Admin, Author at LTrent

Manoeuvres: Angle Parking

Do you need to know how to angle park?

Angle parking is not often in the driving test. This does not mean that you won’t have to do an angle park in the test. Often the driving test starts or ends in angle parking.

Aside from the test, you are going to need it in real life. Just like reverse parking, angle parking is a skill that most drivers just do. Before we can perform an angle park, we need to be proficient in the use of:

Accelerator and brakes
The gears
The clutch
Starting and stopping the car
Hand over hand steering technique
Blind spots
To and from the kerb
Slow moving forward
Up hill starts
Down hill starts
Reversing
Slow speed control
Road signs and markings

In addition to the above skills we need to have a really good feel for the size of the car. When we are performing an angle park we need to be uncomfortably close to other vehicles to succeed.

Where to do an angle park

Angle parks are found in all shopping centres, shopping strips and most car parks. They can be 90º, 60º or 45º.

How to an angle park

When we are doing an angle park we need to keep the vehicle moving slowly and smoothly and turn the steering quickly.

Firstly we pull up a little bit past the parking spot that we want to park in, about a meter out from the cars we are parking next to.

As we reverse back we need to find the spot to start turning into the parking spot. In most cars it is when the rear wheel is in line with the first corner of the car you are parking around (for 90º).

We need to adjust the starting point to for 60º and 45º parks. At this point we start to turn into the parking space, this will feel too close! As we are moving into the parking spot check your mirrors to evaluate your position in relation to the other cars. If you can see a gap between the bumper of the car you are parking around and the side of your car then we are OK.

Once the rear wheels are past the car we are parking around we need to move our focus to the car on the other side of the car spot and the lines. If we can see more of the car next to us coming into view then we are clearing it, if the view in our mirror is not changing then we might be on a collision course, stop!

As we are starting to line up with the lines we need to start straightening the wheels and reverse back in a straight line parallel to the parking lines. When we are far enough into the spot we can stop.

When we are leaving the spot make sure to move out in a straight line for at least half a car length before turning the wheels.

Driving in forwards is pretty straightforward, just make sure that you use a wide arc to enter the spot so that you are going straight as you are entering the spot. If you are reversing out of a spot make sure that you go almost fully out before turning the wheel so that you avoid bumping other cars and posts.

How do we know that we are expert?

The toughest situations for angle parking are when there is lots of traffic, say the week before Christmas at the central shopping centre. You only have one spot available, it is narrow due to the large 4wd vehicles parked either side. If we can do this first go (and leave enough space to exit the vehicle) then we are winning!

The Three Point Turn

Occasionally you will need to do a Three Point Turn. This might be when you have made a wrong turn, seen a parking spot on the other side of the street or you are at the end of a dead end street. Using a Three Point Turn you can turn the vehicle around in a street that is too narrow to perform a U-turn.

Before performing a three point turn

Before you can perform a Three Point Turn, you need to be proficient in the use of:

Accelerator and brakes
The gears
The clutch
Starting and stopping the car
Hand-over-hand steering technique
Blind spots
Moving to and from the kerb
Slow moving forward
Uphill starts
Downhill starts
Reversing
Slow speed control
Road signs and markings

The key to performing a good Three Point Turn is great car control. You need to keep the car going as slow as possible and the steering moving as quickly as possible. One of the big mistakes that drivers make when doing a Three Point Turn is turning the steering wheel when the vehicle is stationary. With a modern vehicle with power steering you won’t feel that it is difficult to do, however, your steering system and tyres will be hating you for it! Best practice is to make sure that the vehicle is moving even just a tiny bit before turning the steering wheel. This can be best done by turning the steering straight before stopping when doing your forward and reverse changes.
The most important part of doing a Three Point Turn is checking for traffic. Before each point change, using your mirrors and turning your head, you need to check that the traffic situation around you has not changed.

Where to do a Three Point Turn

Make sure that you can be seen.
Don’t do a Three Point Turn near a corner, crest or block out.
A Three Point Turn must not be done across any unbroken line.
Never use a driveway, this manoeuvre must be completed on the road surface without hitting the kerb.

How to do a Three Point Turn

Start a Three Point Turn by doing a kerbside stop, assess the traffic both in front and behind to ensure that there is time to perform the manoeuvre, then leave the curb (you have no right of way when you are performing a Three Point Turn).
Once you are moving, you need to turn the wheel as quickly as possible to the right.
Just before you get to the opposite kerb, straighten the steering in preparation for reverse.
After checking for traffic, reverse and turn the wheel quickly to the left.
Only reverse as far as is necessary to clear the kerb when moving forward.
Before you move forward again, check the traffic again and then off you go.

Sometimes a road is too narrow to make the manoeuvre in three points, in this case you can use five. Just make sure to keep an eye on traffic throughout the process.

How do you know that you are confident at the Three Point Turn?

When you start practicing Three Point Turns on a road that is just too narrow that a U-turn cannot be completed.
At the top level you can do a Three Point Turn on a narrow road with lots of parked cars and heavy road camber. In this situation, you will have to select an appropriate gap and use high level car control.

May 12, 2016 Admin Uncategorized Comments Off

How to make your testing officer feel comfortable

The Aim of the Test
Learner drivers usually hear stories from their friends on what the driving test is going to be like and advice about what to do. Some of this is true, most is not.
During the driving test, the learner driver’s aim is to make the testing officer feel comfortable, that is, they feel safe in the car with you.
Setting off in a controlled manner and driving confidently right from the outset will make the testing officer more relaxed.
Generally, if the testing officer is chatting with the learner driver, this is a sign that they feel confident. If they are using the grab handles then they might not be feeling so comfortable!

Appearance Counts

The test starts before the learner driver gets into the car. The learner driver wants to make a good first impression to the testing officer.
Follow these points:

Don’t be late
Be neat and tidy
Smile
Have all paperwork sorted out and neat (look after your logbook)
Have a clean car parked in the correct location
Know how to operate the indicators and brake lights without the engine running

How to drive during the test

We have heard from some students that they have been advised to drive 15 km/h below the speed limit. This is not a good idea, it will make the testing officer question the learner driver’s ability. It is best to drive with the flow traffic up to the speed limit unless there is reduced space or vision, then slow down as required.
You may hear stories that everyone fails for head checks or blind spots. While this is often true, the solution is not to look like a laughing clown at Luna Park while driving. You need to understand what you are looking at, then you can check the appropriate blind spot, the traffic and do observation checks for the situations presented. Testing officers are onto people who are looking just for show and will be really picky about observation errors for these applicants.
Learner drivers need to make safe decisions. We have all been in the situation of waiting to do a right-hand turn onto a busy road waiting for a gap (high risk of accident). This will be on the test too. You cannot be swayed by the aggressive driver four cars back honking the horn. If there isn’t an appropriate gap, then wait till one comes along. The testing officer would prefer the driver to wait for a safe gap than have a go at a gap that is not big enough. Remaining calm in this situation will show the testing officer maturity in your driving.
Sometimes things go wrong on the driving test. The car might be stalled or your reverse parking may be botched. Remember these two things – the testing officer is human, they might not have noticed the mistake and it is OK to make a couple of errors, often they are not marked as harshly as you might think.
It is most important the learner driver does not give up after the first mistake. Just take a deep breath, relax the grip on the wheel and carry on.

Getting Results
Thanking the testing officer regardless of the result will put them in a better mood for the next applicant!
If you are not successful on their first attempt, don’t argue with the testing officer about the result. There is every chance that you will end up with the same testing officer in the next attempt. That will make for a very quiet drive…

April 28, 2016 Admin Education Comments Off

Driving Test Intricacies: The Test Car

There are many components to the driving test. Many of these driving test intricacies can put positive or negative impressions in the mind of the testing officer. In this post, we explore the details of the test car.

What car can be used for the driving test?

Service NSW does not provide a test car for learner drivers on the test day. However, the learner can take the driving test in any registered vehicle matching the licence class they are being tested for. This must be a vehicle that weighs up to a maximum of 4.5 tonne Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and seats no more than 12 people. We, of course, do not recommend taking a moving truck to the test.

What will the testing officer be looking for?

The testing officer will check that all the brake and signal lights are working correctly, and have no cracked or broken lenses. This is to ensure the safety of the driver, the passengers and the other drivers on the road. A learner driver needs to be able to communicate properly on the road with correct signals during the driving test.

Other safety essentials include a clean and crack-free windscreen without chip damage, tyres that are not worn out and rims without any sharp edges from crash damage. Inside the car, the testing officer will check to make sure the seat belts are functioning properly.

How can the testing officer be helped to feel comfortable and safe in the car?

Having a half-eaten Happy Meal, the dogs breakfast (we mean that literally) and school textbooks that can fill a library in the back seat of the testing car is not the ideal way of impressing your testing officer. Yes, impressions do count. Make sure the car is clean and free of debris that may become a hazard in an accident. We recommend that it doesn’t smell like month old unwashed laundry either. Let’s make the testing officer feel comfortable when they enter the car.

Although a BMW for example may excite some testing officers, more often than not they will fear the learner may go over the speed limit. BMWs tend to do that to drivers… We recommend using a car that is less aggressive and places an emphasis on safety first.

What is the Trent Concierge?

The Trent Concierge is a driving test concierge service. Trent Driving School ensures that all the other variables are eliminated and the learner driver only concentrates on the task at hand: the driving test.

The Trent driver trainer will pick up the learner on the test day from home, school or work. The driver trainer will also warm up the learner during the drive to the testing location, and present them to the testing officer. At the end of the test the student will be driven back to their original location.

The Trent Concierge car won’t have rubbish floating around on the floor, or McDonald’s ready for the testing officer on the backseat – although we may want some to fill our stomachs before the test. Nor will the car have any safety concerns such as broken tail lights.

Most importantly, testing officers feel more at ease in our dual-control fitted cars, as they have a braking pedal on their side of the footwell.

April 21, 2016 Admin Education Comments Off

Mobile Phones

Research shows that being distracted when driving, such as by a mobile phone, increases the risk of a crash. Simply taking your eyes off the road for longer than two seconds, doubles the risk of a crash. A short lapse of concentration can have lifelong consequences.
See how far you travel when you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds:
Travel speed Metres travelled in 2 seconds
40 km/h 22.22
50 km/h 27.78
60 km/h 33.33
80 km/h 44.44
100 km/h 55.56
Dangerous problem
Crash data from 2010 to 2014 showed there were 236 crashes where hand-held mobile phone use by drivers was identified as a contributing factor. This included seven fatal crashes and 116 injury crashes. These crash numbers are considered to be under-reported suggesting the size of the problem could be much greater.
From July 2014 to June 2015, more than 35,300 fines were issued to drivers in NSW for using hand-held mobile phones, showing the problem is still prevalent.
Research shows that males and females aged 17-39 years have the highest rate of use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, and the greatest involvement in crashes where hand-held mobile phone use is a factor.

November 20, 2015 Admin Uncategorized Comments Off

The Safety Cushion

The Safety Cushion is the clear space drivers need to maintain around their vehicle to give reaction, manoeuvring or stopping room in any situation and at any speed.

Your Safety Cushion surrounds your car to the front, sides and rear, this is your territory and you should stringently guard against others entering it.

As you drive, you will need to maintain your Safety Cushion by adjusting your speed or, your position on the road.

A Safety Cushion will give you more time to spot any hazards that may arise.

NOTES: The Safety Cushion is variable and will alter with speed and traffic conditions.
More space is needed between cars at 100km/h than at 20km/h, so your Safety Cushion will increase with speed.
To maintain an adequate Safety Cushion to the front you need to:

control your speed to suit the road and traffic conditions
keep a safe distance between your car and the vehicle in front

Other drivers may see your Safety Cushion as a clear space to move into. In this case, you will need to adjust your speed and reclaim your space.

November 6, 2015 Admin Education Comments Off

Road Rules | Roundabouts

Rules for Roundabouts are among the most misunderstood road rules in NSW.
How many times do you see drivers waiting for cars to enter the roundabout?
THE BASICS:
Approaching a Roundabout – Drivers must use their indicator if they intend to turn left or right, or make aU-turn at the roundabout.
Entering a Roundabout – Drivers must slow or stop to give way to any vehicle already in the roundabout.
There is no requirement for drivers to signal when approaching the roundabout, if they are going straight ahead.
Have a look at this video to find out more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCXtcXD17qU

October 16, 2015 Admin Education Comments Off

Speed and Speed Limits

Speed is the biggest single danger on NSW roads, contributing to about 40 percent of road fatalities each year.
The setting of speed limits plays an important part of efforts to reduce this statistic.
To stay safe on the road, it is important to understand:
• What is a speed limit
• Why there are different speed limits
• Why different speed limits are applied in different areas
What is a speed limit?
Speed limits indicate the maximum safe and, therefore, legal speed for vehicles under ideal conditions.
A speed limit is the maximum speed you are allowed to travel in a sign posted area but
Drivers should reduce their speed as road and weather conditions dictate.
Many drivers will see a speed limit sign, say 80km/h and drive at this speed regardless of the traffic or weather situation. If it’s rainy, dark and busy, driving at 65km/h may be a better idea.
There are three types of speed limits used in NSW:
Default speed limits
Signposted speed limits
Special speed limits based on vehicle and licence class
Default speed limits – 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h in non-built-up areas. These speed limits apply to roads in the absence of sign-posted speed limits.
Common speed limits in NSW:

School Zone	Built-up Area	Rural Area	Highest Speed Limit
40	50	100	110

Why are there different speed limits?
There are number factors that determine the speed limit in any given area.
These include pedestrian activity, traffic controls and hazards.
The most important factor about speed limits is they take account of stopping distances in relation to the conditions that may be around.

Stopping Distances
It is important to know that different speeds have different stopping distances:

km/h	m/sec	REACTION DISTANCE	BRAKING DISTANCE	STOPPING DISTANCE
40	11.1	17 m	8 m	25 m
50	13.9	21 m	13 m	34 m
60	16.7	25 m	18 m	43 m
70	19.4	29 m	25 m	54 m
80	22.2	33 m	32 m	65 m
90	25.0	38 m	40 m	78 m
100	27.8	42 m	49 m	91 m
110	30.6	46 m	60 m	106 m

When driving we need to allow enough space between ourselves and other road users. We need to allow time to react and to brake.
A general rule is to allow 1.5 seconds for each making three seconds the minimum space needed between vehicles.

40 km/h
40km zones are usually found in areas with a high number of pedestrians such as school zones, road works, bus stops and high pedestrian activity areas.
With pedestrians about drivers will need to be able to stop the car very quickly should someone step out in front of the car.
At 40km/h, it will take on average thirteen meters to stop your vehicle. You also need to allow seventeen meters of reaction time.
You will need a total of 30 metres of space to stop your car at 40km/h.
School zones – in NSW school zones are usually operating 8:00am to 9:30am and 2:30pm to 4:00pm. However, some schools have different times so always check the signs. As well as being marked by signs, school zones are preceded by dragons teeth painted on the road surface.
Roadworks – will have temporary signage and may have a high number of people very close to the roads edge.
Bus stops – when buses are dropping off passengers and leaving the kerb, there will be flashing lights either side of the 40 sign on the back, meaning drivers cannot pass the bus at more than 40km/h. Many learners fail their driving test for passing a bus at more than 40km/h with the flashing lights on.
High pedestrian activity areas – more and more of these are being implemented and are found around shopping centres, train stations and busy high streets.
50 km/h
50km/h is the most common speed limit. This is the default speed limit for built-up areas in NSW and is found in built-up areas and on most suburban streets.
There will still be a high chance that you will encounter pedestrians in these areas along with frequent intersections and hazards.
Being the default speed limit, it is rarely signposted.
50km/h zone’s are vitally important for learner drivers sitting a driving test. If you can’t see any speed signs, then assume it’s a 50 km/h zone.
80 km/h
This speed zone is usually found on divided roads without driveway access in urban areas, undivided arterial roads on the fringes of urban areas and lower quality rural roads. These roads have significantly fewer hazards and pedestrians than lower speed zones, allowing safe driving at a higher speed.
The difference in stopping distance between 40 km/h and 80 km/h is significant.
80 km/h is double the speed but requires quadruple the braking distance.
100 km/h
This is default speed limit for non-built-up areas in NSW. Roads with this speed limit include divided rural roads, higher quality undivided rural roads and urban motorways. These roads will be free from most hazards.
Stopping distance at 100km/h is over 90 metres.
110 km/h
This is the highest speed limit in NSW. 110 km/h zones will only be found on high quality rural divided roads and non-urban motorways and freeways. These roads are free from most hazards found at lower speed zones. Curves in the road will be less pronounced, and vision will be good.
The more space and vision we have, the safer it is to drive at higher speeds. Crashes at speeds between 80 and 110 high a far higher risk of ending as a fatality.

June 30, 2015 Admin Education Comments Off

L Trent Safety tip – Have an Escape at Intersections

Have an Escape at Intersections

Have an escape governs our speed at intersections. All cross-road intersections, whether governed by light or signs, should be approached at a speed so that we can stop if the unexpected happens, irrespective of the right of way.

When approaching an intersection reduce speed, by accelerator reduction or braking, so that a clear view to both right and left can be obtained, before entering the intersection. If speed is not reduced, an escape has not been left. The speed at the intersection is governed by visibility. The vision checks to right and left are made and the point of decision reached before entering the intersection.

The point of decision is the moment when the possibility of any collision has been eliminated. At the point of decision the accelerator can be applied.

The point of decision varies from intersection to intersection and is governed by the approach speed and the sight distance (how much vision you have into the intersection).

February 24, 2015 Admin Education Comments Off

L Trent Safety tip ~ Have an Escape

Have an Escape

Always try to have an “out” in any driving situation. Be prepared for the unexpected. A good safety cushion, an early decision and being seen are all escapes. The following points are important to remember when on the road;

Don’t use the lane where traffic is entering or merging
When stopping in traffic, is there an escape on the left side?
Examine road shoulders – they may be needed
Be in the right gear; if needed, use the accelerator to escape
When slowing, adjust your braking speed to the actions of the following vehicle
When approaching intersections, reduce speed. If a vehicle unexpectedly enters, can you stop?

February 3, 2015 Admin Education Comments Off

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