STUDY MATERIALS

Practice Test Take the Washington State Department of Licensing practice test to see how ready you are for the real thing. Recommendations Review these recommendations from the Department of Licensing before taking your drive test.

Traffic Signs Understanding signs will make you a more efficient driver. Pay special attention to the colors and meaning of regulatory, guide and informational, construction, and warning signs.

Driving How-to's

How to Stop in the Correct Place Use the Driver's Side Mirror - The mirror should cover the area you need to stop before. You would use this reference point when you pull to the stop line at an intersection, into a parking place, or into the garage.

How to Back Around a Corner Place the right foot on the brake Put the gearshift in reverse and look backwards Put the right hand behind the passenger seat and the left hand at the steering wheel's 12-o'clock position Come to a complete stop when you see the corner of the curb in the back right passenger window Check in each direction for traffic or pedestrians Control the vehicle's speed by keeping the right foot on the brake and look back while driving back Follow the curb closely as you back around the corner Remember, when backing around a corner, the front of the vehicle moves opposite the direction you are turning and it will swing wide Continue looking back until the vehicle is stopped

How to Park on a Hill Signal to the right Check your mirror for traffic behind you Pull to the curb and use a reference mark to bring the car to within 12 inches of the curb Engage the parking/emergency brake Set the gear selector to "Park" Turn the wheels to the right in every occasion except when you are parking uphill with a curb

How to Parallel Park

Setting up the practice space is the first step. During the drive lesson and the test the parking spot is marked by cones. If you do not have cones, you may use garbage cans, chairs, or anything else that is tall enough to be seen from the driver's seat. The cones are set 25 feet apart and 8 feet away from the curb. While you can always do it in your own neighborhood, making a visit to the Department of Licensing course on a Sunday, Monday, or holiday is also a good idea.

There are many different approaches to teaching parallel parking. The most frequent approach used by experienced drivers is "the snake." This is done by reversing into the spot while quickly turning to the right and then left. This ends up being difficult to master in the early stages of driving and is not often reliable.

During their lesson, students are taught to approach and pass the cones at 2 ½ feet. They should stop the car when they can see the front cone in the triangular window on the rear passenger side. They will need to signal as they begin their right turn and continue backwards until the car is at a 45° angle from the curb. They should then straighten the wheels and continue backwards until they are 2 ½ feet from the curb. Turning the wheels all the way to the left, they need to be careful not to hit the curb and not go past the cone behind them. It is ok if they are still at an angle when they end this movement. Shifting to drive, they should turn the wheels to the right so that the car comes parallel to the curb. The final movement is to get the car ½ way between the cones.

To exit the parking space, students should back up about 1 foot so that they can clear the cone as they re-enter traffic. With the turn signal on, a left turn hand signal, and a good head check, they are ready to pull back into traffic.