise yourself with the test requirments.
Book your driving test and make sure you have all of the relevant paper work you need
Make sure you have correctly filled out the log book and will have thr required hours by the time you do your test, including at least 20 hours night driving.
Facts and Tips
You can book your test in person at the RTA/RMS or call 13 22 13 or online.
Make sure your car is fully roadworthy – tyres, lights, mirrors etc before you present for your driving test.
