Monthly Archives: April 2015

A Typical Day for New Day Driving School

I thought I would let my readers in on what a typical day looks like for me.

I met my first client, a guy from Iran, at the Point Grey ICBC office. He took a lesson on the weekend, and his driving was definitely a little rough around the edges. But during that lesson he was focused and tried to adapt to the key points needed to pass the Class 5 road test. During his practice before the road test today there were a couple of issues, such as not stopping for stop signs, but again he focused and attempted to strictly follow my suggestions. He went on the road test and he nailed it – a passed test with just a couple of minor marks on his paper.

Next up was a lady form South Africa. I think she has taken about four lessons and has made excellent progress towards what should be a successful Class 5 road test at Point Grey later this week. In South Africa they drive on the left side of the road. As with many of my students who are from countries that drive on the left, this client’s major issue was driving to far to the right in her lane, but that is no longer an issue.

My third client is a UBC student who is preparing for her Class 7 road test this week at Point Grey. She is taking lessons on five consecutive days to get ready for the road test. She didn’t have any professional training in the past, but overall her driving is great, just a few details to be worked on.

After her I met a lady from Ireland. My Irish students have all done remarkably well on their road tests. This client just took a one-hour lesson. She is going to try to go on a standby road test soon, and based on her driving today, she has a good chance of passing. My only concern is that with just one lesson, I didn’t have the opportunity to show her more of the common problem areas in the Point Grey area, and there are lots of them.

My next client was an international student from China who is attending Eric Hamber Secondary. When I first met her, she was a brand-new driver. She has been making steady progress towards her Class 7 road test at Point Grey in June.

The final student of the day was a lady from Brazil. This was her second lesson; her Class 5 road test is later this week. She had previously failed the Class 5 road test three times before contacting me. She also had taken a lesson from one of my competitors, which she found to be less than satisfactory. It gave me great satisfaction when she told me that my lesson was exactly what she was looking for. This young lady just needed a confidence boost and some clear direction on the areas that she needed to focus on.

The thing I like most about my business is meeting and helping a diverse group of clients. I take great pride and satisfaction in assisting my clients in reaching their driving goals. I can’t guarantee that you’ll pass your road test, but I can guarantee that my lessons will give you a much better chance of passing the Point Grey road test. And of course I won’t yell at you when you slam on the brakes and my coffee spills all over the place.

 

Perils of Pedestrians on the Point Grey Road Test

On the Point Grey road test, other than other road users, pedestrians are definitely the number one obstacle between examinees and a successful road test.

There is a notorious left turn on a couple of Point Grey driving test routes, the intersection of Broadway and MacDonald, that has been the downfall of innumerable license seekers. It’s a classic set-up for a fail: the examinee is waiting in the intersection for a safe gap to complete a left turn. The driver gets a nice, safe gap and starts the turn, and then, bam, a pedestrian jogs into the crosswalk on the left that the examinee is approaching. The driver is forced to stop and now is blocking the traffic that has suddenly arrived. Fail. At this intersection, when you’re waiting to turn and the light turns yellow and red, the pedestrians are still lollygagging in the crosswalk. These pedestrians are doing everything within their power to screw up your road test.

Another classic fail is when the examinee fails to stop when approaching a pedestrian who is in an “unmarked crosswalk”. Almost every time I explain an “unmarked crosswalk” to one of my students, they are totally unaware that there is such a thing. (I won’t explain an unmarked crosswalk here, but after one of my lessons, you will definitely understand.) Most drivers just blast past the hapless pedestrians who are legally trying to cross the street, thinking that they are jaywalking. Genuine jaywalkers are another bump on the road (hopefully not literally) in the path of a successful road test. You’re cruising down Broadway and some dude is meandering across the street in front of you – to stop or not to stop, that is the question.

Then there is the examinee turning right at a stop sign in an intersection where the cross-traffic has a pedestrian controlled traffic light. The examinee is looking left, waiting for a safe gap to make the turn. They see their gap, start to make the turn, totally oblivious to the pedestrian on their right who has pushed the button and changed the light. The light turns red, the driver starts the turn and the examiner shouts “stop” and points at the pedestrian now in the crosswalk in front of the examinee. Another sad but classic road test fail.

If you plan on taking the Point Grey Class 7 or Class 5 road test, I would strongly recommend a session with New Day Vancouver Driving School (that would be me) before your road test. The perils of pedestrians and other hazards on the Point Grey road test are endless, and I can help you navigate through them. Unlike some of my competition I can’t guarantee that you’ll pass the road test, but I can definitely get you prepared for what you can expect, and for what the examiner expects for a successful result.