10 Things a Driving Instructor Might Not Have Taught That Are Useful in S’pore TP


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Last Updated on 2021-07-04 , 6:30 pm

Are you going to take your driving test (TP) soon? If so, this will be a lifesaver for you.

While most driving instructors are good, given the number of students they had, they might not have imparted all the skills to you—here’re the ten things that your driving instructor probably didn’t, or have forgotten to, tell you!

Try hitting or mounting a kerb before taking the test
I know it feels good to boast that you’ve never hit or mounted the kerb before, but here’s the thing: if you’ve never done it before, how would you avoid it? Having a feel of how hitting or mounting the kerb will give you renewed confidence on how to prevent that—one of the killer Immediate Failures in TP.

To make sure you stop before the stop line, use your right-side mirror as a gauge
When you look to your right, the stop line should either be above the side mirror, or just below the side mirror. If it’s too low, you’ve crossed the stop line, and you should know the consequences.

Don’t practise at night
If you’re going for some practice sessions before the test, try to do it during the day. Night driving is pretty different from driving in the morning, especially for lane-changing, so you won’t gain more experience from it.

Go slow. Like, really slow
Once you speed, you’ll get an immediate failure. However, if you go slow, you’ll only get points for “insufficient acceleration”, which, in comparison, is better than taking the risk of failing immediately. But of course, do yourself and other road users a favour: don’t go 20 kmh on a 50 kmh road.

Don’t expect the test route to be the same
Sometimes, the tester will change the route for some reason. There’s no point in you knowing, or even memorizing, the routes, so spend more time on practising on your turn or lane-changing instead!

If you’re taking a Class 3 (manual) test, make sure you’re “one with the car” before you start your test
“One with the car” simply means you can change gear without needing to think of the steps, and so you’ll have one less thing to worry. If you can make a turn whilst making a turn, you’re already “one with the car”!

Don’t get too obsessed with the rollback during slope
You’ll only get an immediate failure if you roll back for one metre—and that’s a lot of distance. Rolling back a little is fine, so don’t get too obsessed with making sure that you didn’t even roll back one centimetre.

Don’t wait for the tester to test the jam brake
Because there might not be a jam brake test. I know because during my test, I was waiting…and waiting…and waiting, and there wasn’t any. And boy was I nervous throughout that ten seconds!

It’s okay to let your car stall or your saliva fly when you jam brake
Because when you can stop in time, you’ll have passed that, even if your glasses have flew all the way to the windscreen.

Be extra careful of zebra crossing
I have a friend who failed because someone just dashed onto the zebra crossing. When you’re getting near to one, make sure you look everywhere, and slowed down to a stop if needed, because a cyclist might just turn into the zebra crossing!

You might want to watch this video to the end to know more (and also subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos, please!):

Featured Image: airdone / Shutterstock.com