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Is
Your Driving Up To The Test?
If
the driver's ed classroom is a distant memory, you may be
shocked at what you've forgotten. Retrain your brain to avoid
these common mistakes made by experienced motorists.
By
Patrick Soran
Congratulations,
you passed both the written and road tests to get your driver's
license. Well done! Now how many years and miles ago was that?
You may feel like an experienced driver now, but if you retook
those same driver's tests today, could you ace them again?
Not likely,
says Jason Emery, president of Excel Driver Services, a Colorado
company that retests hundreds of adult drivers every year
as part of its safe-driving classes for corporations and the
military. "Experienced people often have a false sense of
confidence," he says. Even if they are accident-free, he says,
their driving skills may still have declined over the years.
It's not
unusual for adult drivers to have to retake the tests. Rules
vary, but if you've let your license lapse for more than a
year, moved to a new state, or had your license suspended
for point violations or DUI concerns, you may find yourself
back at the Department of Motor Vehicles, standing in line
with fresh-faced teenagers. In some states a concerned citizen--usually
a family member--may file a request that will generate a requirement
for an elderly relative to retake and repass both tests.
But how
can the rest of us know if our road skills could still pass
muster? First you can test your knowledge of road signs and
rules online. (See "Grade Yourself," below.) Next with the
assistance of Jason Emery and Mark Couch, spokesman for the
Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles, get familiar with the
most common mistakes experienced drivers make on driving tests:
Failing
to Read Road Signs
Many drivers with a lot of know-how simply don't--or won't--follow
road signs, reports Couch. His road testers routinely knock
off points on driving tests for not adhering to posted speed
limits. Another commonly ignored set of markers are School
Zone signs, which require drivers to slow down.
Making
a Rolling Stop
Since it's been awhile since you've read a driver's manual,
we'll remind you that it clearly states that when you see
a red, eight-sided STOP sign you must bring your car to a
full stop. The infamous--and illegal--"rolling stop" describes
drivers who merely slow down near a stop sign, maybe look
around a bit, then drive right through. This puts drivers
and pedestrians in serious danger.
Backing
Up Without Looking Back
Shockingly, many drivers don't turn to scan the scene behind
them before throwing their car into reverse and hitting the
gas. They glide into the street from their driveways, rolling
over toys and--in the worst scenarios--pets or people. Or
they bend the fender behind them.
Stopping
Inside the Crosswalk
Emery says experienced drivers often fail to stop at the crossing
lines at both stop signs and traffic lights. Crossing lines
are those wide, white ones that lie in front of so many signs
and signals. As their name implies, they're placed to allow
ample room for pedestrians to cross. Drivers are not supposed
to move into pedestrian territory until they've stopped fully
and confirmed that it is safe to move forward. If you stop
at a light and your car sits in this zone, pedestrians will
have to walk around your car, usually in front of it, and
often into other traffic lines, which is hardly the safest
place for them to be.
Changing
Lanes Without Looking
No amount of experience will eliminate blind spots, notes
Couch. It's critical that you look over both your shoulders
before changing lanes. Signal your intention, check all your
mirrors, and then glance back both ways to be certain that
no one--or no thing--has found its way into your blind spots.
Not
Giving Way to Pedestrians
If you're stopped at an intersection that allows right turns
on red, remember that no turn is allowed if there are any
pedestrians in the crosswalk. "Any" means any. That means
not slipping your car quickly in front of them or slipping
in tightly behind.
GRADE
YOURSELF
Admit
it: You're curious about how you'd fare on the written
driver's exam. Test yourself with these free online
quizzes. In most states 80 percent correct is considered
passing. (Want to study first? States post their
driver's manuals online.)
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Our
intrepid writer takes the tests with unexpected results
…
At
age 55 I've driven for 40 years without a single traffic
violation. I've maneuvered through Rocky Mountain blizzards
and dense European traffic. When I get behind the wheel
I know I have a lot of experience so I like to think
I know what I'm doing. Turns out the kids in line at
the DMV may know more than I do.
I recently took the written and road tests that new
drivers in Colorado must pass in order to get a driver's
license. (Excel Driver Services, a private driving school
in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, administered the tests.) I
was positive the written part would be a slam dunk and
that I'd cruise through the driving portion. Wrong on
both counts.
Back
to School
The written test seemed surprisingly easy, with 25 multiple-choice
questions. When I handed mine in, I thought I had missed
one question, maximum. But I was wrong on four--and
five wrong means "fail." How had I forgotten that a
red triangle-shaped sign meant yield? Of course I knew
that a single white line is meant to keep me on my side
of the road, so why had I answered that it was merely
to divide the road in half? I felt like Homer Simpson.
D'oh!
Hit
the Highway
Sadly I seemed to drive like Homer as well. For my road
test I got confidently behind the wheel of my SUV with
Jason Emery of Excel Driver Services in the passenger
seat. He held a clipboard with a sheet of test numbers
to score me. Each infraction incurs a penalty of a point
or two. We drove for 20 minutes on a Colorado state-approved
circuit that included a multilane road, several lane
changes, a left turn into a residential neighborhood,
stop signs, the careful pass of an ice cream truck,
and a slowdown for a driver who pulled into traffic.
Piece of cake.
The
Truth Hurts
"You missed 28 points," Emery says. "Missing 20 is failing."
I had barely passed the written exam and now I'd flat-out
failed the driving portion. So much for my vast experience.
How many drivers are just like me--dangerously overconfident
in their skill level based upon years of accident-free
driving?
I
exhibited typical symptoms of someone whose basic skills
had degraded over time.
-
Not once had I stopped at the proper place in front
of a stop sign; you're supposed to be able to see
the sign out of your windshield when you're stopped.
- I'd
made three so-called rolling stops; I hadn't really
stopped at all.
- I
turned too wide on right turns and too narrow on left
turns, which is the polite way of saying I was turning
into traffic.
- I
flashed my blinkers as I turned, not before, as is
proper.
- Oh,
and I drove the speed limit only when I was actually
passing a speed limit sign.
All
those little things add up to a bad driver on the road--me!
I had failed the driving test. If I were 16, my mom
or dad would have had to drive me home. So after 40
years of so-called safe driving, I've reread Colorado's
driver's handbook and made a promise to do what it says.
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Study and Save
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skills refresher courses can be beneficial at any
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