This is divided into two sections. The first section is comprised of road rules that you need to know because you will use them on a daily basis when driving. The second section is comprised of driving test tips and maneuvers.
I have had a lot of students recently who do not know or have forgot basic road rules. The following road rules are the ones you will use on a daily basis. I will list these in a question/answer format. Parents, if your children can not answer these questions make them study this page. Every person should be able to explain these road rules! Some questions will have a Bonus section, the bonus section will contain an additional explanation to help understand/remember the rule or safety information to think about in the real world application of the rule. This bonus information is not part of the answer to the question, but it is important to know, so please do not skip this!
Whoever stops first gets to go first or in the case of a tie it is the person on the right (it works counter clockwise).
Bonus: Most people either don't know the rules or blatantly break this rule (especially when it's a tie). Even if you're supposed to have the right of way, if the other vehicle starts to move just keep your foot on the brake and let the other person go. Even during a driving test, the examiner will not deduct points for giving up your right of way if someone is jumping out of order. Also, this is the first half of the definition of right of way. In the case of the tie the person to the RIGHT has the "right of way".
You need to finish a right hand turn in the closest lane to you (the right lane). It's always supposed to be right into right.
Bonus: Police do not enforce this law locally unless someone causes an accident while breaking this rule. Keeping that in mind. Even if you are in the left lane of a multi-lane road, make sure you are watching for people on the right pulling out of side streets and business entrances/exits, because a lot of people pull out and come all the way to the left lane (do not have tunnel vision down your lane). Also, when you have the green light the pedestrians will have the walk sign lit (in most cases), so make sure you check the cross-walk before turning as well, as pedestrians have the right of way. Check for this even if the walk sign is not lit, as some pedestrians will enter the cross-walk even though the sign is instructing them not too. Always be aware of your surroundings!
If there is only one left turn lane, you are allowed to choose. If there is more than one left turn lane, there should be a broken white line guiding you around the turn and you must stay on your side of the broken white line. While you are not allowed to cross the broken white line, you can finish anywhere on your side of it.
Bonus: When there is one turn lane, even though you can choose, it is safer to turn left into left (closest to the median).
When there are multiple turn lanes there should be a broken white line to guide you, but at some intersections they have faded and have not been re-painted. In that situation there are two things to consider:
1. Make sure you give the vehicle in the lane next to you room (don't cut the corner short if you're in the outer lane (farthest from the median), but don't swing overly wide if you're in the inner lane (closest to the median).
2. Finish in the extremes. Let's say there are two turn lanes, but you're turning on a road with three lanes. If you are in the left most turn lane, finish in the left most lane (closest to the median). If you are in the right most left turn lane, finish in the right most lane.
There are two parts to the law and they go in order.
The first part of the law says you can always turn right on red as long as there isn't a sign saying you can't (That is the only thing that restricts turning right on red. Whether it's a regular solid red light or a red arrow has nothing to do with it. As long as there isn't a sign that says "No turn on red" or "No right on red", then you can always turn right on red regardless of the type of light.).
The second part of the law comes into effect if you are allowed to turn (which most of the time you are). It simply states that you have to come to a complete stop and make sure it's clear of both vehicles and pedestrians before you make the turn.
Bonus: The key to turning right on red is to know who has the green light, so you know which way to look before making the turn. There are three possible ways people can be coming from:
1. If the cross street has a green light, they can be coming from the left.
2. If the traffic across the intersection has a left turn only lane and they have a green arrow, people can be turning left from across the street.
3. You also have to look at traffic coming from the right, because if someone is making a U-turn, they also have the right of way over you.
If you are looking to your left, another thing you need to be careful about is to make sure you are looking at the first actual lane that is coming across. Make sure the literal first lane is not right turn only. If it is right turn only make sure you are looking at the second lane (since that is the lane closest to you that is coming across the intersection). If the right turn only lane is blocking your view, don't pull out! Never pull out unless you are absolutely sure that it's clear, even if there is a car behind you honking.
99.999% of the time, NO. However there is one really rare exception when you can turn left on red. The only time you can turn left on red is if you are on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street. Both streets must be one-way and the same rules that apply for right on red also apply to left on red. There can't be sign prohibiting you and you must come to a complete stop and look before turning.
If you are approaching a traffic light trying to turn left and there is not an arrow (it's a solid green light) or it's a flashing yellow arrow, the cars coming straight have the right of way. You have to wait until there is a gap big enough to safely make your turn before pulling out.
If you're approaching a side street and trying to turn left and there is another car approaching the same side street from the opposite direction (coming straight toward you) and they are trying to turn right. They have the right of way. That's the second half of the definition of right of way. Since they are turning RIGHT, they have the "right of way".
The following are general driving test tips to help you pass the test and avoid point deductions. If you follow these tips and do the maneuvers like in the linked videos, you should have no problem passing the driving test!
General driving test tips:
1. You must use two hands at all times while the car is in motion.
2. You must use your turn signals and turn on the signal early enough. Florida law says you must signal 100 feet before an intersection. Failure to signal or signal early enough three times or more is an automatic failure.
3. You can not speed during the test. If the speed limit is 25mph on a particular road then go 25mph or less, not 26mph.
4. You must follow at a safe distance. Use the four second rule (be at least 4 seconds behind the car in front of you).
5. Brake early. This can be a grey area when it comes to grading. If you think you're braking early enough, but the examiner thinks you're braking to late, you fail. After all they are the one grading you, so don't give them any doubt that you aren't braking early enough. As soon as the car in front of you starts to slow down, brake immediately if you are four seconds or closer in terms of your following distance.
6. If you are pulling out into traffic, make sure you have a large enough gap to pull out safely. Failure to yield the right of way is an automatic failure. This can be another grey area when it comes to grading. If you are waiting to turn from a stop sign make sure there is a large gap in traffic. If you pull out in front of a vehicle thinking you have enough time, but the examiner thought you should have waited based on how close they were, you just failed. Remember they are grading you, so make sure there is no doubt to them that you have enough time/space to turn safely!
7. Always stop on your side of the white stop bar if there is one. If you go forward to where your front bumper goes passed the white line, that's a 10 point deduction the first offense. If you do it a second time during the remainder of the test, you fail. If there is no white line always stop so your front bumper is parallel to the stop sign or just before the stop sign. Also, if you can not see once you stop, roll forward slowly and stop again if you see a car coming. If you do not see a car as you roll forward you do not have to stop a second time.
8. Do not run a stop sign. A lot of people accidentally slowly roll a stop sign and fail themselves. Typically this happens because people start looking left and right while they are slowing down. When they see it's clear they are so focused on going they don't realize they never came to a complete stop. Rolling a stop is an automatic failure. To prevent rolling a stop sign by accident, always look straight until you come to a complete stop. After you stop, then look left and right to make sure it's clear. Doing this not only prevents you from rolling a stop, but it also helps give the examiner time to grade you accurately.
9. Stay in your lane. If you drift out of your lane toward oncoming traffic it's an automatic failure.
Things not on the test, that a lot people think are on the test:
1. They do not have parallel parking on the driving test! They took it off the test in 1990.
2. They do not have backing into a parking space on the test. It is actually illegal to back into a parking space in Florida since we do not have front mounted license plates.
The following are the four driving test maneuvers:
1. Straight-In Parking
2. Quick-Stop
3. Backing up in a straight line
4. 3-Point Turn
1. Stay as far away from the parking space as possible. This gives the car more time to turn so it's easier to fit into the parking space.
2. Have the sharpest turn possible. Turning sharply as late as possible also makes the car a lot easier to fit into the space since it will be a lot more straight by the time you get to the poles.
3. Go slow. Typically if I have a student that is struggling with parking they are just going too fast. Do not stop the car because that actually makes it a lot more difficult to park since you won't have a reference as to how much of an affect the wheel movement has on the arc you're taking into the space. Use the brake and maintain a speed of 2-3mph while parking during the test. The test is not timed and there is no penalty for pulling in slowly.
4. Stay close to the far side of the space. This is the key to being centered when you park. As you approach the space look at the pole closest to you so you know when to start turning. However, as soon as you start to turn switch your focus to the pole on the right the rest of the way in. Staying close to the far pole (the one on the right) will keep you centered when you eventually straighten out the car.
Here's a link to a youtube video I made so you can see what I'm talking about: https://youtu.be/rr-VOyX84Rw
They will ask you one question during the test. They have four different variations of the question, but the good news is that three of the four variations all have the same answer. The core question is "What do you do when you park on a hill?". Depending on which version of the core question they ask will determine your answer.
If they ask you any of these 3 variations:
1. What do you do when you park downhill with a curb?
2. What do you do when you park downhill without a curb?
3. What do you do when you park uphill without a curb?
You would say:
1. Put the car in park.
2. Put on the emergency brake.
3. Turn the wheel to the right.
4. Turn off the car.
The only variation with a different answer is if they ask you:
What do you do if you are parking uphill with a curb?
You would say:
1. Put the car in park.
2. Put on the emergency brake.
3. Turn the wheel to the left.
4. Turn off the car.
So the only thing that changes is which way you turn the wheel. I always tell my students to remember the one variation that is different. Uphill with a curb, you turn left. This way if they ask you any of the other three you automatically know to say turn right and you don't have to memorize all four variations. In terms of remembering all four steps you can use the abbreviation PETT:
P-Put the car in park
E-Emergency Brake
T-Turn the wheel
T-Turn off the car
After you watch the video linked above for the concepts of parking. Watch this video for an actual example of parking, plus the one question they will ask you during the test: https://youtu.be/1gxgFSHM4UM
For the quick-stop the examiner will ask you to speed up and at a random speed they will tell you to stop (usually between 15-20mph). When they tell you to stop apply the brakes 75% until you come to a complete stop. A few things to consider for this maneuver:
1. Speed up at a decent pace. Don't accelerate slowly.
2. Don't try to anticipate when they will say stop. Stay on the gas until they say stop.
3. Don't look down at your speedometer. Keep your eyes on the road.
4. Don't slam on the brake, but also don't brake too lightly. Those are the two ways to fail this maneuver. If you slam on the brake so hard that you lock up the tires and skid or activate the ABS system it's a failure. However, if you brake so lightly you go passed 100 feet it's also a failure. That's why I say to hit the brake about 75% until you completely stop. If you are doing it correctly the force should make your seat belt tighten and you rock forward and back once the car settles, but without locking the tires or activating the ABS system.
Here's a link to my youtube video of this maneuver: https://youtu.be/TmtZogwH8Wk
When you back up during the driving test they have a few rules you must follow:
1. Look backward the entire time you're moving. You must look out the back window the entire time. You can not use your backup camera, rear-view mirror, side-view mirror, or look forward. If you do, you fail! Keep looking backward even when they tell you to stop until you come to a complete stop. Examiners are very strict about this. If you start to turn your head forward, even while slowing down to stop, they can deduct 8 points from your score.
2. Don't use the gas. If you exceed 10mph during this maneuver you fail. Always take your foot off of the brake and let it roll. Don't even move your foot in front of the gas, because if they tell you to stop and you accidentally hit the gas and exceed 10mph you fail.
3. Because you are required to look backward the entire time you are backing up, this is the one maneuver that you do not need to use two hands. To make it easier for you to turn around and see, you are allowed to put just your left hand at 12 o'clock on the wheel while backing up. You can put right hand behind the passenger seat, on the center console, or you can keep it on the wheel if you like as well.
4. Trust your instincts. If you feel like you're going straight leave the wheel alone. If you feel like you're drifting, you probably are and start to make a correction as soon as you feel like you're drifting. Remember, since you are looking out the rear window and you're going backward the steering works exactly the same as when you're going forward. If you turn right you will go to the right (the side of the road). If you turn left you will go left (toward the center of the road).
5. Grading. They don't care if you zig zag your way backward like a snake, as long as you stay in your lane. However, if you drift so far right that you go off the road or so far left that you touch the center of the road, you fail.
Here's a link to my youtube video of this maneuver: https://youtu.be/tDNOK54fAzM
When doing a 3-point turn there a few things to know:
1. You must keep the car on the road the entire time. Whatever your boundary is (a curb, a gutter, grass, etc.) that's lining the road, you cannot go into it. If you go off the road or hit a curb you fail.
2. Before you move you must use your left turn signal, look forward to make sure there is no oncoming traffic, and check your rear-view mirror, left side-view mirror, and your left blind spot to make sure no one is trying to go around you. After you do all of those things then turn the wheel hard left and pull forward until you run out of room (keep the wheel hard left the entire time so the car turns as much as possible).
3. Once you run out room pulling forward, switch the car into reverse and then turn the wheel hard right while you are stopped. Also, check both of your blind spots before moving backward. If it's clear backup as far as possible keeping the wheel hard right until you run out of room.
4. Once you run out of room backing up, switch the car back into drive and turn the wheel hard left while stopped. Check both to your left and right to make sure it's clear and if it's clear pull forward and straighten out the car on the right side of the road. If you straighten out late and cross the centerline of the road, you fail for driving on the wrong side of the road.
Here's a link to my youtube video of this maneuver: https://youtu.be/GnPOR3pm9rU
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