Driver's license questions

[OulOat]

A friend is asking me some questions for his drivers license test and I can't remember the exact answers to some of them:

1) Did you have to parallel park? I didn't have to, but he says that some people told him that they had to. He's Illinois btw.
2) Did you have to bring/show the tester the car's insurance card or any other cards related to the car? This I cannot remember at all.
3) How much below the speed limit should you drive? I told him at least 5 mph below the limit, but I'm not sure what happens if you above the limit a sec or two.
4) What do they check for? The general procedure? I remember they checked to see if you knew how the lights worked, turning, following speed limits, and standard parking. Anything else?
5) Did you have to go on the highway?

If you have any other tips post them. All I could offer him was to drive slow and don't hit anything/anyone.

 

[FleshLight]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes, about 5 mph
4. Don't forget looking and yielding.
5. No, or at least not around here in Socal.

And don't forget kneepads as a fail-safe.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

1) Yes, you have to parallel park. In fact, screwing up your parallel parking is one of 3 ways to instantly fail a driver's test in PA (along with driving more than 5 mph over the speed limit or rolling through a red light/stop sign)

2) Yes, you need your car's insurance card, and also the person who the car is insured to (and their license).

3) You should keep it at the speed limit, and below it if there's rain or some other bad road condition.

4) Exaggerate head motions when checking blind spots, mirrors, etc. Let them know you're thinking.

5) I've never heard of a driving test involving a highway, I highly doubt they will.

 

[xchangx]

1) Had to parallel park in GA.
2) I believe you have to in GA as well
3) Did our test in a parking lot. I would assume that you would just go the speed limit.
4) Don't hit anything, we tried not to hit an cones, don't drive like an idiot
5) nope, parking lot

 

[TwiceOver]

Driver's Education > * I learned more usefull information in that than in driving alone.

1: Yes
2: No
3: 0, in fact drive with the flow of traffic (if there is)
4: Check your yields, even at train tracks
5: Yes

 

[jtusa]

1) Did you have to parallel park?
Yes

2) Did you have to bring/show the tester the car's insurance card or any other cards related to the car?
Yes

3) How much below the speed limit should you drive?
Uh, just do the speed limit, going too slow is just as bad as going too fast as far as I'm concerned.

4) What do they check for? The general procedure?
Checking over your shoulder when changing lanes, giving the right of way when needed, etc.

5) Did you have to go on the highway?
No

 

[OulOat]

Oh yeah, what's the borderline score between passing and failing? 90/100?

 

[TechnoKid]

If you can drive at the speed limit and not go over, thats the quicker your test is over. I never drove significantly under the limit, maybe one or two mph, because if there are many cars beghind youthey will dock points for impeding traffic. Though i didn't gun it to get the the speed limit as quick as poccible. The highest speed road i wnet on was 35...hehe...and 25 of course for residential.

remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

 

[Kaervak]

1) Yes, but it may vary state to state.
2) Nope
3) Go the speed limit
4) Signals, horn, brake lights & headlights for the car. How smooth you start, stop, how you take turns and whether you check for oncoming traffic in other lanes when you're at a stop sign.
5) Nope

As for other advice, if the officer giving the test tells him to make a turn when there's a "No Turn On Red" sign, don't. He will be failed immediately.

 

[FleshLight]

Originally posted by: OulOat
Oh yeah, what's the borderline score between passing and failing? 90/100?

Over here, it's 13 minor mistakes or any major ones (such as hitting the curb while parallel parking).

 

[Yzzim]

1) Did you have to parallel park? I didn't have to, but he says that some people told him that they had to. He's Illinois btw.

Yes, I had to. Didn't have to do a 90º backup though (some of my peers did)

2) Did you have to bring/show the tester the car's insurance card or any other cards related to the car? This I cannot remember at all.

No, not that I remember. I used the school's car (took Driver's Ed through the school)

3) How much below the speed limit should you drive? I told him at least 5 mph below the limit, but I'm not sure what happens if you above the limit a sec or two.

Driving too slow will get points deducted. Driving too fast will make you fail. Just driving at the speed limit, maybe a couple mph slower so you don't accidently go over the speed limit.

4) What do they check for? The general procedure? I remember they checked to see if you knew how the lights worked, turning, following speed limits, and standard parking. Anything else?

lights, windshield wipers, turn signals, high beams, flashers, heat, air, defrost, intermittent (sp?) wipers, parking break, parking brake release - that's all before you actually move the car.

first thing I did was parallel park. Then a couple right hand turns, then about 2-3 left hand turns. He checked my speed a couple times and also made sure I looked over my shoulder when changing lanes or when necessary. I then drove through downtown and back to the police station (where the instructor was stationed).

5) Did you have to go on the highway?

Yes, but the highway through town here has a limit of 30mph

 

[OulOat]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
I remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

What were the hand signals? 90 degrees down for right, straight out for left, what's slow stop, 90 up?

Oh yeah, now I remember 1 thing that screwed me over the first time. Stop at either the white line or the stop sign, whichever that is closest to you. I screwed up by stopping at the white line, but the stop sign came before the line.

 

[Kaervak]

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
I remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

What were the hand signals? 90 degrees down for right, straight out for left, what's slow stop, 90 up?

Oh yeah, now I remember 1 thing that screwed me over the first time. Stop at either the white line or the stop sign, whichever that is closest to you. I screwed up by stopping at the white line, but the stop sign came before the line.

90 degrees down is stop. Straight out to the left is left turn and 90 degrees up is right turn.

 

[AlienCraft]

1. Yes
2. Not at the time I took my test, but now in CA you do.
3. at or slightly below
4. Checking over shoulder before changing lanes, at intersections , etc. Make sure they are aware you ARE aware.
5. Yes, in CA. I was on the freeway for about 10 minutes during the test.

 

[Yzzim]

Originally posted by: Kaervak

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
I remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

What were the hand signals? 90 degrees down for right, straight out for left, what's slow stop, 90 up?

Oh yeah, now I remember 1 thing that screwed me over the first time. Stop at either the white line or the stop sign, whichever that is closest to you. I screwed up by stopping at the white line, but the stop sign came before the line.

90 degrees down is stop. Straight out to the left is left turn and 90 degrees up is right turn.

Hand Signals?????

Never went through that during my test. Only glanced over it in Driver's Ed. Waste of time.

 

[mobobuff]

1) Yes
2) No
3) 5 is a good amount to be under, though I drove with the needle right on the speed limit. My instructor appreciated that, it shows a sign of good control.
4) General pre-drive things (checking mirrors, putting seatbelt on, making sure passengers have seatbelts on). General driving precausions (checking mirrors while driving, looking both ways twice, stopping a fair distance away from the car in front of you at stop signs/lights (about one car length), not pulling out too far into an intersection on left hand turns, etc).
5) I'm assuming you mean the expressway. Yes. I had to take highways (2 lane road 55 mph speedlimit) to the destination and the expressway on the way back.

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
I remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

What were the hand signals? 90 degrees down for right, straight out for left, what's slow stop, 90 up?

Oh yeah, now I remember 1 thing that screwed me over the first time. Stop at either the white line or the stop sign, whichever that is closest to you. I screwed up by stopping at the white line, but the stop sign came before the line.

hmm...i would argue that. you are supposed to stop at or before (not on) the marked line which is the stop iteration, which is a part of the stop sign (sign is merely are a visual telling you of a marked spot where you have to stop. If there is a sign and not marks on the road, or vice versa something is wrong. Think about it this way, many traffic lights do not line up with the marked line on the road).

Sometimes, you'll have a line that is offset, a little back from an intersection, which makes it hard to see beyond the corners if you can go, (say a right turn) without creeping up a little past the line. If you dont stop before the line, you will fail.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
I remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

What were the hand signals? 90 degrees down for right, straight out for left, what's slow stop, 90 up?

Oh yeah, now I remember 1 thing that screwed me over the first time. Stop at either the white line or the stop sign, whichever that is closest to you. I screwed up by stopping at the white line, but the stop sign came before the line.

Hand signals? Jesus, I didn't have to do those.

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix

Originally posted by: OulOat

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
I remember your hand signals too, they will ask you that (left, right, slow stop).

What were the hand signals? 90 degrees down for right, straight out for left, what's slow stop, 90 up?

Oh yeah, now I remember 1 thing that screwed me over the first time. Stop at either the white line or the stop sign, whichever that is closest to you. I screwed up by stopping at the white line, but the stop sign came before the line.

Hand signals? Jesus, I didn't have to do those.

My tester just asked me if i knew what the hand signals were, i said "yes" by demonstrating what they were. I suppose i could have said just yes.

 

[shopbruin]

Originally posted by: OulOat
A friend is asking me some questions for his drivers license test and I can't remember the exact answers to some of them:

1) Did you have to parallel park? I didn't have to, but he says that some people told him that they had to. He's Illinois btw.
2) Did you have to bring/show the tester the car's insurance card or any other cards related to the car? This I cannot remember at all.
3) How much below the speed limit should you drive? I told him at least 5 mph below the limit, but I'm not sure what happens if you above the limit a sec or two.
4) What do they check for? The general procedure? I remember they checked to see if you knew how the lights worked, turning, following speed limits, and standard parking. Anything else?
5) Did you have to go on the highway?

If you have any other tips post them. All I could offer him was to drive slow and don't hit anything/anyone.

i took my test in CA.

1. NO!!!! but living in LA, i can now paralell park like a pro.
2. i think they do ask for insurance. in CA you are required to drive with it and if you're pulled over you must show proof of insurance or they impound the car.
3. i drove right at the speed limit the entire time.
4. hand signals, if you know where the blinkers are, what the parking brake is, etc. making sure you know the car.
5. nope. biggest street i drove on was an expressway.

 

[nageov3t]

my test in NJ was on a closed course. speed limit of 15 mph.

I drove within 2 miles of the posted speed limit the whole time. there were a bunch of intersections with stop signs, flashing red/yellow lights, etc. there were other cars on the course (other people being tested), so they also tested whether or not you know when to yield the right of way. we had to parallel park, reverse straight back for 50', and do a pull-up-to-the-curb kinda parking dealie. no hand signals, though.

the only huge pain in the ass was parallel parking. it's one of those insta-fail things, and my first tester only gave me one chance. I ended up failing it because I was too far from the curb when I stopped (I was about 2' away). I don't know if the one-chance rule is standard, though. the second time I took the test, I nailed parallel parking on my first try, so second chances weren't needed

 

[thomsbrain]

1. yes
2. yes
3. i drove the speed limit and passed, no marks for speed or anything
4. i got marked off for not checking my mirrors enough.
5. no

 

[Anonemous]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
1. yes
2. yes
3. i drove the speed limit and passed, no marks for speed or anything
4. i got marked off for not checking my mirrors enough.
5. no

same as him, except

5) yes in downtown LA. but it's just one stop on the freeway so you don't even get to speed up to 65 or 60 barely.