Having to take your driver’s test can be very nerve-wracking, especially under the knowledge that if you fail, you’re not going to get your driver’s license.
But no matter how nervous you are, taking and passing your driver’s test really comes down to one fundamental principles: just avoid making mistakes, and you’ll be all good.
With that in mind, here are the top mistakes that you will need to avoid to pass your driver’s education test:
Not Making Sure Your Car Is Safe
First and foremost, have you checked to make sure your car is safe or that everything is working properly?
Furthermore, do you know how all of the buttons work, if your tires are in good shape, or if your mirrors are properly adjusted?
Depending on where you’re taking the test, you may even be required to take the car in you’ll be using for the test for an inspection.
Changing Lanes Improperly
Changing lanes improperly is something that every serious driving instructor or administrator is going to be unforgiving over.
For example, you need to signal when you change lanes, and you also need to turn your head for visual verification that it is indeed safe to proceed.
But you also need to be careful about how you change lanes when turning right onto a new street. For example, if a driver needs to be on the left side of the street, they’ll often turn directly onto the left side rather than correct way of turning into the right side and then changing lanes afterwards. This is a mistake that you’ll most certainly be dinged for if you make it.
Using Your Turn Signals Incorrectly
Knowing when to (and not when to) use your turn signals is also vitally important for a driving test, even though a surprisingly large number of Americans don’t use them as often as they should.
Not only will a driving instructor mark you down on points for not using your turn signals for turning onto a new street or changing lanes, they’ll also mark you down for using them when you’re not supposed to, because it confuses the other drivers behind you.
That being said, you also need to remember to use your turn signals when you may not think it’s necessary to. Almost everyone knows of the importance of using turn signals to change lanes or to turn onto a new street, but far fewer know that driving instructors also usually expect you to when pulling in or backing out of a parking lot spot.
Here’s a good rule to follow: with the exception of following a curve in the road, you should use your turn signal every time you turn your wheel during your driver’s test.
Not Being Observant
Your driving test administrator is also going to be paying very close attention to how you act while driving. You need to be focused on the road in front of you, but you also need to be very observant of your surroundings and make this obvious to the administrator.
For example, not checking or adjusting your mirrors regularly or looking right and then looking left before driving through an intersection in front of you or not checking your blind spot before you signal to change lanes are all going to reflect very poorly to the administrator and will cause you to lose points.
A good rule to follow will be to check your mirrors at least once every ten seconds to clearly display to your driving instructor that you are being observant. It’s also wise to always check your mirrors before you apply the brakes, specifically if you need to brake quickly.
Don’t Run A Yellow Light
Yes, it’s legal to speed up and cross a yellow light. But during a driving test especially, that doesn’t at all mean that you should.
During a driving test, it will always reflect much better on you to slow down and stop when the light in front of you turns yellow. Furthermore, you should again display observance and look around you before proceeding when the light turns green.
Mistakes To Avoid To Pass Your Driver’s Test
Are there any other mistakes that you can make when taking a driver’s test? Certainly. But the above mistakes are the ones that are the most likely to ding your score the most if you make them, so by avoiding them, the chances of you passing your test and receiving your license will go up immensely.
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