Author : Robin Piggott
Since early 2005 there has been an additional aspect to the Irish Driving Test …that of a series of Technical Check Questions which precede the practical drive. These questions had been included in other European Driving Tests for a number of years. They form an essential part of the Weekly Checks that all Drivers should be performing on their vehicles.
Why do we need to carry out these Technical Checks every week? Well in case you hadn't noticed a car, or any motorised vehicle for that matter, consists of rather a large number of moving parts, most of which are hidden from view! You know the old saying Out of Sight—Out of Mind? Well unless you learn how to identify all these hidden parts , particularly those that you the Driver have control over you are going to finding out rather quickly that this Driving lark is a lot more tedious, frustrating and much more expensive than you first imagined! In addition to this, an ignorance of the Technical Checks will put you in an extremely hazardous condition on the road and fast forward you into an illegal minefield!Your safety and that of your passengers is of paramount importance and it goes without saying that if you are driving a car that is not properly checked and maintained you will be a menace on the road and a great danger to all other road users. The phrase "all other Road users" encompasses Pedestrians of course who make up a high proportion of the fatal accident statistics here in Ireland every year.Pedestrians of all ages create one of the biggest hazards to Drivers particularly Learner Drivers who have not yet built up their awareness skills to a higher level. Many elderly Pedestrians are not Drivers and therefore are unaware of the dangers posed by vehicles.
Very young pedestrians have yet to learn any Road Sense or Road Craft and are particularly vulnerable. Teenage Pedestrians are half asleep most of the time and the rest of the time are either on the cell phone or playing games on the pavement or sidewalk, rendering them oblivious of the danger surrounding them. Failure to understand the necessity to carry out your weekly and sometime daily vehicle checks could put you in a serious confrontation with a Pedestrian that will end in tears and more!The details of the Technical Checks and questions and answers are available throughout our series of articles but a good place to start your Technical Check Mastery would be the Drivers Manual which came with your car. This will enable you to identify the various pieces of equipment that require your attention on a weekly or more frequent basis. Your Driving Instructor should be teaching you all of these aspects on the very first Lesson providing it is not pouring with rain. Even so it is quite often the case that it is raining on a Driving Test and the Examiner does not wish either you or himself to get drenched so it is possible to be given the questions and for you to answer even if the Bonnet or Hood is not opened!Failure to answer the Technical questions on the Driving Test adequately and you should be prepared to lose one of your valuable marks!
There are only eight marks to be played around with as a maximum on the Irish Driving Test so if you intend to Pass the Driving Test First Time then you had better brush up your skills immediately.If you want to stay safe on the road and keep your garage bills to an absolute minimum then learning and understanding the details of the Weekly Technical Checks will be essential.When you have mastered the Technical Checks and their significance, you will be well on the way to becoming an Aware Driverand a safer one.Robin Piggott is a Driving Instructor in Ireland who brings four decades of experience to his Astral Driving School based in Limerick. His newly refurbedLearner Driver web site can be found at http://www.astraldrivingschool.ie.Here you can find a treasure trove of everything for the Learner Driver and beyond as well as pages for the visitor who is contemplating Touring Ireland by Car. A free seven part e mail mini course is available to visitors who are getting ready to sit their Driving Test. "Passing the Driving Test first Time" will help to dispel some of the myths and legends!
Keyword : Driving Test,Technical Checks,Irish Driving Test,weekly checks,Driving,Road sense,
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