These Tips from a Student Driver were Submitted by 'KK' - Thank you! I had my test today in Surrey. It was my first try but unfortunately I didn't make it. I did great on the things I was scared of messing up in but screwed up on the most obvious thing which ended up costing me the entire test because it was a "dangerous action" (which is considered an automatic fail). Tips from a student driver - I was at a stop sign waiting to turn left It was a very quiet area with lotssss of trees that were making it hard to see the on coming cars, especially from the right side. I was waiting to turn and my left side was clear of cars and I checked…
Uncommon Intersections Vancouver is a beautiful city. But it leaves us with a slight predicament when intersections are much larger than normal due to being divided by a boulevard. For example, King Edward and MacDonald. Many drivers get confused here and with good reason, and it just happens to be situated beside one of the ICBC road testing locations. [ICBC Road Test Class 5 vs 7: Prepare & Conquer]. First of all, review some basic principles of turning left. Entering The Intersection at King Edward And MacDonald When turning left, it's important to enter the intersection and line up your vehicle with where you are about to turn. This sets you up to have a short, easy, and efficient turn. And therefore, a safer one. For complete details on how…
Welcome to the Parallel Parking Tutorial for New Drivers Parallel parking for some reason has a bad rep. But it can be nearly perfected with practice. There is no need to drive around the block 15 times looking for a 'pull through' or 'pull over' spot. You don't need to avoid parallel parking! Learning it is not that bad. You can totally learn how to parallel park. Experienced drivers just do it. When it comes time to teach someone else how we are often at a loss for words. What are we actually doing when we parallel park? Do we even know? Hopefully, these tips can give a rough guideline. Maybe they can't teach a new driver exactly what to do down to an exact science. https://twitter.com/Tbone7219/status/1449450610512781315 https://twitter.com/MagicPi2/status/1506207544435425283 How to…
Left On Red In British Columbia? Left turn red light. Wait, what? Turning left on a red light is a thing that is actually sometimes legal. But you really need to pay close attention to the road you are planning to turn onto. This will determine the legality. Most people wonder about right turns on red lights, and different places have different rules for these types of turns. In British Columbia, you may turn right on a red light if it's safe to do so and if you completely stop first. Oh and avoiding those pesky turning restriction signs helps too. If you think about why we are allowed to turn right on a red light, it may help to understand the rules about turning left. Basically, we are not…
Roundabouts and traffic circles are designed to keep traffic moving and improve safety at intersections Technically, a roundabout is a traffic circle with more than one lane, but these terms seem to be used interchangeably On approach, reduce your speed to about 20 km/hr in case you need to yield to other vehicles and for good controlLook for signs and pedestrians and be prepared.You must yield to any traffic already in the roundabout. This means you will yield to your immediate left. All vehicles must enter to the right and use the roundabout in a counter-clockwise direction. You can enter the roundabout when there is a safe gap in the traffic and you feel it is safe. Once you are inside the roundabout, vehicles approaching are supposed to yield to…
Two point turns: one of the many ways of turning around if you find yourself going in the wrong direction Eliminate Unnecessary Backing Whenever reversing, try to eliminate any extra backing up. Reversing is generally not as safe as going forwards due to the reduced visibility & large blind zone behind a vehicle that could hide small objects, children, pets, etc. Additionally, you may only legally reverse when it is safe, so in the case of any collision you would likely be found at fault. Using a Driveway or Lane If using a driveway/lane on your left, pull forward into it and then reverse out so that you will just be reversing into half of the road (only one lane of traffic and not both), make sure you stay to…
Wondering how to reverse a car? Reversing or backing up a car can be so confusing, especially for new drivers. Don't worry if it's your first time driving backwards - or forwards - and you are feeling lost wondering how to back up a car. It just takes a little bit of practice. And we have lots of info to help you make sense of this whole thing, including: How to properly start the reversing process Reversing safety protocol and tips Where to look when reversing How to do the 360 checks and when Reversing exercises to improve the skill Where it's illegal to reverse a car How to Reverse a Car Shift Into Reverse First Of course, when you're about to reverse park, you would normally check your mirrors and…
Question : I have a question about crosswalks which have no traffic lights and where you are trying to turn on to a busier road. I know that I should stop before the crosswalk and wait for pedestrians to clear. Once they clear, I can cover the crosswalk and start to edge out.But, what if the road I am trying to turn on to is a busy one and I am blocking the crosswalk for a while. More pedestrians may arrive to cross and they would be forced to go around me. Is this illegal or would I be marked down if it happened in the test? This is a good question. You're right in that when stopping, you should stop with your front bumper behind the white line (behind…
Traffic Signal Anticipation - Fresh Green Light When we talk about traffic signal anticipation, we are talking about the traffic lights changing. More specifically when they may be changing from green to yellow. Are you driving towards a fresh green light, or is it stale? Is it going to go yellow? Then what? When you're driving towards an intersection, this is one of the things you need to think about. It's good to never be surprised by a light changing to yellow. It's better to get ready, or to anticipate it. This is so that you won't get into trouble. Types of trouble could include being rear-ended if you suddenly slam on the brakes for a yellow light, or having a problem with an opposing left-turning vehicle. What Is a…
Life in the fast lane Fast lane, what?! It's a real thing. I couldn't help but notice in the news recently, Vancouver Police welcome crackdown on left-lane bandits. Bandits? ban·ditnounplural noun: banditsa robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically stealing left lanes from other people and operating in an isolated or lawless area. Maybe this is a good time to review some recommended and regulatory lane usage practices. The interesting thing to me is that people seem to be able to go through the process of obtaining their drivers' license in BC, pass a knowledge test and an on-road driving test, and still be unaware of this basic driving principle; much to the dismay of their fellow motorists. I am not convinced that drivers do this on purpose, waking up in the morning with…
What is a Crosswalk Exactly? I sometimes ask this question "What is a crosswalk? Are you sure you know?" It seems there is a bit of confusion around this subject so I'm hoping to make some sense today. What Is A Crosswalk? Marked Crosswalks at Intersections I am sure we can all agree that this here is a crosswalk. But this is just one type of crosswalk. This is a marked crosswalk at an intersection (check out my complete guide to intersections to learn more about them in general). As in, it's literally marked. Omg, I used the word literally the right way. This is pretty obvious and I think most people get that vehicles are legally required to stop for pedestrians here. How many crosswalks are in this picture, though? …
Pedestrians Of 2022 Learn more about being a safe pedestrian today. Because, well, someone's gotta do it. As you may or may not have thought about, there is more to being a safe pedestrian than looking both ways before crossing the street. And everyone knows that if a pedestrian and vehicle have a fight, the pedestrian will not be winning, unfortunately. So, it's up to pedestrians to be very careful, even though drivers may not be doing what's right. Tips for Being A Safe Pedestrian Let's talk about what side of the road to walk on if you're walking on a road such as this one. But it's a good tip for any road, even ones with sidewalks. Of course, this is not an ideal place to walk (somewhere without…
Here is a question we get asked a lot. And it's a good one. Is it illegal to drive with high beams in BC? High beams are literally higher beams, so they can tend to blind the people driving towards you. And if you think about that, it's a bit scary! Legally in BC, you must dim your high beams whenever you are within 150 meters of another vehicle. This includes vehicle in front of you going the same direction or opposite direction. I'm not sure how many people can accurately judge 150 meters when they're driving - let alone when they are not driving - so be courteous and dim your high beams when you encounter other drivers and pedestrians. It makes sense why it's illegal to drive with…
Emerging from a lane, driveway, or parking lot Question : Hi, I am not sure if I understand this information regarding emerging from a lane, driveway, or parking lot. So I must stop always when crossing the sidewalk? Even when coming to a parking lot from a main road? It just does not feel right. Annonmymous No, you don't need to stop before turning into a parking lot if there are no pedestrians anywhere to be seen for miles. ICBC nor any person in their right mind would expect you to do this either. However, when exiting a parking lot/lane it is written in the motor vehicle act that vehicles must stop This is probably because when you turn into a parking lot you are turning right/left and you have somewhat…
Roundabout Signals: Intro Are you wondering about roundabout signals when driving? Roundabouts are designed to keep traffic moving and improve safety at intersections. How does it improve safety? Well, first of all, drivers are forced to slow down before the circle. This alone improves safety because the slower you crash, the less it hurts. Secondly, it's rather impossible to have a 'T-bone' collision in a roundabout. This is one of the worst types of collisions. Technically a roundabout is a traffic circle with more than one lane. Although I hear a lot of people referring them to 'circle things' :lol: roundabout signals: On Approach to the roundabout On approach, reduce your speed to about 20 km/hr in case you need to yield to other vehicles and for good control. Look…
Road test experience. Submitted by an anonymous driver I've been reading this blog for a few weeks now and I think it's time to give back to the community with my experience of doing my class 5 test. Location: North Vancouver Class 5 Result: Passed! I arrived about 10 minutes before my test and was registered at the counter by the lady who would be my examiner. Have your license plate memorized to write it down. I was told to sit down then a few minutes later she picked me up and we officially started the test at 2pm. As we were walking to the car she told me her expectations and that the first and last few minutes are the hardest. Once at the car, the examiner will ask you to…
Questions about 4-Way- Stops If 2 vehicles are facing each other and have stopped at the same time, can they go together as they are not bothering anybody? Here's what the ICBC manual says about 4-way stops: four-way stops — when there are stop signs at all corners: • The first vehicle to arrive at the intersection and come to a complete stop should go first. • If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the one on the right should go first. • If two vehicles are facing each other and have arrived at the intersection at about the same time, the one making a left turn should yield to the one going straight through. Ok this doesn't help answer our question at all, but there it is anyway. (Hence, this website?) In my…
Left turn traffic light procedure for motorcycles Question: I took my motorcycle road test yesterday and passed. But I got called out on how I was performing left turns. My riding school drilled into us to not enter the intersection until we were sure we could proceed immediately through the turn...not to enter and wait like a car does. This is because of the vulnerable nature of motorbikes to getting hit by cross traffic and not seeing you there. In the test, I stopped at the line and waited for a gap in the oncoming (heavy) traffic but none ever appeared, even had a steady line of cars coming through the late yellow...had to wait through a second light cycle before I felt it was safe. . My tester told…
Q: I just failed my N road test because my instructor said I was not going the speed limit of 50km/h. I was maintaining speed of 45-48 on city roads because it was rush hour and there was alot of traffic. He also said I got a violation for being in an intersection on a red light. I was turning left so I entered the intersection on a green and waited for a good sized gap to turn but there were lots of cars turning right so I had to wait for them to merge as it was a single lane road I was turning on to. As I was waiting the light turned red and cars were still turning right so I was stuck until I had room to merge. I thought I am legally allowed to finish…
