Driving At Night

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Checks:

• Check all bulbs are working
• Check reflectors and number plates are clean
• Check windows are not smeared, as this can make a huge difference between being able to see and not when the lights of an oncoming vehicle shine on your windscreen.
• Check headlights are adjusted properly; if they are aligned to high they can dazzle oncoming traffic which is potentially dangerous.


Driving during dusk

I recommend using headlights during dusk when driving on country roads. Why? When you use your dipped lights during dusk it can create shadows in the hedgerow which can give an untrue view of the roadside. ALWAYS DIP YOUR LIGHTS WHEN MEETING ONCOMING TRAFFIC


Driving in lit up areas such as town/city

Use dipped headlights at all times in lit up areas.


QUESTION

At what stage should I dip my headlights when traffic is oncoming?

Make it your purpose that you don’t dazzle the oncoming driver with your lights. On a country road where there are corners and bends, dip your lights when you see the lights of the oncoming vehicle about to come around the corner. This means that neither of you will be dazzled even momentarily. On a straight road you need to dip your lights when you see the car approaching just before you yourself would become dazzled.


Dazzled by oncoming traffic

Look slightly down and to the left towards the verge of the road if you find you are being dazzled by oncoming traffic. NEVER flash your headlights at the other driver to make them dip their headlights as this can cause a very dangerous situation.


Dazzled by following traffic in rear view mirror.

When you are finding it difficult to see with lights of following traffic shining directly to your rear view mirror and to your eyes. Adjust to night time mode. Night time mode is found on your rear view mirror. It is a little lever or switch which can be found usually directly under the rear view mirror.

How does it work?

When you switch to night time mode, it simply reflects what is in the rear view mirror up onto the ceiling which dulls the lights and images when you look in the mirror. This makes it possible to see behind safely and allows you to drive without being dazzled.


Dazzled by lights from following traffic shining in side mirrors

Pull over somewhere safe and slightly adjust your mirrors for the journey.


IMPORTANT:

Always drive at a speed that you can stop within the distance that your lights show.

One Way Streets

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What is a one way street?

A one way street is a street on which vehicle traffic is only permitted to go in one direction.


How would I recognise a one way street?

There are signs and road markings to let you know;
You may see a round blue sign with a white arrow pointing upwards on it. (Regulatory Sign) This sign means STRAIGHT AHEAD ONLY.

Another sign which you may see is again a Regulatory Sign. It is a round white sign with a red border showing a straight ahead black arrow crossed out with a red line through it. This sign means NO ENTRY.

Road markings such as ONE WAY OR NO ENTRY may be present.

Road linage such as a continuous white line across the road with a broken white line beside it will be seen.


How do I know from the road lines whether or not I can enter it or not?

You may only enter the street if the white line nearest you is broken.

Stopping on the Left Hand Side

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Stopping on the left has three steps involved:

1. Make sure the place where you intend to stop is safe and legal.
2. Use your MSPSL procedure as you bring the vehicle to a controlled stop close to and parallel with the left kerb.
3. Make sure your vehicle is secure after stopping


1. Is it safe and is it legal? Eg. Make sure it’s not near a bend, the brow of a hill, blocking an entrance, close to a junction etc.

2. Using the MSPSL routine.
Mirrors - Since we are moving over to the left, you start with your right wing mirror, rear view then left mirror.

Signal – Indicate left

Position – Steer towards the left.

Speed – adjust your speed to control positioning the car close to the kerb

Look – continue to make good observation around your vehicle as you bring it to a hault.

3. Put gear in neutral, apply parking/hand brake.

Moving Off

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Here is a brief explanation of moving off as you’ll understand an entire lesson cannot realistically be covered in a Blog.

When moving off there is a procedure which has a routine called GOSH
G Gear Select 1st gear
O Observation Glance around your vehicle (360° glance) going from left side to right
S Signal Indicate right
H Handbrake & Blindspot The very last thing you do before moving off is check your right blindspot. (See September Blog on Observation) and release handbrake.

Footnote on Observation
It is important to remember when doing your observation that you do not take too much time looking in one place. By the time you get around to looking on your right something may have happened on your left. Remember we have peripheral vision so you can make good observation in a short time. You’re checking to make sure that there are no pedestrians, traffic, obstacles or hazards which make it unsafe to move off.

Footnote on Handbrake
Make sure you have the biting point before you release your parking brake/handbrake (See October Blog on The Bite)

EDT Lessons

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Many people still have queries with regard to the new EDT Lessons.  I hope this BlogSpot helps. Here are some questions I have been asked regularly. Please phone or e mail me with any questions you may have. I will happy to help.

Is there a form that I get to sign in order to backdate lessons already taken?
No. The new EDT lessons only apply to people who have received their very first learner permit on or after the 4th April 2011.

Can every driving instructor give these EDT lessons?
Registered and approved driving instructors were given an option before the programme was rolled out, as to whether to cover the new EDT programme or continue to give lessons as they had been before.  However, anyone who as I mentioned above has received their very first learner permit on or after 4th April, 2011 must do the EDT programme. So, it is necessary to choose an instructor who is set up to do this programme to ensure that you may sit your driving test.

What is the difference between the EDT lessons and the driving lessons which were given before this new system?
The new programme only covers areas that statistics show are high risk where most collisions occur and does not bring a student from A-Z with what is needed to sit the driving test, for example the turnabout and reverse are not included in the EDT programme.  With the 'old' for want of a better word, lessons. a student could start a first lesson having never sat behind the wheel before.

With the new programme before taking EDT lesson 1, a student must familiarise themselves with, the rules of the road, safety checks.  Know how to use the primary controls such as steering wheel and brakes.  Know how to use the secondary controls such as lights and wipers.  A student must have practised moving off, stopping and driving in safe and quiet conditions for at least three hours.  So, you can see already that there is a lot of preparation to be done by a student before the first lesson should be done.  It is also important where possible that a student practises for three hours in preparation before each of the 12 EDT lessons, practising what had been covered in the previous lesson.

The three hours practise may be done with a Sponsor (someone that you are comfortable with and has held a full drivers licence for at least two years), in fact I recommend this or they may get their practice with their driving instructor or a combination of both.  It is easier on the pocket if you can practice before the first EDT and between EDT lessons with your Sponsor.

Practise is the key.  The lesson time can only show a student the how, why and when and only has a small amount of time to practise but, it's the practise outside of the lesson that makes the big difference on how fast you progress throughout the lessons and will ensure that you are prepared for the next stage involved in learning to drive.  

Remember, it's all about learning in steps.  You cannot be taught how to spell words without first having learned and practised the alphabet.  You cannot be given an essay to write until you have learned and practised the basic skills of writing. And so it is with driving, you cannot be taught more complex driving skills until you have practised what is necessary to get you to that next stage.  Practise, practise, practise.  :)

Turning Left

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Putting it into bullet points the following steps explain.

Step 1You’ll see the sign for a minor road on your left (p 181 RSA Rules of the Road) which may be accompanied by road markings.

Step 2 Mirror;
Check your right, rear view and left side mirror.

Step 3 Signal;
Signal left with indicator. ( Make sure you have passed all entrances/roads on your left before you signal for your road on the left.)

Step 4 Position;
Remember road position which we covered in December’s Blog is less than one metre from the left hand side.

Step 5 Speed;
Alter your speed to take the corner. Brake sufficiently for second gear which is the appropriate gear for taking a corner. It is very important that you change gear before you get to the corner. Why? If you were to change gear on the corner, you’re not in control or in gear while your foot is on the clutch. This can also form the bad habit of going for the clutch further and further back from the corner. The term for this is coasting which we will be covering in the March Blog. Have a glance in your left mirror just before you steer into the road on your left. Why? A cyclist may have come up on the inside since you’d checked you mirrors earlier which could lead to the danger of cutting them off or even hitting them.

Step 6 Look;
Maintain correct road position after you’ve completed the turn and glance in all mirrors left, rear view and right.

Turning onto a major road is basically the same steps, all bar Step 1 and 5.
Step 1 for a major road will be a STOP sign
Step 5 turning onto a major road you will be preparing to stop. Also, a very important thing to remember just before you move off to take your turn, glance in your mirrors especially the left.