LTrent Driving School, Author at LTrent

What you need to know about the new licensing scheme

There are plenty of ways to learn something new but when it comes to driving, experience is the best teacher. Typically the journey to earning your drivers licence takes place over four years – the system was designed to give learners plenty of time to gain confidence on the road and develop safe driving habits. Four types of testing modules were also in place to ensure drivers were ready to be on the road. But despite these precautionary processes, provisional 1 (P1) and provisional 2 (P2) drivers accounted for 15% of fatalities in NSW last year.
The alarming numbers prompted a revision to the way drivers were taught and tested.

As of November 20th 2017, the Roads and Maritime Services will introduce pivotal changes to the way drivers in NSW are tested for a full, unrestricted licence.

In a nutshell

Drivers on their learner licence will need to pass a Hazard Perception Test (HPT) before booking a driving test for a P1 licence.

Drivers are only required to take the HPT once – before the P1 driving test. Drivers who have held their P1 licence for more than 12 months can now simply apply for their P2 licence without the HPT.

What else is new?

Previously the Driver Qualification test was a prerequisite to a full, unrestricted licence. After November 20th, drivers who have completed the HPT test and have held a P2 licence for at least 24 months, can apply for a full licence without sitting the Driver Qualification test.

But, if a P2 licence holder has collected too many demerit points or has had their licence suspended, there is a possibility that drivers will have an extra six months added to their P2 licence.

How will the new Graduated Licensing Scheme affect me?

Drivers applying for their P1 licence after November 20th will pass through the new Graduated Licensing Scheme – but drivers who are currently on their P1 or P2 licence will not be part of the new changes. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

Learner Drivers:

Current learner licence holders (including 25 year olds and older) will need to pass the HPT test before they are eligible to book the P1 driving test
Drivers with a learner licence will need to hold their licence for at least 10 months before they can take the HPT test. This doesn’t apply to learner drivers who are 25 years or over.
Don’t forget the HPT test is valid for 15 months. Learners will have to take the HPT test again if they are unsuccessful in passing their driving test within that time.

P1 Drivers:

Drivers with a P1 licence before November 20th will still need to sit the HPT.
Renewing a P1 licence after November 20th? You still need to pass the HPT test to progress to a P2 licence if the test hasn’t been successfully completed beforehand.

P2 Drivers:

Drivers who hold a P2 licence before 20 November 2017 will still need to pass the Driver Qualification Test before applying for a full licence.
Drivers who renew or apply for a P2 licence after the 20th of November 2017 do not need to do the Driver Qualification Test.

Find out more information about the changes here.

Preparing for the Hazard Perception Test

Changes to the licensing scheme place an emphasis on a driver’s ability to identify and respond appropriately to hazards on the road.

The Hazard Perception Test is a touch-screen test that measures a driver’s ability to recognise and respond to hazards on the road. The test assesses a driver’s perception skills through 15 potential situations and real traffic circumstances that contribute to common crashes in NSW. In every situation, drivers are asked if they’d slow down, overtake or turn.

Taking the HPT test is a crucial stage of progressing to a full licence. Here are some ways you can ensure you’re prepared for the test:

Take it slow: Before making an instinctive decision, stop to weigh up the real or imagined risks of every situation. Often, the risks are manageable and it’s only when we understand the situation that we can find the right response. Don’t forget to pause and breathe before determining your response.
React with caution: In uneasy situations, it can be tempting to react out of spontaneity or instinct. When you’re considering a response, always ensure that your course of action does not risk harming anyone around you (including yourself) and falls in line with existing road rules and policies.
Know the facts: It seems like a no brainer but knowing what hazards to watch for helps protect you before a dangerous situation even occurs. In NSW, almost 80% of accidents for provisional drivers can be attributed to collisions (rear end, at intersections or head on) or running off the road and hitting an object. When drivers know the facts, it helps them make informed decisions in light of precarious situations.

Need a helping hand? A Hazard Perception Handbook is available online. Plus, get a taste of the real thing with five interactive modules online.

There’s no compromise for quality

The changes make it clear that what matters the most is: safe driving. The change rewards drivers who can safely apply driving rules and avoid potentially dangerous situations. Leverage the experience of our seasoned drivers and ensure you’re well equipped for the HPT test or driving test with the help of our instructors.

See our Safer Drivers Course where you can easily get 20 bonus logbook hours.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to speak with our friendly staff.

September 25, 2017 LTrent Driving School Uncategorized Comments Off

How to choose the right instructor?

When it comes to learning to drive, choosing the right instructor is critical to your success on test day and beyond.

So, what should you insist on when choosing a driving instructor?

Certification
The instructor that you choose should have:

NSW driving instructor’s licence
Certificate IV Road Transport & Logistics (Car Driving Instruction)
NSW Working With Children Check

Insurance
To ensure that you aren’t liable should something go wrong, your instructor should have:

Comprehensive motor vehicle insurance specifically covering driving instruction
Public liability insurance
Professional indemnity insurance

Vehicle

Small to medium vehicles are most practical for learning
The training vehicle should be less than four years old

Tuition

Your instructor should follow a curriculum and not teach ad hoc
Most of your lesson time should be spent on practice and skills development, not new skills

Teaching skills
Your driving instructor should:

Be professional, polite and on time
Be supportive
Give honest, professional feedback, you need to know where you are up to.
Care about the kind of driver you will be on your P’s

LTrent Specialist Trainer’s are the most qualified in the industry because we are Australia’s leading educator of driver trainers. Why 300,000 Students Chose LTrent.
We guarantee that with Trent, you will experience the best level of training and service in Australia. We are so confident in our trainers that at the end of your lesson, if you don’t believe that you’ve received the best level of service and training, we’ll we refund your money.

February 15, 2017 LTrent Driving School Uncategorized Comments Off

How to Prepare Your Car for a Road Trip

Once you have your licence, you have the keys to freedom and it’s time to head off on your first road trip. Exciting times. You’ve packed your bags but what about your car?
What should you check to prepare for your trip?

1. Tyre pressures
The most common problem that you are likely to have when you head out on a road trip is a flat tyre. A couple of days before you go, check the tyre pressures with a reliable gauge and fill to the pressure recommended in the owner’s manual or tyre placard on the vehicle. If you find that one tyre is lower than the others, have it inspected for a leak before setting off. Don’t forget to check the spare tyre too. There is nothing worse than changing a tyre by the side of the freeway only to find that there is no air in the tyre you just fitted!

2. Tools and Jack
Make sure that you know where the tools and the jack for the car are. If you have never changed a wheel, it is probably a good idea to have a go at jacking the vehicle up and removing a wheel before you head off. By doing this you can test and confirm that all the tools you will need are with the car and in working order.

3. Fluid Levels
Depending on how old your car is, you should check the fluid levels. Use the owner’s manual to identify where the following fluids can be checked:
Engine oil
Transmission oil
Coolant
Brake/clutch fluid
Power steering oil
Windscreen washer water
If you find any fluids are low, top up the fluid and have a mechanic check for leaks.

4. Lights
Often on a road trip some of your driving may be at night. On the freeway or on country roads there are no street lights. You will need rely on the quality of your headlights. Make sure that your headlights are working on both high and low beam and also check that the lights aim where you want them. While you are at it, check all the other lights on the vehicle, they will help you to be seen!

5. Carry Water and Food
It is good practice to carry some water and food with you out on the road. The amounts will vary depending on how remote you are heading. 10L of water and some food is good to have with you. The water can be used for hydration if you are stranded or can be used to top up overheating cooling systems to get you a bit further down the road.

6. Fuel
Lastly, make sure that you have enough fuel for the trip. If there is an accident or a natural hazard like a flood or bushfire, you may have to take a detour. If you only have enough fuel to get you to your endpoint, you may end up stranded on the side of the road.

The Three Tests on Test Day

Did you know that there are three different tests on the day you attempt to get your P’s?
Most people focus on the driving component but there are two other tests before you leave the kerb.
The first part of your test will see your logbook scrutinised.

To be able to sit the driving test you need to have 120 hours of logged driving with a minimum of 20 hours logged at night.
The examiner will look thoroughly through your logbook to ensure that all the pages add properly together, there actually is 120 hours and the night hours were logged after sunset or before sunrise.
A logbook entry from 6:00pm – 7:00pm in early December is not night driving.
The testing officer will check to see that the front section of the logbook has been signed off by your supervising driver and the declaration on the last page is signed.
Finally, they will ensure that any bonus hours from the Safer Drivers Course or the 3 for 1 Program are correctly entered by a registered driving school.

If the logbook passes the test, then it is out to the car.

Before you drive, the testing officer will ensure that the car you use for the test is roadworthy.
They will want to see that there is plenty of tread on the tyres, all lights and indicators are working, that there is no significant damage and the car is registered.
If the car passes the test, then you will start the driving component of test day.

In order to get your P’s you will need:

An accurate and complete logbook
A suitable and roadworthy car
To drive to test standard

To find more information on the driving component of the driving test, check out this link: https://www.ltrent.com.au/blog/whats-in-a-driving-test/
If you would like to take advantage of the Trent Test Day Concierge service and use one of our modern cars, book via this link: https://www.ltrent.com.au/lesson-packages-and-vouchers/driving-test-success

November 16, 2016 LTrent Driving School Uncategorized Comments Off

Do I really have to indicate out of a roundabout?

Yes…if practicable

The road rules state:
You must indicate for long enough to give sufficient warning to other drivers and pedestrians before entering a roundabout when turning left or right. You must also indicate, if practicable, on exit when going straight ahead. That way, people around you know exactly where you’re headed.
Doesn’t really offer much help does it?

So, when is practicable?

If you’re a learner driver and thinking about passing a driving test, then it’s practicable at every single roundabout.

There are two reasons for this:

The driving test

Firstly, you will be sitting a test where the examiner decides if you should have used an indicator to exit a roundabout. You don’t want to find that out that you got it wrong after the test. If you indicate on every roundabout you won’t be failed for signal errors.
If you find it difficult to signal out of a roundabout, particularly small ones, then it could be a technical issue. Turning right at a roundabout with too much speed or having an incorrect steering technique can make it difficult to use an exit indicator.

The power of habit

Driving is a practical skill and to be good at it, you need to build habits. When you are learning and practicing roundabouts, build a habit out of signalling out of every roundabout. This way you don’t have to decide when is practicable.
This rule about exiting roundabouts isn’t new, however, you won’t see many drivers applying it!

Check out our video below to see how it’s done:
Exit Straight

November 4, 2016 LTrent Driving School Education Comments Off

Are you being seen by other drivers?

At most crashes one of the drivers will get out of their car and say, “He came from nowhere” or “I didn’t see her”.
If you aim to be seen you will reduce your likelihood of being involved in an accident.

(more…)

June 24, 2016 LTrent Driving School Education Comments Off

Making Early Decisions

Early decisions are a key to safe driving.
If you think about the last time you were on the road, you would certainly have seen someone making a late decision like finding themselves in the wrong lane or making an erratic move to park.
Modern technology like GPS and mobile phones have created distractions causing more drivers to fail to keep track of road signs and changes and then make late decisions.

What decisions are made on the road?
There are two types of decisions influenced and voluntary.
Influenced decisions are made because another driver has invaded your safety cushion, often because they have broken a road rule or done something unpredictable on the road.
Voluntary decisions are the choices you make on the road. Early decisions are voluntary.
You cannot make early decisions without good vision habits and maintaining your safety cushion.
Late decisions are caused by vision breakdowns.

What does an early decision do for me?
By making an early decision you are being predictable on the road.
Examples include starting to brake early or indicating well in advance. By giving other road users plenty of notice as to what you are doing, they will be less likely to crash into you!

How do I know that I am doing well?
At a top level of driving you will be planning lane choices well in advance. Local knowledge helps with this, reading road signs will give a lot of clues too.
As you see a difficult situation coming up, start to look for options like checking where all the other cars are around you, plan lane changes and assess possible escapes.

Read more on Road Safety: Safety Bubble

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The Safer Drivers Course is designed for learner drivers wanting to learn more about becoming a safe driver. The course will help you gain a deeper understanding about what it takes to be a safe solo driver.
Through both in-class activities and on-road coaching, the Safer Drivers Course will help you to be safe long after the driving test. The course is fun, engaging and informative.

June 17, 2016 LTrent Driving School Uncategorized Comments Off

The Safety Cushion

(and the three-second gap)

Have you ever considered why so many people crash into each other?
The majority of crashes happen because the driver does not have enough space around them.
The space around the car is what Trent driver trainers call the Safety Cushion.
By maintaining space around your car you will allow time to react, manoeuvre and stop if required. You need to guard this space!

How do you know if you have enough space around your car?
Ideally, you need 2 metres between you and parked cars and about 1 metre between an oncoming vehicle.
On narrow roads, this might be difficult to maintain so you need to slow down. The basic rule is: Space reduced = Speed reduced
As space increases, you can speed up again.
Early learner drivers naturally slow down because they feel the need to ‘suck in’ when they go through narrow spaces. As drivers get more experienced and are more comfortable around other vehicles, they start to go faster. The problem is that every time you double your speed, your stopping distance is multiplied by 4.
Be aware of driving in the blind spots of other road users and avoid having cars right next to you. In multi-lane traffic, you need to be conscious of your safety cushion to oncoming vehicles. The right-hand lane is the head-on collision lane and should only be used when overtaking or turning right. It only takes a moment distraction by someone coming the other way for a head on collision. Don’t be there!
As safe drivers we should be thinking “Is there a person about to step out behind that van?” or “Is someone about to pull out from the kerb in front of me?”

How do I protect my Safety Cushion?

At higher speeds, you need to think about the space between you and the vehicles in front, behind and to the sides. This is where the 3-SECOND GAP applies.

Drivers should always maintain a 3-second gap to the vehicle in front.

To calculate a 3-second gap, watch as the car in front goes past a stationary object and start counting: 1001, 1002, 1003. If you pass the object before saying 1003, you are too close.

Often the vehicle behind will not maintain a 3-second gap to your vehicle (if they are really aggressive, just get out of their way).

The 3-second gap works at all speeds

How do I know if I am good at applying the safety cushion?
When you have mastered the safety cushion you will:

Find yourself adjusting your position inside your lane to maximise your safety cushion where ever required.
Always have a 3-second gap or greater.
You will actively avoid driving next to other vehicles and get out of the way of aggressive drivers.
You will feel uncomfortable in the head on collision lane.

If this is you then great work! You are much more likely to be safe on our roads.

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The Safer Drivers Course is designed for learner drivers wanting to learn more about becoming a safe driver. The course will help you gain a better understanding about what it takes to be a safe solo driver. Through both in-class activities and on-road coaching, the Safer Drivers Course will help you to be safe long after the driving test. The course is fun, engaging and informative.

June 10, 2016 LTrent Driving School Uncategorized Comments Off

How to make your testing officer feel comfortable

The Aim of the Test
Learner drivers usually hear stories from their friends on what the driving test is going to be like and advice about what to do. Some of this is true, most is not.
During the driving test, the learner driver’s aim is to make the testing officer feel comfortable, that is, they feel safe in the car with you.
Setting off in a controlled manner and driving confidently right from the outset will make the testing officer more relaxed.
Generally, if the testing officer is chatting with the learner driver, this is a sign that they feel confident. If they are using the grab handles then they might not be feeling so comfortable!

Appearance Counts

The test starts before the learner driver gets into the car. The learner driver wants to make a good first impression to the testing officer.
Follow these points:

Don’t be late
Be neat and tidy
Smile
Have all paperwork sorted out and neat (look after your logbook)
Have a clean car parked in the correct location
Know how to operate the indicators and brake lights without the engine running

How to drive during the test

We have heard from some students that they have been advised to drive 15 km/h below the speed limit. This is not a good idea, it will make the testing officer question the learner driver’s ability. It is best to drive with the flow traffic up to the speed limit unless there is reduced space or vision, then slow down as required.
You may hear stories that everyone fails for head checks or blind spots. While this is often true, the solution is not to look like a laughing clown at Luna Park while driving. You need to understand what you are looking at, then you can check the appropriate blind spot, the traffic and do observation checks for the situations presented. Testing officers are onto people who are looking just for show and will be really picky about observation errors for these applicants.
Learner drivers need to make safe decisions. We have all been in the situation of waiting to do a right-hand turn onto a busy road waiting for a gap (high risk of accident). This will be on the test too. You cannot be swayed by the aggressive driver four cars back honking the horn. If there isn’t an appropriate gap, then wait till one comes along. The testing officer would prefer the driver to wait for a safe gap than have a go at a gap that is not big enough. Remaining calm in this situation will show the testing officer maturity in your driving.
Sometimes things go wrong on the driving test. The car might be stalled or your reverse parking may be botched. Remember these two things – the testing officer is human, they might not have noticed the mistake and it is OK to make a couple of errors, often they are not marked as harshly as you might think.
It is most important the learner driver does not give up after the first mistake. Just take a deep breath, relax the grip on the wheel and carry on.

Getting Results
Thanking the testing officer regardless of the result will put them in a better mood for the next applicant!
If you are not successful on their first attempt, don’t argue with the testing officer about the result. There is every chance that you will end up with the same testing officer in the next attempt. That will make for a very quiet drive…

April 28, 2016 LTrent Driving School Education Comments Off

Driving Test Intricacies: The Test Car

There are many components to the driving test. Many of these driving test intricacies can put positive or negative impressions in the mind of the testing officer. In this post, we explore the details of the test car.

What car can be used for the driving test?

Service NSW does not provide a test car for learner drivers on the test day. However, the learner can take the driving test in any registered vehicle matching the licence class they are being tested for. This must be a vehicle that weighs up to a maximum of 4.5 tonne Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and seats no more than 12 people. We, of course, do not recommend taking a moving truck to the test.

What will the testing officer be looking for?

The testing officer will check that all the brake and signal lights are working correctly, and have no cracked or broken lenses. This is to ensure the safety of the driver, the passengers and the other drivers on the road. A learner driver needs to be able to communicate properly on the road with correct signals during the driving test.

Other safety essentials include a clean and crack-free windscreen without chip damage, tyres that are not worn out and rims without any sharp edges from crash damage. Inside the car, the testing officer will check to make sure the seat belts are functioning properly.

How can the testing officer be helped to feel comfortable and safe in the car?

Having a half-eaten Happy Meal, the dogs breakfast (we mean that literally) and school textbooks that can fill a library in the back seat of the testing car is not the ideal way of impressing your testing officer. Yes, impressions do count. Make sure the car is clean and free of debris that may become a hazard in an accident. We recommend that it doesn’t smell like month old unwashed laundry either. Let’s make the testing officer feel comfortable when they enter the car.

Although a BMW for example may excite some testing officers, more often than not they will fear the learner may go over the speed limit. BMWs tend to do that to drivers… We recommend using a car that is less aggressive and places an emphasis on safety first.

What is the Trent Concierge?

The Trent Concierge is a driving test concierge service. Trent Driving School ensures that all the other variables are eliminated and the learner driver only concentrates on the task at hand: the driving test.

The Trent driver trainer will pick up the learner on the test day from home, school or work. The driver trainer will also warm up the learner during the drive to the testing location, and present them to the testing officer. At the end of the test the student will be driven back to their original location.

The Trent Concierge car won’t have rubbish floating around on the floor, or McDonald’s ready for the testing officer on the backseat – although we may want some to fill our stomachs before the test. Nor will the car have any safety concerns such as broken tail lights.

Most importantly, testing officers feel more at ease in our dual-control fitted cars, as they have a braking pedal on their side of the footwell.

April 21, 2016 LTrent Driving School Education Comments Off

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