Driving School
The Driving Test (Ayr)
From the 11th Oct 2010, A new multi purpose test centre opened in Ayr, (Ayr MPTC) and is situated in Boundary Road, Heathfield, (behind Home and Garden).
Your driving test will start with an eyesight check and some vehicle safety questions. You will then start your practical driving test which might include an emergency stop (one in three tests) and one manoeuvre.
New Driving Test !From the 4th Oct 2010, the driving test has two major changes from the old test, a new element called Independent Driving, and candidates will be required to do only one manoeuvre out of a possible four, instead of two out of three.
Independent Driving:
For about 10 minutes of the test you'll be asked to drive on your own without any help from the examiner while the car is moving. The examiner will ask you to park the car and then will give you up to 3 directions to follow such as "Take the next left, 2nd right then 3rd right". They may alternatively just ask you to drive to the nearest train station or an area of the city which will be sign posted. You do not need to know the area, read maps or use a sat nav. Any locations you're asked to drive to will be signed. The examiner could ask you to park, and then repeat this process, two, or even three times in the 10 minutes time slot, and at the end will let you know the independent driving part of the test is finished. This has been designed with dyslexia and other conditions in mind do don't worry if you have to ask for more help.
To help you understand where you’re going, the examiner may show you a diagram, (example on right, click for bigger image) It doesn't matter if you don't remember every direction, or if you go the wrong way - that can happen to the most experienced drivers. Independent driving is not a test of your orientation and navigation skills. Driving independently means making your own decisions - this includes deciding when it’s safe and appropriate to ask for confirmation about where you’re going. |
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The Independent Driving Route If you ask for a reminder of the directions, the examiner will confirm them to you.
If you go off the independent driving route it won’t affect the result of your test unless you commit a driving fault. If you go off the route or take a wrong turning, the examiner will help you to get back on the route and continue with the independent driving.
If there are poor or obscured traffic signs, the examiner will give you directions until you can see the next traffic sign - you won’t need to have a detailed knowledge of the area.
"What manoeuvre am I likely to get?" You might get a bay parking manoeuvre right at the start of the test, in which case you will not get another manoeuvre during the test.
If the opportunity
to do either the turn in the road, parallel park, or reverse round a corner does'nt arise during the driving test, then you know that you will be doing the bay park exercise when you get back to the test centre at the end of the test, either way, the bay park manoeuvre will only be done in the test centre car park.
The test takes roughly about 40 mins depending on road and traffic conditions. Throughout the test the examiner will be looking for an overall safe standard of driving, including when you are carrying out the set exercises. You are allowed up to 15 driving faults (16 or more results in failure). However, if you commit one serious or dangerous fault you will fail the test.
More information on the Car Practical Test can be found here