Category Archives: Driving School

Point Grey Standby Road Test

With about a three-month wait for a road test appointment being the norm, a standby road test is definitely an option. A standby road test is when you go to the ICBC licensing office without an appointment, and if someone doesn’t show up for their appointment, you can take their place.

ICBC seems to feel that a two or three month wait for a road test appointment is acceptable, but many license-seekers do not have the luxury of waiting this long. For a high school student, a driver’s license is not usually a necessity, but some people have a more urgent need for a license. Someone, especially a newcomer to BC, might have an opportunity for a job that requires a driver’s license, and they can’t just tell their prospective employer that they might have a license in three months.

At the Point Grey ICBC office, there is usually a good chance of going out on a standby road test. For example, I was in the office today (with a student who passed her Class 7 road test), and three clients had gone out on standby in the morning. At noon, there was one more person waiting to go out.

If you really want to go out on standby, the key is to get to the office early in the morning, and try to be first on the standby list. Some clients come as early as 6:00 am, or even earlier. Some days there may be several people waiting in front of the office, some days you can show up at 8:00 or later and there will be no one waiting. A couple of weeks ago, one of my students arrived at the office at 5:45 am – he really wanted to go out. When I arrived at the office just before 8:00 to meet him, he was the only person waiting, and he went out on a road test at 8:00.

Standby is definitely a gamble. You might pop into the office and go out right away; you might sit in the office all day and not go out. But the good thing is that the Point Grey office makes an effort to get standbys out, and if you are first or near the top of the list, you should go out.

I don’t usually assist students with standby road tests, as I have to book off the whole morning for them, and the cost for the student is a little prohibitive. But if you want your best shot at passing your Point Grey Class 7 of Class 5 road test, contact me, Perry of New Day Vancouver Driving School, the Point Grey road test expert. I can show you exactly what the examiner is looking for in a successful road test, and hopefully your standby experience will have a happy ending.

A Great Point Grey Road Test Success

I’m always happy when my students pass their road tests, but a recent student’s success gave me particular satisfaction.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by the father of a potential client. Apparently his daughter had attempted the Point Grey Class 5 road test several times and kept failing. She had also had tried a variety of driving teachers, and she felt she wasn’t getting proper instruction.

This client was a little unusual for me – she is a Chinese lady, maybe in her forties, and English was her second language. I don’t get many clients like this, as most adult Chinese students use the services of a Chinese-speaking driving teacher. But her father was getting desperate, and was ready to try something different.

Before her road test the student took ten hours of lessons and diligently attempted to follow my strict guidelines for a successful road test. She wasn’t the greatest driver, but I felt she definitely could pass as long as she was disciplined in the critical areas that I had pointed out. She also needed a confidence boost after her previous instructors were eager to point out her deficiencies and offered no positive reinforcement.

I would like to share the letter the student’s father sent me after her successful road test:

Dear Perry:

It was a great pleasure when I heard my daughter Jin had passed her road test yesterday. Now she is able to accomplish her dream of being a qualified car driver with a legal driver license of Vancouver. This will certain have good influence to her future career and living here. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to you for your excellent teaching and specific help to Jin. In last few years Jin learned driving from several teachers, but none of them could teach so excellently as you did. As I know, you designed a ten hour plan for Jin after the first interview and an hour of driving. During the training, you actively explained every detail of driving, encourage her when she did right, explained and helped her to correct when there was an error or she did not so well. This also reestablished her confidence. As a result she could pass her road test after so many times of failure. I wish to tell everybody that you, Mr. Perry Lamarche is an Excellent Teacher and the New Day Driving School is a High Quality Driving School!

Sincerely

John Yang

I can’t guarantee success on the road test, but I can guarantee that if my students strictly follow my advice, they will have a much greater chance. If you are taking the Point Grey Class 7 or Class 5 road test, a session with me, Perry, of New Day Vancouver Driving School will go a long way towards a happy ending.

Road Test Myths

As a Vancouver driving teacher, there are a few common road test myths that I hear on a regular basis from my clients. Fortunately for these students who are preparing for their Point Grey Class 7 or Class 5 road tests, I am able to quell their worries about these misconceptions.

I was with a student last night from North Vancouver who was preparing for her Point Grey Class 7 road test. She told me about someone who had failed her road test because another driver honked at her. Believe it or not, a lot of people think that honking is a cause of failure on the road test. Just imagine, you know someone who is taking their driving test and you want them to fail – just follow them and honk. You might do something bad on your road test that causes someone to honk, but it is the bad thing that causes the fail, not the honk.

Another common myth is that you fail your road test if you touch the curb while parking. The truth is that you only fail if you hit the curb hard enough to damage the car. A bump or scrape against the curb should be no problem. When my students are practicing, I let them touch the curb (unlike other teachers who are afraid of getting a scratch on their hubcaps). If you get an entire tire up on the curb or sidewalk, that would also be a fail, but if only half the width of the tire gets up there, it should not be a fail. Try to stay off the sidewalk, and you should be okay.

Then there are the drivers who fail for driving too slow, because someone told them that if you go over the speed limit it is an automatic fail. They are so focused on going under fifty that they are oblivious to the traffic lined up behind them as they are crawling down the road. During driving lessons with New Day Vancouver Driving School, I will let you know the appropriate speed to drive at for your Point Grey road test, and it definitely is not 40 km on main roads under ideal conditions.

Finally, there is the classic myth that the examiner automatically fails you if it is your first road test. Of course this is ridiculous, as New Day Vancouver Driving School regularly prove on their Point Grey road tests. The truth is that the examiner usually has no idea if it’s your first or fifth road test, unless you’re one of the examinees who keeps failing, and all of the examiners get to know you. The examiner should not be asking you before the road test if it’s your first time, as this information is irrelevant to your road test.

Before your Point Grey road test, try a session with New Day Vancouver Driving School. Whether it’s your first or fifth attempt, give yourself your best chance with some valuable instruction from the one Vancouver driving teacher who is the true road test expert, me, Perry, of New Day Vancouver Driving School.

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.

Who Does New Day Teach?

One of my students asked me the other day what was the average age of my students. She asked this because she is learning to drive at an age of about thirty, and she thought this was older than usual. In fact, it is definitely not unusual for my clients to be learning at thirty plus. This topic got me thinking about the variety of students I teach.

So far this week I’ve had five students take their road tests at the Point Grey licensing office. The first one was young woman of about twenty. The second one was another woman of about thirty. Both of these ladies took about ten hours of lessons and both passed their Class 7 road tests. Next was a newcomer from Malaysia; unfortunately she didn’t pass the Class 5 test – a couple more hours of lessons definitely would have gotten her better prepared. Next was a lady originally from Thailand. She practiced diligently and aced her Class 7 road test. This morning a client from Ireland passed her Class 5 test with flying colours. For some reason most of my clients are female; it seems that more females take driving lessons than males.

Included in my current students who are learning to drive and preparing for their Class 7 road tests are a 40-something lady from Bulgaria; a male originally from Taiwan (maybe 30-ish); a Korean fellow maybe in his late twenties, a female Korean UBC student, a youngish female Korean businessperson; several local BC girls in their twenties; 20-ish and 30-ish females from China; females from Mexico, the Philippines, and the Ukraine; a couple of male high school students; two Thai sisters in high school and university – the list goes on.

Preparing for the Class 5 road test I have lots of females again. These ladies are experienced drivers who want to get a BC license. They are from countries that include Mexico, Russia, Hungary, China, and Spain. I also have some male clients that are from countries including Mexico, India, Ireland, and China.

I just received a call from a fellow who was originally from England, became a Canadian citizen, spent time in Holland getting his master’s degree, is back in BC and now needs to take a road test again. I’ve also just received calls from an Irish guy and a lady from France who has some experience from her home country, but isjust very nervous about getting behind the wheel again.

So to answer my student’s question, I would say that the average age of my students is probably about thirty. The reason for this is that many are immigrants with driving experience. The vast majority of my students are female. About fifty per cent are taking the Class 7 road test, and of course fifty per cent are taking the Class 5.

No matter where you are from or what your age is, New Day Driving School can help you. I can help you prepare for the Point Grey Class 7 or Class 5 road tests. I offer driving lessons in the city of Vancouver. I can teach you how to drive. I will give you friendly, professional lessons and share my wealth of experience as an ICBC driver examiner and licensed driving instructor. Contact me and see for yourself the New Day difference.

A Couple of the Typical Ways to Fail a Road Test

There are innumerable ways to fail a driving test. Most of these scenarios are very predictable, and with my vast experience I am constantly pointing out to my students these situations.

For example, I have a student who started lessons with me with absolutely no experience. She has been diligently practicing since February and has a road test scheduled for early August. The first few hours of lessons were filled with the usual hard braking and uneven acceleration and wild steering, but things started to settle down and smooth out and excellent progress was being made. During a recent lesson I forced myself to keep quiet and let the student make the decisions of when it was safe to make a left turn. She was waiting in an intersection for a safe gap to make her turn. She watched the oncoming traffic come to a stop and was still waiting in the intersection when the light turned red. I had to tell her to go, and if it was a road test – fail. A very typical way to fail: not clearing the intersection after the light turns amber and red. At the Point Grey licensing office this often happens on the first left turn. I was once sitting outside the office and witnessed my hapless student fall victim to this all-too-common gaffe. Thirty minutes to go and already failed.

Another student was a very competent driver when I met her. Her mother must be a great driving teacher because both this student and her brother, a former student, were awesome drivers when I met them. This is the type of student who should, without a doubt, pass her road test. However, during her road test she was the victim of one of the classic failure scenarios. She was at a stop sign waiting to make a right turn. There was a car coming from the left with its right signal on. Assuming this car was turning, my student shoulder checked to her right, all looked good, and she started to go. The examiner stopped her – the car with the signal on wasn’t turning. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was, the result is a failed driving test. Another quick look to the left would have prevented this unhappy situation, but under the pressure of the road test anything can happen.

Now this student is on her second road test. Everything is going great until another one of the classic failures comes up – speeding in a playground zone. Even though we had driven through that speed trap numerous times, a temporary lack of focus led to the inevitable failure. Fortunately, this student passed her next road test.

This how competent drivers fail and borderline ones pass: the borderline ones manage to squeak through the test by not missing signs and not doing anything dangerous. Their driving is not great, but through luck and focus they don’t give the examiner the ammunition he or she needs to make them come back for another attempt.

As the owner and instructor for New Day Vancouver Driving School, I teach new, inexperienced drivers. I can help you prepare for the Point Grey Class 7 road test and the Point Grey Class 5 road test. If you have failed your road test, I can get you ready for your next attempt. Don’t go into your road test without arming yourself with the valuable information that can not only helping you pass, but also preparing yourself for the multitude of situations that arise in everyday driving. If you are looking for a friendly, professional driving teacher in the city of Vancouver, give New Day a try.

Perfect Point Grey Road Test

Today a New Day Driving School student accomplished a truly amazing feat on her Point Grey Class 7 road test. After the examiner congratulated her and told her that she had passed, he handed her a truly rare thing indeed: a clean sheet, a blank paper – a road test paper without a single mark on it. Any driver examiner will tell you that this is truly a rare accomplishment. Not a single mark, everything was perfect.

When my client came back inside the Point Grey Licensing Office she looked a little glum and crestfallen. However, this was just the usual ruse of passing students trying to pull a fast one on their hopeful driving instructor. I told her before the road test that I would be shocked if she didn’t pass (I almost never tell my students that they will pass, just that I think they should pass), and for a brief second she had me fooled. When the truth of the matter was revealed, I was able enjoy the immense satisfaction of having had one of my students perform in such a spectacular fashion.

Your road test doesn’t have to be perfect; you just have to meet the minimum requirements. In fact, trying to be “perfect”, particularly in parking, has been the downfall of many examinees. I can show you the areas where perfection is not mandatory, and the areas in which it is critical to follow my guidelines and be close to perfection.

To get through the Point Grey road test with its usual array of pedestrians, buses, cyclists, and crappy drivers doing their best to make your road test miserable is not an easy task. Of course you need basic driving skill, but also necessary are discipline, focus, and good judgement in handling the multitude of situations that pop up in the course your time on the road.

If you are planning to take the Class 7 or Class 5 road test at Point Grey, why not try a session with New Day Vancouver Driving School. I cannot guarantee that you will pass or have a “perfect” road test, but I guarantee that you will receive instruction that will go a long way to achieving those goals. Give yourself the New Day advantage: professional and friendly driving lessons from a former driver examiner who knows what it takes to pass the BC Class 7 and Class 5 road tests.

"Dangerous Driver" Passes Road Test

As a driving instructor, I am not allowed to make comments about driver examiners. For example, before a road test, I never tell my students my feelings about the potential examiners. You see the examiners huddled together, and the examinee wonders, “Which one am I going to get? I hope I get a nice one.” I tell my students that they’re all the same, but of course they’re not. After the road test, my students always tell me about their road test experience and the behaviour of the examiner during the test. This is not Las Vegas – what happens on the road test does not stay on the road test.

Recently one of my students came for her road test using her own car. In the pre-trip portion of the road test, instead of turning on the headlights when requested, she turned on the parking lights. Well, the examiner apparently did not like this. During the road test, the examiner, according to the student, kept badgering her to find out who her driving instructor was. She basically told him that this information was irrelevant to the road test at hand. He then proceeded to give his opinions about the driver training industry, and how he was very unhappy with the poor level of instruction these days. They can’t even teach their students how to turn on their headlights. He mentioned the name of one driving instructor and asked her if that was her teacher. She told him that she didn’t know who that person was, but no, this examiner would not let the topic go. The stressful road test had another layer of pressure added.

Now, let’s go to the end of the road test. The car is parked, and now is the time the examiner is supposed to give his verdict. Not this one; he proceeded to point out the examinee’s shortcomings and tell her that she was a “dangerous driver.” She assumed that she had failed. He then told her to come into the office so he could take her picture. What the hell? Did she pass? What’s going on? Inside the office, she eventually realized that she had passed.

When my client related this bizarre adventure to me, she expressed her astonishment with the whole experience. Why was the examiner so concerned about who had taught her how to drive? (She had learned from her brother-in-law, with some extra help from me.) Why did she pass if she was a “dangerous driver”? Why didn’t the examiner tell her at the end of the road test that she had passed? Anyway, all this goes to show that you can pass your road test even if the examiner thinks you are a “dangerous driver”.

Now a word from our sponsor: New Day Vancouver Driving School conducts driving lessons in the city of Vancouver. We teach beginning drivers. We can help you prepare for the Class 7 or Class 5 road test. If you have failed your road test, we can help you get on the path to successful re-attempt. Take control of your driving with the road test expert – New Day Vancouver Driving School.

Point Grey Road Test Reverse Stall Park

In my experience with New Day Vancouver Driving School, the number one thing that makes drivers taking the Vancouver Point Grey Class 7 road test nervous is the prospect of backing into a stall at the end of the test. For most experienced drivers taking the Class 5 road test, the reverse stall park here doesn’t present much of a challenge. But for those with less experience and confidence taking the Class 7 road test, it presents a variety of opportunities for things to go wrong.

This road test was a pass.

The Point Grey parking lot is in a residential alley, and there isn’t a lot of room to maneuver like in the other offices. To make it even more interesting, you get the bonus of garbage bins jutting into the alley once a week on garbage day. You also get cars coming at you from both ends of the alley adding another level of intimidation. Of course the parking spots are on an uphill incline and you better have good control of the gas. And don’t forget the stone-faced examiner watching you sweat while you turn your steering wheel the wrong way, forget to put the car in reverse, and keep fiddling with a signal light that keeps going off.

At the Point Grey office you will invariably approach with your spot being on the left. In the other offices, you usually approach with the spot on your right. For some reason, most new drivers find the Point Grey approach more difficult.

Your luck on this park also depends on your examiners tolerance of getting close to the cars already parked and of course don’t forget those garbage cans. Some examiners will let you get within inches of the neighbouring car, while others will stop you if they think you will brush one of the garbage cans and call it a dangerous action. Damn, I failed my driving test for getting near a plastic garbage can!

The upside of all this is that the parking lot has a very limited number of spaces and you might get lucky and just pull over and park on the street if the spots are full. But don’t worry, you can always take a lesson or two from Vancouver’s New Day Driving School and learn how to handle this park and the others presented on the Class 7 road test.

New Day Vancouver Driving School offers friendly, professional driving lessons in Vancouver, and I would be happy to share my unique teaching style and service to help you prepare for the Vancouver Point Grey Class 7 or Class 5 road test.