Driving Test Car Hire Assessment

At Cartesthire.ie we offer Driving Test Car Hire to learners who may not have taken driving lessons with us prior to booking the car for their driving test. We do insist as part of the car hire those learners must take a 2-hour assessment prior to being offered the car for their test. The good news is that over 90% of learners are approved for the car hire for the day of their test. When a pupil is learning to drive and taking driving lessons with us it is easier for us to analyse their driving skills and get them test ready by way of continuous development however with short term driving test car hire this is not always an option due to the limited time available.

So, what are the most common mistakes that we see learners making as part of our 2-hour assessment?

Firstly, it is common for learners to assume that when they carry out the vehicle checks that the likes of the coolant, brake fluid, dip stick, windscreen reservoir etc are in the same place as the vehicle they may have initially trained in. This is not the case so you should take a note of their positions and make sure you are aware of them for the day of your driving test. Remember failure to answer 3 or more Rules and Check questions is deemed to be a grade 2 fault. Getting off to a good start is important for your confidence for the rest of the driving test so if you are hiring a vehicle for the day of your test pay attention to the detail.

The correct use of mirrors and how often to use them is generally a sign of a learner who has not received much tuition in recent times. Testers expect you use your mirrors when manoeuvring, slowing down, speeding up, stopping and starting and when you are approaching a hazard. There are a lot of useful resources on you tube should you not have the time available prior to your test with a driving instructor to correct this.

Observations are another area that can be lacking with learners who have not received recent tuition before their driving test. You must demonstrate the correct observations during your test, your RSA driver tester will be monitoring your observations as you move off, turn right or left, change lanes and at junctions and roundabouts.

Positioning on the straight, bends, roundabouts, turning left and right and stopping should be the basic skills displayed by any learner on their driving test but unfortunately a high percentage of those taking part in our assessment do not demonstrate their full understanding of this. This is one of the areas we can correct in short period of time with some basic instruction.

Reversing or lack of practice reversing is quiet common amongst the learners we see. Reversing is an area that seems to cause some difficulty particularly if they have not had enough practice. A lot of learners are not aware that they are permitted to stop and move forward to avoid hitting the kerb should they position the car incorrectly on the reverse. The reverse should be carried out in a slow controlled manner with good observations. If you see an approaching vehicle on the road, you are reversing on to stop and give right of way to the other vehicle. A good tip is to move your left mirror down before carrying out the reverse, just remember to return it you the normal position before continuing.

These are just some of the areas that we generally find in need improvement as part of our 2-hour assessment. It is always in your interest to get as many driving lessons completed in the lead up to your driving test. Remember most driving schools are extremely busy so if they are recommending you need more lessons it is because you do. If this is not possible for you then use the whatever free resources, you can.

The likes of You Tube cover many useful topics including:

POM (Prepare, Observe, Move)

MSM (Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre)

MSPSL (Mirror-Signal-Position-Speed-Look)

LADA (Look-Assess-Decide-Act)

 Good luck with the test.