BELOW ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU PASS YOUR ICBC ROAD TEST

ICBC recommends 60-hours of driving before you go for your road test. You must have a safe, clean, reliable vehicle for your road test. If your vehicle isn’t safe or doesn’t meet the legal requirement, ICBC may cancel your road test. You can find ICBC’s vehicle safety checklist online. Read on to get expert tips and important details for your driving exams.

BELOW ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU PASS YOUR ICBC ROAD TEST

You must be at the ICBC office 15 mins before your appointment on-road test day:

Back-in to parking stall at the ICBC office

Have all the required IDs for your road test.
Have all the required fees with you for the road test. ICBC accepts Cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit cards, and personal cheques.
License Plate number or picture of the license plate on your phone.
Keyword (Password you set up when you got your learner’s license), usually mother’s maiden name.
Cell phone turned off.

ICBC EXAMINERS WILL BE TESTING YOU ON 5 GLOBAL SKILLS: OBSERVATIONS, SPACE MARGINS, SPEED CONTROL, STEERING AND COMMUNICATION.

OBSERVATIONS

Pre-trip: Do a walk around your vehicle to make sure it is safe to drive before you get in the driver seat.
Shoulder checks: Right turns require two shoulder checks. You should check your shoulder before moving over for the turn and again just before executing the turn. This ensures that have checked for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle. Most left turns require one shoulder check before the turn, as your vehicle is typically already positioned on the left side of the road. However, some left turns may necessitate a lane position change, in which case you should perform two shoulder checks. Lane changing, merging, and pulling or away from the side of the road all require shoulder checks. These checks are essential to ensure you are aware of your surroundings and any vehicles that may be in your blind spots. Always make shoulder checks a priority to maintain safety while driving.
LCR scans: Regularly scan intersections before entering. Always check crosswalks and be vigilant for pedestrians when approaching any intersection. Additionally, keep an eye on your speed to ensure safe driving practices.
Mirror checks: Prior to slowing down, turning or changing road position and should be checked every 5-8 seconds.
360-degree check: Prior to changing directions, leaving and re-entering traffic, or changing gears (reverse or drive).
Hazard perception: During your road test, the examiner will ask you to identify five hazards on the road while you are driving. This exercise is designed to evaluate your awareness of your surroundings and your ability to react appropriately. Be sure to look out for potential dangers such as pedestrians, cyclists, road signs, other vehicles, anything blocking your view, road conditions, weather conditions . Demonstrating your hazard recognition skills is key to passing your test and ensuring safe driving.

SPACE MARGINS

Lane position: Make sure you are driving in the center of your lane and staying to the left when you are in wide lanes. This helps maintain a safe position on the road.
Space margins: When navigating around parked cars, cyclists, and pedestrians, it's essential to ensure a safe distance. Always maintain at least 1 meter of space when passing by to promote safety for everyone on the road. This small measure can make a significant difference in preventing accidents and fostering a more secure environment for all road users.
Following distance: Maintaining at least a 2 second following distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you in good weather and road conditions. Increase your following distance to 3-4 seconds on high-speed roads, adverse weather conditions, behind a large vehicle or following a motorcycle.

Stopping distance: When you're stopped behind a vehicle, ensure you can see the tires of the vehicle in front along with a portion of pavement (one car length of space). This space allows you to maneuver around the vehicle if it breaks down or if you need to make way for an emergency vehicle. Additionally, maintaining this distance reduces the risk of being pushed into the vehicle ahead incase of a rear-end collision. Stay safe and on the road!
Gap: When you're preparing to make a turn at an intersection, merge, or change lanes, always look for a safe in traffic. This ensures that other road users can maintain their speed and position without having to adjust, helping to prevent any conflicts with other vehicles. Remember, if you don't take a safe gap it can result in marks on your ICBC test.
Maneuver location: It's essential to choose a safe location for yourself and other road users when changing lanes, turning, stopping, or braking. Always be aware of your surroundings and signal your intentions clearly. This helps ensure a smooth and safe driving experience for everyone on the road. Stay vigilant and prioritize safety at all times.
Parking margins: When parking your vehicle, make sure you're close to the curb and don't cover any road markings. This goes for parallel park, stall park, up hill park, and down hill park. ICBC will mark you on your road test if you're more than 30cm away from the curb. Always stay within 30cm of the curb.
Turns & turn position: Always move over for your right turns unless there is a bike lane present. Additionally, be sure to perform a shoulder check right before moving over. This practice helps ensure the safety of all road users. Protect your turn and avoid a mark on your road test! Avoid making wide left or right turns or cutting corners when turning left during your ICBC road test. These actions can lead to deductions on your test. Focus on maintaining a precise steering technique to impress your examiner and ensure a successful test.
Stop Postion: Over the years, the rules regarding stop positions at intersections have evolved. The stop signs or post does not determine where you should stop at the intersection. Specific rules dictate the proper positioning of your vehicle when stopping. If there is a stop line, you should stop just before it. If there is a crosswalk but no stop line, stop just before the crosswalk. If there is a sidewalk without a stop line or crosswalk, stop just before the sidewalk. In the absence of a stop line, crosswalk, or sidewalk, stop just before entering the intersection.

SPEED CONTROL

Speed Maintenance: Maintain your speed and watch your speed. In municipalities the speed is 50km/h unless otherwise posted, outside municipalities its 80km/h unless otherwise posted, school & playground zones the speed is 30km/h, and in parking lots, laneways, or alleyways its 20km/h unless otherwise posted. For your road test, in a 50km/h zone, 51-54 is no mark, 55-59 is a mark, 60km/h is violation (automatic fail). The same criteria are applied for driving too slow. In a 50km/h zone, 46-49 is no mark, 45-41 is a mark, and 40km/h is a violation (automatic fail). In a playground/school zone, 31-34 is mark, and 35 km/h or more is a violation. Always look for new speed signs when on a new street or highway. While the default speed limit is 50 km/h unless otherwise posted, failing to check immediately after your turn could result in missing important speed signs, such as for school or playground zones. Stay vigilant to ensure you are driving at the appropriate speed.
Stops: Before proceeding, bring your vehicle to a complete stop at both stops signs and when making right turns at red lights. When making a right turn at a red light, it is imperative to come to a complete stop before proceeding. This allows you to assess the traffic and identify a safe gap. Neglecting to make a full stop is considered a violation and will result in an automatic failure on your road test. Always prioritize safety and adhere to traffic regulations. We always recommend making a two second count to ensure that you have completely stopped the vehicle.
Amber Light: When approaching an intersection and the light turns amber, refrain from accelerating to beat the light. An amber light at an intersection indicates stop, always stop for the amber light when safe to do so, unless you're at a point of no return.

Cover Brake: When approaching potential hazards or a stale green light that may require you to the stop the vehicle.
School and Playground Zones: Don’t forget to be aware of the end of school or playground zones. School zones are marked by a house or triangle shape, while playground zones are indicated by a diamond shape with a rectangular tab beneath the sign. The zone ends when you reach the back of the sign on the opposite side of the street. Be cautious, as you may still be in the zone even after turning onto a new street. If you haven’t identified the end, continue to look for it on the next street and so on. There will always be a designated end to the zone. Exceeding the speed limit by 35km/h or more in these areas will result in failing your test. School zones are in effect from 8 AM to 5 PM on school days, while playground zones are active every day from dawn to dusk. It's important to note that school zones do not apply during winter break, spring break, or summer break. Always be mindful of these timings to ensure safety in these areas.
Acceleration/Deceleration: During your driving test, it is crucial to demonstrate efficient acceleration when turning from a stopped position, achieving optimal speed in a timely manner. Your acceleration and deceleration techniques will be assessed. Slow acceleration and premature deceleration will be a mark on your road test.
Parking brake: When parking, it is crucial to engage the parking brake and release it before moving. This applies to all parking scenarios, including parallel parking, stall parking, uphill parking, and downhill parking. It's a mark on your ICBC road test if you forget to engage or disengage your parking brake.

STEERING & MANEUVERS

General steering: To ensure safety while waiting to turn left, refrain from angling your car or wheels to the left. This could increase the risk of your vehicle being pushed into traffic in the event of a rear-end collision. Additionally, this maneuver will result in a mark being deducted from your ICBC road test.
Wheel and hand position: Turn wheels in the appropriate direction when parked on a uphill or downhill. Maintain a proper hand position by keeping both hands on the outside of the steering wheel. Where should you put your hands? Imagine the steering wheel is a clock. You can place your hands at the 9 o’ clock and 3 o’clock, or the 10 & 2 or even 8 & 4 position. Always keep both hands on the steering to maintain good steering control, do not hook or palm a steering wheel and do not rest your arms anywhere!
Parking maneuvers: Make certain you have mastered Parallel Parking, Uphill Parking, Downhill Parking, 3-Point Turns, Stall Parking, Pulling Over, and Backing Up in a Straight Line.
Right at green light: Right turns at a green light do not require a stop before executing the turn, although many drivers mistakenly believe they must stop first. Remember, this is your right of way, so you should slow down and make your turn. However, it's essential to scan defensively and look for pedestrians at the crosswalk before proceeding. Additionally, be aware that an examiner may fail you if you stop before making a right turn without a valid reason.
Yields: When approaching a yield sign, many drivers mistakenly believe a stop is required before the crosswalk to look for a safe gap in traffic. This is incorrect and will result in a demerit on your road test. You should only stop before the crosswalk if a pedestrian is approaching, waiting or occupying the crosswalk. Also, don’t stop at a yield if you have a safe gap in traffic.
Merging: Never stop in a merge, as this will result in an automatic failure on your test. Instead, use the acceleration lane to match the speed of the traffic. This ensures a smooth and safe merging process.
Left turns at green light (without arrow): In driving terminology, these are known as unprotected left turns. When approaching an intersection as the first vehicle, it is vital to wait within the intersection, with your vehicle's front wheels past the furthest line of the crosswalk. This strategic positioning allows you to complete your turn safely if the traffic signal changes to yellow or red. Nonetheless, caution is necessary, as oncoming traffic may not stop for a yellow light. Failure to properly position your vehicle within the intersection will result in an automatic failure on your driving test. It is important to remember that reversing or backing out of the intersection is not allowed. If the light turns yellow or red, you must complete the turn, but only when oncoming traffic is slowing or stopping, ensuring a safe passage.

COMMUNICATION

Signal use and timing: Ensure the use of correct turn signals well in advance but not so far in advance as to confuse other road users. For example: If you’re turning right at the next intersection and there are numerous lanes or driveways before you get there, wait until you’re close enough that people can see where you are planning to turn.
Cancel signal: Ensure you have cancelled your signal after completion of a maneuver. For example: Once you have completed your lane change, you must turn off your signal. Signals are important, they let other traffic know what you’re intending to do, however leaving your signal on will confuse other traffic of your intentions.

Hand signals: There could be times when your vehicle turn signals or brake lights may not work or be hard to see. For your road test, you must know your hand signals. The examiner will ask you to show your hand signals before starting your road test.
Lights: Headlights- We aren’t required by law to have our headlights on during the day, however it’s good practice to drive with them on. This gives you better visibility to see and be seen by other road users. Brake lights- These are visible when the brake is applied. Let others know you intend to slow down or stop by tapping lightly on your brake. This will activate your brake lights.
Horn: Useful communication tool to alert other drivers of possible hazards or danger. Use the horn when you can give a useful signal to other drivers and help prevent a crash.
Eye contact: You can often communicate with other road users by just using your eyes. When you see a pedestrian, make eye contact so they know you have seen them, and it’s safe for them to cross.

LAST TIP

Practice, practice, and practice.

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778-675-PASS (7277)