Both parents and student drivers should review this section in preparation for the DMV road test.
From the time a student leaves an instructor's care to the time that the test is taken can be a lapse of six months or
more. A student driver can easilly forget the requirements for passing. Furthermore, parents may not even know
what to do during the practice sessions. Therefore, this review is especially directed toward parents that will be doing
the supervised training.
We are talking
about a test situation where things have to be done in a precise manner. In other words, ordinary, sloppy driving will
not cut it. The road test is about 30 minutes long.
If everyone on the road was to be given a test without them knowing it, I would say that about 99%
of the licensed drivers would score very close to the failure point if not worse.
Every error counts for at least one point. In Idaho, you are allowed 14 points. You can
just imagine the result. You lose a point each time you fail to stop before the line at a stop sign. You lose a point
each time you make a right turn without looking over your right shoulder. You lose a point each time you go through
an intersection without doing a traffic check by looking left and right. You lose a point if you change lanes without
looking over your shoulder into the blind spot. Just how many licensed drivers would lose more than 14 points within
30 minutes of driving? The answer is that almost everyone would fail.
The examiner will require $11.50 in cash. Present him with your permit, the car registration and the insurance
document on the car that you will be using.
The examiner will check that your signal lights are working properly.
Then he will have you test your horn. He may ask you to point to certain instruments on your dash. This process
may last about five minutes.
The procedures are as follows. Upon
making a right turn, you should signal, check the right mirror and then look over the shoulder. The same should apply
for a lane change. The formula is simple. Every time the car deviates from its lane, you should signal, check
the mirror and then look over the shoulder before turning the wheel. The same will apply when you park along the sidewalk.
When going through each intersection, you should do a traffic check
by looking left and then right with some exaggeration. When going backwards, you should look out the back window.
When coming to a stop sign, you should make a complete stop so that
you can actually feel the car pull back before the stop line. When you park the car at the end of the test, you should
place the gear shift lever in park, apply the hand brake, and then turn the ignition off. The examiner will then review
the test. That's it. Good luck.
Tony Campos
