Driving test manoeuvres

After many hours of driving lessons and private practice, it’s time to take your driving test. This can be a stressful time and you need to be fully prepared. Whether driving an automatic or manual car, the 40-minute test will follow this outline:

• An eyesight check.
• ‘Show me, tell me’ vehicle safety questions.
• General driving ability.
• Reversing your vehicle.
• Independent driving.

Parking manoeuvres form part of the Reversing your vehicle section of the driving test. Have you mastered the following manoeuvres?

• Parallel parking.
• Pulling up on the right-hand side of the road.
• Bay parking.

To pass your test, you need less than 15 minor driving faults and no major or dangerous faults. The manoeuvres can play a big part in whether you pass or not…

Now, we’ll let you know what to do for each one, why it’s important and how it will help once you have your full driving licence.

Parallel parking

Parallel parking will help you prepare for street parking. With this manoeuvre, you’ll normally reverse into a space in a line of parked vehicles, getting as tight to the kerb as you can. To pass your test, you should know how to reverse accurately and smoothly, steer in the correct manner, observe correctly, be able to reverse without undue delay and take account of the way the car moves while you reverse.

How to parallel park

• First, you have to make sure the space you are parking in has enough space for your vehicle. Indicate to show other road users you’re parking up and pull up alongside the space, ensuring there’s a space of 2ft either end.
• Line up your car so your passenger window lines up with the front of the car you wish to park in (if it’s the opposite way, line up the passenger window with the car’s back bumper).
• Check your mirrors and blind spots. Once safe to do so, start slowly reversing, looking over your left shoulder and through the rear windscreen. Line up your back tyres with the back bumper of the car in front of the space you’re parking in. Apply your handbrake and check your blind spots again. Reverse into the space but be aware the front of your car will swing out, so make sure nothing is coming.
• Once you’re sure it is safe to do so, turn the steering wheel completely to the left. Slowly reverse, keeping an eye on your nearside mirror to check the kerb and rear-view mirror for the vehicle behind you.
• When you see the kerb in your mirror and are clear of the car in front, start turning the steering wheel to the right, using full lock. This should bring the front of your car in towards the kerb. Straighten your car up by turning the steering wheel back to the left.

Pulling up on the right-hand side of the road

You need to gain the skills to pull up on the right-hand side of the road and park safely before you drive independently. This manoeuvre involves reversing two car lengths and then rejoining traffic. It shows you can coordinate your hand and foot controls, use your observational skills beyond your mirrors and know where you can park legally, safely and conveniently.

There is a three-step process to pulling up on the right-hand side of the road:

1. Pull over on the right-hand side of the road. Ensure the space you are parking in is legal, safe and free from parking restrictions.
2. Once you have parked up, slowly reverse two car lengths, keeping an eye on the road (and your mirrors) for potential hazards including other road users, vehicles and pedestrians.
3. Check your mirrors, not forgetting your blind spot, and drive back on to the left-hand side of the road. The examiner will be looking for proof that you’re aware of your surroundings, positioning and that you have full control of the car.

Bay parking

Every time you pop to the shops or anywhere with a car park, you’re going to have to park in a bay.

You won’t be told until you’re doing your test whether the examiner wants you to reverse in and drive out or drive forwards and reverse out of the bay. It’s worth mastering both options.

Forward bay parking

1. Choose a bay to park in. Make sure there’s enough space to manoeuvre into the space. If there are spaces in the bays either side, you’ll be able to park with much less stress.
2. Find your reference point. Once you have chosen your bay, check your mirrors and blind spots and indicate you’re moving into the space. If you’re parking on the right-hand side, move your car over to the left to give you as much space as you can. Your reference point is usually when the first line of the bay is underneath your right-wing mirror.
3. Drive and park. Check your mirrors and blind spots once again. If it’s safe to do so, slowly move into your space, putting your steering wheel into a full lock. Once you are facing the bay, straighten the wheel and drive into it. You’ll be able to make adjustments if you’re not within the bay lines during your test but you must stop within the bay lines. Once happy, put the car in neutral gear and handbrake on.

You’ll then have to reverse out. Put your car into reverse and do your observational checks. If all is clear and safe, reverse out slowly and once you’re approximately a third of the way out, steer in the opposite direction that you want to turn. Once out of the space, check your mirrors and blind spot and start driving forward.

Reverse bay parking

1. Choose a bay to park in. Check for a bay that has space for your vehicle. It will be more straightforward if there are empty bays on either side. Once you have chosen a bay, leave around a car’s width to perform the manoeuvre and start to indicate to others what you’re planning to do.
2. Find your reference point. Drive approximately two car lengths past the bay and line up your passenger door with the white line two along from where you’re parking. Check your mirrors and bling spots, put your car into reverse and slowly drive back towards your bay.
3. Reverse and park. Move your steering wheel full lock, keeping an eye on your mirrors and back windscreen. You’ll soon be able to see the bay lines of your space in your mirrors. As soon as you are parallel with them, straighten up your steering and reverse slowly and carefully into the bay. Once happy in there, put on your handbrake and put the gears into neutral.

Driving out is straightforward. Just check your mirrors and blind spots for dangers or obstructions. Drive forwards slowly and once you’re one-third out of the space, you can drive in the direction you want. Just be aware of your surroundings.

Do I fail my driving test if I fail the manoeuvre?

Not necessarily. If you make an error and rectify it, you could receive a minor fault (you’re allowed up to 15 of these) but if you can’t complete the manoeuvre or end up hitting the kerb or another vehicle, this will be classed as a major or dangerous fault. Either of these are a fail.

What is the hardest driving test manoeuvre?

This depends on the individual. Some people may find parallel parking more of a challenge than parking in a bay. Others may not be entirely comfortable with rejoining traffic after pulling up on the right-hand side of the road. It’s important to practise these manoeuvres during your driving lessons.

The more you do each manoeuvre, the more confidence you will gain. Although it may be repetitive and some of them may take some getting used to, these are all valuable skills that you will be using well beyond your test.

Private practice gives you more time to learn ahead of your test. Buy some learner driver insurance and you can continue to learn in a friend or family member’s car outside of lessons with an instructor. Available from 12 hours to 28 days, this temporary car insurance is fully comprehensive and won’t affect any existing no claims discount.

Other driving test manoeuvres

Following a public consultation and trials, the DVSA made a number of changes to the driving test in 2017 which still remain in place today.

These included increasing the independent driving part of the test from 10 minutes to 20, following directions from a sat nav and the addition of the ‘show me’ (where you show how you’d carry out a safety task while driving), ‘tell me’ (where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task ahead of driving) questions.

Is emergency stop still in the driving test?

There’s a one-in-three chance that you will be asked to perform an emergency stop during your driving test. Whether or not you do one will be up to the examiner. If you are going to do a controlled stop, the examiner will first ask you to pull over before explaining that they’re going to raise their hand and say ‘stop’ once you are driving again.

Once you drive off again, you will continue to drive normally until they perform the action. The examiner will be looking out for the following:

• Speed – Make sure you act decisively as soon as they tell you to stop.
• Control – Don’t let the vehicle swerve skid or coast. Keeping your hands firmly on the wheel will help you keep control.
• Observations – Check your mirrors and windows before driving off again after the emergency stop. Make sure you check your blind spots.

How to do an emergency stop

• Keep a firm grip with both hands on the steering wheel.
• Press on the brakes firmly, but be careful not to slam them.
• Check your mirrors for potential hazards. Don’t forget your blind spots.
• Apply the handbrake to keep the car stationary, once it has stopped.
• Put the car in a neutral gear (if it’s a manual vehicle).
• Check your mirrors, windows and blind spots again.

Be aware that different conditions may cause the car to skid or swerve. Leave extra space and turn into the skid.

Is the 3-point turn in the driving test?

The turn in the road, or three-point turn as it’s often referred to, has not been featured in the driving test since 2017 but is still a skill worth learning. You never know when you might need to change course to get where you need to go.

How to do a three-point turn

The first thing to do is ensure it’s safe to perform a turn in the road.

Look for the best location on the road, away from parked cars, junctions and people’s driveways. The wider the road, the better.

• Point 1: Drive over to the left-hand kerb and check your mirrors, surroundings and blind spots. If it’s safe, indicate right and start steering to the right, accelerating gently until your vehicle is around a metre from the right-hand kerb. Apply your brakes and stop the car.
• Point 2: Check your mirrors, surroundings and blind spots again, putting your car into reverse and slowly turning your steering wheel to the left as you slowly edge back to the side of the road you started on.
• Point 3: Once you’ve reversed far enough so that you can drive forwards safely, do one more check of your surroundings, mirrors and blind spots. Select first fear and drive away, straightening the wheel as you drive down the road.

Remember that sometimes there will be more than three points to safely turn your car around. You should also always make sure the road is safe. If it’s a busy road, you should head to a roundabout or car park where it will be much safer to turn your car around.

Sources

https://readytopass.campaign.gov.uk/driving-skills/manoeuvres/

https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/what-happens-during-test

https://www.passmefast.co.uk/resources/get-test-ready/practical-test/driving-test-manoeuvres

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-test-changes-4-december-2017

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-show-me-tell-me-vehicle-safety-questions/car-show-me-tell-me-vehicle-safety-questions

https://www.theaa.com/driving-school/driving-lessons/advice/beginners-guide-to-an-emergency-stop

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/learning-to-drive/how-to-do-a-three-point-turn/

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/learning-to-drive/how-to-parallel-park/

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/how-to/how-to-guide-bay-parking-on-your-driving-test/