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The
Lead - Up to The Irish Driving Test. |
by:
Robin
Piggott |
First of all let us say categorically, that
passing the Driving Test is only the beginning
of your driving career irrespective of how
well you do on the day of the exam. It is
going to take the average novice driver
maybe three years of constant, regular driving,
before he or she can then say "I am now
becoming an experienced driver. Please notice
the emphasis on the word "becoming". Arrival
on the Experienced Driver Podium will take
much longer. I guess it really depends on
the amount of driving one undertakes on
a daily, weekly basis, the level of night-time
driving, and also the traffic conditions
during daily sorties will dictate how long
this learning experience will take. To paraphrase
Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the
Atomic bomb... "I am become a destroyer
of worlds" This could be applied to many
learner drivers who pass their Driving Test
and then proceed to total their cars and
those of other drivers in the weeks and
months following the Test.
Passing the Driving Test is a combination
of basic driving skills, positive attitude,
detailed preparation, attention to detail,
practise in the general area where Tests
are undertaken and plenty of in-depth Instruction
by a Driving School. The need for professional
instruction cannot be underestimated and
the insider information imparted to the
pupil by the Instructor will give a Test
candidate the best possible chance of a
positive result. Many of these aspects are
ignored by Test candidates and we will explore
in greater detail what will be required
throughout the remainder of the text. There
are numerous details to be attended to during
this preparation and if the candidate takes
these on board with a positive focus, a
good result with ensue.
We will have a look at the aspects of the
car that need to be checked:-
Tyres... Tyres need to be in good condition
with well above legal limit tread depth
and with no cuts, splits or bulges to the
sidewall. The tyres with the best treads
should always be on the front axle and this
is something that should be regarded as
an essential part of your weekly technical
check. Tyre pressures should be according
to the tyre specification since incorrectly
inflated tyres are not only unsafe but will
wear out very quickly and give an uncomfortable
ride.
Lights and Indicators..All brake lights
and indicators should be functioning correctly
and lenses must be damage -free and clean.
Its really important to carry a couple of
spare bulbs in your emergency kit for last
minute replacement since they can blow at
any time and a failed brake light or indicator
will mean that the Test will not be carried
out.
Loose Items ....All loose items in the car
(and who doesn't have them?) should be removed
but rear head rests, if fitted, must be
retained despite their obstruction of the
rear windscreen. The fad for having dangly
spiders, furry dice and nodding dogs on
the rear parcel shelf is not the way to
create an impression with the Driving Examiner
and block vision .In fact I always cringe
when I see these in cars, particularly those
that are obviously driven by learner drivers.
It is also a particularly dangerous sport
to be driving as a learner Driver and not
displaying L Plates .I am always amazed
at pupils who turn up for pre test lessons
in their own cars with no L plates .The
number of excuses would fill the chapter
of a book. It's a sad reflection that basic
driving laws are flouted continually by
learner Drivers but even worse is the all
too common sight of Learner Drivers under
tuition with so called Instructors who actually
drive out of Test Centres with no L Plates
showing. It shows a disregard for the Law
and the need for superb driving skills and
the need for concentration. Of course mobile
phones should be switched off and out of
sight.
Windscreens and mirrors...These should be
crack-free and clean.
Service ...Its a good idea to have the Car
serviced prior to your test and any technical
problems that you have been putting off
getting fixed should be dealt with .If an
Instrument warning light comes on during
a Test due to mechanical problems then the
Test will be aborted by the Examiner.
Paperwork....Insurance disc, Road Tax disc
and N.C.T. certificate, if appropriate need
to be in place and readable. If any of these
are faded and unreadable the Test will be
cancelled .Change of ownership of vehicles
close to the Driving Test appointment, leading
to lack of documentation for whatever reason,
will lead to the Test being cancelled by
the Tester. Nothing other than the original
.official documents will be accepted so
it's important not to leave anything to
chance.
Provisional License.....A current Irish
provisional license is required in order
to sit the Irish Driving Test, Foreign licenses
from countries outside the EU will not be
accepted .It is also worth pointing out
that in order to be issued with a Provisional
Licence one must first pass the Driver Theory
Test. All these aspects take time to complete
and so it's not something that you can accomplish
in a couple of days and require thought
and planning .Details of the provisional
licence and theory test requirements can
be found on the Astral Driving School web
site; details at the end of this article
.
Perhaps all of this might seem just another
load of bureaucracy but it indicates the
importance and the level of concern that
is placed on the acquisition of an Irish
Driving Licence by the Authorities. European
legislation continues to fuel the changes
to driving laws and there are a considerable
amount of new laws in the can which are
about to be rolled out. We are talking about
Speed cameras Nationwide, the full implementation
of the penalty points system, a dedicated
Garda Traffic Corps, and mandatory tuition
in line with most other European Countries.
The regulation, examination and monitoring
of Driving Instructors is another aspect
currently about to be introduced and all
of the above is destined to make a coordinated
improvement to our horrific road Traffic
accident statistics.
The Driver.. There are occasions when, when
on the days leading up to the Driving Test
disaster strikes. a change of car, a mechanical
problem which cannot be resolved in time,
or even an accident on the way to the Test.
This latter happened to a pupil of mine
recently, who, while trying to circumvent
the long Driving Test waiting list by driving
half way across the country to a strange
Town, had a contretemps with a rather large
truck. The moral here for Irish drivers
is that it is not a good idea to attempt
a Driving Test, miles away from your home
location. It requires a good deal of practise
and familiarisation of the area and test
routes close to your chosen centre to give
you a good chance of passing first time.
What we are not saying is that practise
on Test Routes will guarantee success nor
are we saying that by practising on Test
Routes till the cows come home will take
the place of good basic skills and professional
Driving lessons .It is just one of the ways
that a keen learner driver can tip the balance
in his or her favour. Another important
tip is to reconnoitre the general area in
the few days before the Test and again on
the day of the Test if that's possible to
check for major road or building works which
could create a difficult situation that
may not be handled to the Examiner's satisfaction.
In Limerick as in many parts of the Country
there are significant building, drainage
and other projects going on continually,
resulting in much road network disruption.
In fact I have often felt that Limerick
was the most dug-up City in the Universe.
I am sure it's all necessary and we will
all benefit in the long run. It is not uncommon
for a really excellent pupil who has all
the hallmarks of becoming a courteous and
skilful driver and who is deserving of Driving
Test success to fall foul of such situations
during the Test and pick up a grade three
disqualification. Stray dogs, stray Pedestrians
(of whom there are many) and particularly
very young children playing in quiet side
streets all present very real and demanding
hazards during the Test.
All of the above hazards can be planned
for and an in-depth preparation for the
Driving Test covering all the points mentioned
will go a long way to achieving success.
We are going to end this article as we began
by stating that passing the Driving Test
is only the beginning of a career on the
road and that it would be a good idea to
contemplate taking some additional Night-time
and Motorway lessons before embarking on
any long journeys or adventures. There is
an ever increasing army of novice Drivers
coming onto the roads here in Ireland and
this will continue to grow in line with
the population increase we are currently
experiencing .All new immigrants should
regard it as a top priority to take professional
Driving lessons and certainly not leave
this until a couple of weeks before the
Test appointment.
About the Author
About the Author.
Robin Piggott is the owner of Astral School
of Motoring which is based in Limerick,
Ireland .He has thirty five years of Driving
Experience and has driven Professionally
for most of this time, including teaching
in house.
http://www.astralmotoring.ie
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