Taking the road test seems to be very scary for first time drivers, lots of practice will help. Practice with someone sitting next to you will help to make you less nervous during the test. Make sure you read the Driver’s Handbook again before your road test. Here are some of my techniques and tips which can help you pass your driving/road test for the first time around. I have passed my driving test the first time around keeping all these in mind.
This is the driving/road test process:
First: Parallel Parking
Second: drive around the area for approximately 20 to 30 minutes
Third: drive back to the DMV and Regular Parking
First: Parallel Parking
Second: drive around the area for approximately 20 to 30 minutes
Third: drive back to the DMV and Regular Parking
7 Major Driving Rules You Must Remember:
1. MAKE SURE you remember to put the seatbelt on & check that the instructor has the seatbelt on as well before you turn on the engine. If the instructor does not have the seatbelt on and ask you to turn on the engine, politely ask him/her to put it on before you start. You will auto-fail, if the instructor does not have the seatbelt on.
2. DO NOT FORGET to put the directional signal on when you pull in & out of the parking spot, parking lot and on every turn you make. Put your turn signal on a head of time, at least 10 cars ahead before you get to the light; don’t turn it at the last minute.
3. ALWAYS come to a complete stop behind the stop sign, with or without the pedestrian crosswalk marking. Complete stop means you can feel the car motion backward when you step on the brake. If you don’t feel that backward motion then it is not a complete stop.
4. ALWAYS drive a couple of miles under the speed limit, especially in school zones. If you don’t see a speed limit sign in a school zone and the 15mph light is not flashing and no children are around, just drive under 25mph. Do not drive at the exact speed limit as the instructor might see one mile over because of where s/he sits, always a couple miles under.
For Example: If you are driving on a road with a speed limit of 35mph, traffic is not busy and no cars in front of you. You should drive above 30mph but less than 35mph, not below 30mph. If traffic is busy, you will go with the flow of traffic and still not over your speed limit.
5. MUST STOP when you see a school bus has the lights flashing and stop sign out. If you drive under the speed limit, it
will also give you the extra time to glance ahead and everything around you.
will also give you the extra time to glance ahead and everything around you.
6. ALWAYS turn your heard over your shoulder to check behind you when you are asked to change lanes. Don’t just glance to the side. You should glance at your side mirror then turn your head over the shoulder to check behind you. Instructor will take points off if you don’t turn your heard over your shoulder.
7. DO NOT FORGET to cross over your hand movements on your wheel when you are making your turn. Instructor won’t fail you but will definitely take points off. Some instructor might fail you for that.
Techniques and Tips
T1: Have you learned how to operate a car and have been practicing driving on a regular road?
Assume you have learned all the basics like signaling when you make a turn, come to a complete before a stop sign and all the other basics.
Once you are comfortable driving, you can start to learn regular parking.
You got regular parking down, time to learn parallel parking.
*If you don’t know where you can practice regular and parallel parking, you can always go the
DMV office’s parking lot after the office is closed. They have barrels set up for parallel parking
during your test. You can practice parallel parking between the barrels.*
You got regular parking down, time to learn parallel parking.
*If you don’t know where you can practice regular and parallel parking, you can always go the
DMV office’s parking lot after the office is closed. They have barrels set up for parallel parking
during your test. You can practice parallel parking between the barrels.*
Decide which DMV office you are going to take the driving/road test then practice your parking there so you will be familiar with the amount of space you have between the barrels. You would want to practice, practice, and practice until you are comfortable before your test date.
T2: So you are having troubles with your parallel parking, no worries. Here is a good technique I have used to help me pass
my driving test the first time around.
my driving test the first time around.
Now your first try is to note everything around you and take it slow, your second try will be better. The more practice
you have with this technique the better you will get.
you have with this technique the better you will get.
Put your signal on then drive close to the barrels and past the barrels with the rear of your car next to the barrels, stop.
You have 2 mirrors on either side of the car. Lower your right side mirror all the way down, where you can see the barrels sitting on the ground. Note the distance and space of the barrels to your car.
Shift your gears to reverse, turn your wheel all the way to the right, and slowly back up riding your brakes until the right side mirror is aligned or slightly passed the barrels. Make sure your front right bumper is not too far away from the barrels. Note your distance between the front right bumper of your car and the barrels. The front right bumper of your car should be close to the barrels but not too close where you will damage your car if you turn your wheel all the way to the left. Keep a good distance.
Start to turn your wheels to the left where your car comes to an angle (not too sharp of an angle where your back tire will hit the curb too fast and don’t have enough room in the front to maneuver) then back up straight in an angle until you see in your right mirror that you are close enough to the curb but not too close. Then finally, turn your wheel all the way to the left while continues to back up until your car is straight parallel to the curb.
Note: Keep an eye on the right side mirror as you are backing up. You should be able to see how far the curb is to the back side of your car. Once you have the right amount of space backing up in an angle, you can start to turn your wheel to the left to park into the space. As you turn your wheel to the left, keep an eye on both side mirrors, left side mirror give you an idea how much space you still have left before you hit the barrels behind you, the right side mirror help you see whether you are going to hit the curb or not. Try to get as close to the curb as possible. The closer you get to the curb the better, just not 18 inches or more inches away from the curb.
Once you have gotten your car between the barrels, you should shift your gear to park. The instructor will open the door to look once you put the car in park. After the instructor close the door, you immediately put your right side mirror up to normal view. If you drive with your mirror down, you will auto-fail. Now you have your mirror up, put your signal on before you pull out of the parallel parking spot.
If you are wondering whether or not, it is alright to lower your right side mirror all the way down during your test. The answer is YES, you can lower your right side mirror all the way down before backing into the parking spot. In reality when you parallel park, you are allow to adjust your mirrors, why wouldn’t they allow you to do it during your test? Just make sure you remember to fix your mirror before you pull out of the parallel parking spot, onto the road during your test.
Note:
a) MAKE SURE you signal before driving up to Parallel Park.
b) After you parked between the barrels, you put your car in PARK.
c) If you lower your right side mirror, DO NOT FORGET to put it back up before pulling out of the parking spot.
d) DO NOT FORGET to put your turn signal on before pulling out of the parking spot.
For Example: At Sahara DMV office, you will make a left once you back out of the regular parking spot; turn your right signal on before you get to the tree on the right, the first right turn. You will then drive straight down, make a left turn to where the parallel parking spot is (barrels are). Make sure you turn on the left signal before making a left turn then immediately turn on the right signal once you made your left turn before you drive up to the parallel parking spot (barrels).
a) MAKE SURE you signal before driving up to Parallel Park.
b) After you parked between the barrels, you put your car in PARK.
c) If you lower your right side mirror, DO NOT FORGET to put it back up before pulling out of the parking spot.
d) DO NOT FORGET to put your turn signal on before pulling out of the parking spot.
For Example: At Sahara DMV office, you will make a left once you back out of the regular parking spot; turn your right signal on before you get to the tree on the right, the first right turn. You will then drive straight down, make a left turn to where the parallel parking spot is (barrels are). Make sure you turn on the left signal before making a left turn then immediately turn on the right signal once you made your left turn before you drive up to the parallel parking spot (barrels).
T3: Familiarize yourself with the speed limit around the DMV Office are and note all the hidden signs by driving
around the area a couple of times.
around the area a couple of times.
There is no one specific route that they test everyone on. Every instructor will give you a different route. Make sure you
keep the 7 major rules in mind and follow it throughout your driving/road test.
keep the 7 major rules in mind and follow it throughout your driving/road test.
If you are having a driving/road test at Sahara DMV office, you can practice around these areas which they will test you on. They might not test you on the exact same route but they will test you on these streets or around these streets. Make note of all the street speed limit and hidden stop signs.
After Parallel Parking, assume you are following all the rules during your driving test. You can practice on these routes or other streets in these areas.
Route 1: Youpull out at Holly Hills Ave (come to a complete stop before stop sign)
make a right at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph), half block up
make a right at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph, driving up 2 blocks
make a right at S. Eastern Ave (speed limit 35mph), driving one block
make a right at E. St Louis Ave
(speed limit 30mph, you are entering into the school zone, 15mph when lights are flashing or children are present), the first block on the left.
make a left at Euclide Ave
(speed limit 25mph, make sure you come to a complete stop at Hoyt Ave. Stop sign is not very noticeable), one block up
make a right at E. Oakey Blvd (speed limit 25mph), up 2 blocks
make a right at Atlantic St (speed limit 25mph, 15mph when lights children are present, school to the left)
make a left at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph)
make a left at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph)
make a left back into the DMV office
Just follow the instructor’s instruction at this point
make a right at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph), half block up
make a right at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph, driving up 2 blocks
make a right at S. Eastern Ave (speed limit 35mph), driving one block
make a right at E. St Louis Ave
(speed limit 30mph, you are entering into the school zone, 15mph when lights are flashing or children are present), the first block on the left.
make a left at Euclide Ave
(speed limit 25mph, make sure you come to a complete stop at Hoyt Ave. Stop sign is not very noticeable), one block up
make a right at E. Oakey Blvd (speed limit 25mph), up 2 blocks
make a right at Atlantic St (speed limit 25mph, 15mph when lights children are present, school to the left)
make a left at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph)
make a left at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph)
make a left back into the DMV office
Just follow the instructor’s instruction at this point
Route 2: Youpull out at Holly Hills Ave (come to a complete stop before stop sign)
make a left at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph), half block up
make a left at E. St Louis Ave
(speed limit 30mph, you are entering into the school zone, 15mph when lights are flashing or children are present), the first block on the left.
make a left at Atlantic St (speed limit 25mph, 15mph when lights children are present, school to the left)
make a left at E. Karen Ave (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at S. Mojave Rd (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at E. Vegas Valley Dr. (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at McLeod St (speed limit 30-25mph)
make a left back into the DMV office
Just follow the instructor’s instruction at this point
make a left at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph), half block up
make a left at E. St Louis Ave
(speed limit 30mph, you are entering into the school zone, 15mph when lights are flashing or children are present), the first block on the left.
make a left at Atlantic St (speed limit 25mph, 15mph when lights children are present, school to the left)
make a left at E. Karen Ave (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at S. Mojave Rd (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at E. Vegas Valley Dr. (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at McLeod St (speed limit 30-25mph)
make a left back into the DMV office
Just follow the instructor’s instruction at this point
Route 3: Youpull out at Holly Hills Ave (come to a complete stop before stop sign)
make a right at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph), half block up
make a left at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph)
make a right at S. Mojave Rd (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at E. Vegas Valley Dr. (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at Artic St (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at E. Karen Ave (speed limit 25mph), up 2 blocks
make a left at Atlantic St (speed limit 25mph, 15mph when lights children are present, school to the left)
make a right at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph)
make a left at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph)
make a left back into the DMV office
Just follow the instructor’s instruction at this point
make a right at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph), half block up
make a left at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph)
make a right at S. Mojave Rd (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at E. Vegas Valley Dr. (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at Artic St (speed limit 25mph)
make a right at E. Karen Ave (speed limit 25mph), up 2 blocks
make a left at Atlantic St (speed limit 25mph, 15mph when lights children are present, school to the left)
make a right at E. Sahara Ave (speed limit 45mph)
make a left at McLeod St (speed limit 25mph)
make a left back into the DMV office
Just follow the instructor’s instruction at this point
T4: Changing Lanes
YOU SHOULD never change lanes if you see a solid line, even if the instructor said change to the left/right lane. You
should always wait until you see a broken dotted line. You will fail if you don’t follow the lane changing guide line. Read more about it in the Driver’s Handbook.
Note: If you are making a right hand turn onto McLeod St from E. St Louis Ave, make sure you DO NOT, DO NOT change to the lane to the right. As you will notice when practicing, the lane to the right has a solid white line then the line becomes a dotted line before the stop sign. You can start to turn over slightly crossing the broken like to get a smooth turn.
should always wait until you see a broken dotted line. You will fail if you don’t follow the lane changing guide line. Read more about it in the Driver’s Handbook.
Note: If you are making a right hand turn onto McLeod St from E. St Louis Ave, make sure you DO NOT, DO NOT change to the lane to the right. As you will notice when practicing, the lane to the right has a solid white line then the line becomes a dotted line before the stop sign. You can start to turn over slightly crossing the broken like to get a smooth turn.
MAKE SURE you turn onto the correct lane from one street onto another. If there is one turning lane, and you need to make a right turn, keep to the far right lane, except the bus lane. You will do the same when you are making a left turn. The Driver’s Handbook explained all these. Make sure you remember to turn on the correct lane. Take your time when you are turning on a red light as other cars might be turning as well onto the same road. You don’t want to crash into them. Also keep an eye out for pedestrians; they always have the right of way.
Good Luck with your Driving/Road Test! I will keep updating this post with new informations.
Nevada Driver's Handbook Download
Nevada Beginning Driver Training Guide Download
Nevada Teen Driving Informations
Comments are welcome!
Nevada Driver's Handbook Download
Nevada Beginning Driver Training Guide Download
Nevada Teen Driving Informations
Comments are welcome!
