QuestionHi Don, I'm taking my road test next week, and I just have a few questions that I can't find the answers to in my state's driver's manual (I will be taking the test in Massachusetts, USA).
1. I read on another website that while steering, it's frowned upon to let the wheel self-center and this is a common reason why people fail their road tests. I'm not entirely sure what this means. Sometimes, when I make a tight turn, I would let the wheel slide back into position under my hands instead of turning it back - is this to be avoided in general? When I try to use my hands to turn the wheel back, I find that my steering becomes more jerky & sometimes I don't turn back quickly enough.
2. The area near the DMV I will take the test with has a lot of narrow streets with cars that park on both sides. Most of the time, I would just need to slow down a bit to get past them, but I end up dangerously close to the dividing line. With a large truck or SUV parked on the side, it's practically impossible to pass without going over the dividing line. What would be the best way to deal with this situation? Is it more acceptable to temporarily cross the middle yellow lines if there is no opposing traffic or does that mean an automatic failure? I can also slow down a lot (to maybe 5-10 miles per hour) to inch past the car, but I'm not sure if that counts as obstructing traffic & going too slow.
3. I have trouble changing lanes in crowded spots. Sometimes, I *have* to change lines because the left or right lanes became left/right-turn only and I'm supposed to go straight, but there's very little distance where I can make the turn and sometimes there are a lot of cars driving on that line. What would be the general procedure to change lanes in that case? Is it ever acceptable to stop and wait for an opening before inching the car in?
Any advice would be appreciated!
AnswerJenny,
Congrats on making your way to the driving test! I find driving WELL (meaning with courtesy, accuracy and skill, not at all related to going fast!) is very satisfying every day since I got my license. I will do my best to answer your questions:
1. Self-centering is frowned on by driving instructors for several reasons, but mainly because you literally let go of the wheel for a few moments! The wheel self-centers because of the geometry in the steering and alignment and is normal, and most cars will do this, some more than others. But if you hit a bump while doing this, the wheel can turn a LOT and if you try to stop it you can break a finger (really!) or you can upset the car so much it might wreck.
There are several methods that are good to use where you don't have to let go of the wheel. One I use is called "shuffle steer" where you turn the wheel with both hands, then let go with one hand and reposition it so you can let go of the other and so forth. In this method you don't cross your arms. For example. Turning left: STart with hands at 10-2 or 9-3, position your left hand at the 12 position (straight up) and put your right hand at 5 or 6. Then start to turn left. AS your hands get to 9-3 again, shuffle your right hand back down and then your left hand. You shuffle your hands to that you always have one hand on the wheel all the time, but your arms never cross.
You can also cross your arms when turning.
In this example, turning left: take both hands on the accepted 10-2 or now they say use 9-3 also. when you turn left, when your right arm is over the center release with your left hand and take it over your right arm and grip the wheel, letting go with your right at the same time. You will get the idea if you practice in your driveway a little.
Practice both and get good at both, you may find you like one better, but knowing both is good.
2. This is tough. For sure you don't want to HIT the parked vehicle, so if there isn't enough room, you would want to slow down and let any opposing traffic past, and when there is no traffic close coming at you, signal left, move around the obstruction and then signal right and get back in your lane. Try not to slow down too much, but if there isn't room and you have opposing traffic you will have no choice. If there is a double yellow line (no passing) then I am not sure if the examiner will allow this unless there is no way at all to get past the obstruction.
The best thing is to get used to your car so you know where it is in the road. Best way to do this is take a parent or guardian, whoever is legally able to let you practice drive, and go to a big empty lot. Take some tall cones or something not too hard and scratchy, that you can practice parking and driving around. Drive near them till you think you are say 3 feet away from them. Then stop, get out and measure. If you are 6 feet away, keep doing it till you get a better feel for where the car is. Do this for both sides, and the front and back. Go slow, don't hit stuff, but get used to knowing where your wheels are and where the body is.
chances are in the situation you mention, you DO have enough room to get by without crossing the center line, but just don't think you do. With practice you will get better at threading the needle and positioning your car in the middle of the lane rather than at one side. Examiners will be looking to see how well you can do this.
I would also call your local Secretary of States office and ask to talk with an examiner and ask your question directly to them. I would say contact the State police or local police, but their answer might be different from the examiners.
3. First, get in the habit of looking as far ahead of you as possible. Get your eyes used to looking close to the car (this is usually the 'default" eye position, and not the best one) to check for things like potholes, but then scan near you and to the sides for trouble, and then scan far ahead looking for lane changes like you describe or other trouble spots you will need to account for. I see many people that know a lane change is coming, but they try to stay in their lane till the end in an effort to get another car position or two ahead. Don't fall into this trap. For traffic to flow smooth, you need to know what is coming as soon as possible, and react to it as soon as you safely can. If you get caught with tight traffic and have signaled and can't find a safe opening, it is better to slow, or even stop and wait for a safe opening, than to either bully your way into line, or go straight in a turn lane and risk a wreck when you have to merge in the intersection!
The catch 22 is that when you signal your intention to change lanes, quite often people will be nasty and close up so you can't get in front of them. This is actually illegal, but hard to catch and hard to give tickets for. that is why you will find people changing lanes on you for the rest of your life without any signal or warning, sometimes startling you and maybe even causing an accident. But in your driving test you MUST signal well in advance of any lane change and try to find an opening and hope that someone is nice. If you have a "student driver" sticker on your car (check if that is allowed) sometimes people will be nicer to you if they know you are learning. (not a good idea when you are alone though, preditors prey on young people, and you don't want something like that on your car all the time!).
There is one out if you get caught in a turn lane and can't change lanes, you can always just make the turn, go around the block and try again. I am not sure if the instructor would call this a failure move or not, but in my own case, if I find that I am in a turn lane, and see that moving over won't work, and I am blocking traffic otherwise, I signal, go ahead and turn and THEN figure out how to make my correct move, even if I have to pull into a parking space for a minute to plan. Maybe another question to ask an examiner on the phone.
I would hope that your examiner won't take you into areas with those kinds or problems, but if they do, do the best you can, remember your training and don't do anything that you feel is unsafe.
I hope I have helped.
Don
