Checking blind spot - Finglas test center

skuldintape

I wonder if somebody (a tester for example) could help clear this up for me....

So when changing lanes, for example, going into a lane on my right, everybody (including instructors) has told me that you absolutely must check your blind spot over your right shoulder before proceeding. Ok. Fair enough. But I've done my test twice in Finglas and both times the testers (2 different ones) were extremely critical of this, saying my mirrors were sufficient and that I was taking my eyes off the scene in front of me. Can anybody clear up the ambiguity? The testers are the only persons I've ever met who've told me not to do it - and of course they're the ones who matter to me now. I'm terrified of not doing it during the next test and the tester marking me for NOT checking it.

Any advice appreciated.

caldew

The question has to be where is your blind spot? The blind spot is to the side of the car, not behind you. It is dangerous to turn and look behind you in a moving vehicle (especially with traffic ahead) and is not necessary if your mirrors are set correctly. A quick look to the side is all that is required to check your blind spot.

uli84

skuldintape wrote: »

I wonder if somebody (a tester for example) could help clear this up for me....

So when changing lanes, for example, going into a lane on my right, everybody (including instructors) has told me that you absolutely must check your blind spot over your right shoulder before proceeding. Ok. Fair enough. But I've done my test twice in Finglas and both times the testers (2 different ones) were extremely critical of this, saying my mirrors were sufficient and that I was taking my eyes off the scene in front of me. Can anybody clear up the ambiguity? The testers are the only persons I've ever met who've told me not to do it - and of course they're the ones who matter to me now. I'm terrified of not doing it during the next test and the tester marking me for NOT checking it.

Any advice appreciated.

Hi, got failed for that in Finglas and told same thing, wish you wrote that post before my exam as i would very likely have passed

MascotDec85

Quite simply DO NOT twist your upper body in your seat.
If you glance, about 90 degrees, briefly, you'll be fine.

skuldintape

Thanks for the advice guys, appreciated. I did look over my shoulder so that must havebbee to what they were referring. I'll switch to the quick shoulder glance now.

spider_pig

iv my test there this morning i failed in Dundalk for not checking my blind spots while turning left and right now this has me worried
iv been reading a lot on here and some people say do and others say dont
im lost

I can't tell you why

spider_pig wrote: »

iv my test there this morning i failed in Dundalk for not checking my blind spots while turning left and right now this has me worried
iv been reading a lot on here and some people say do and others say dont
im lost

It does not say on the page or your email that it was for not checking your blind spots, it will say observation. Look for who might be coming towards you. Look where you are going. Get the timing right for these and you will be fine. Timing is not something that can be explained on the internet. That's what ADIs are for.

spider_pig

I can't tell you why wrote: »

It does not say on the page or your email that it was for not checking your blind spots, it will say observation. Look for who might be coming towards you. Look where you are going. Get the timing right for these and you will be fine. Timing is not something that can be explained on the internet. That's what ADIs are for.

It was the tester himself who told me I never checked them when turning which led to grade 2 faults
But today in finglas I only checked when pulling away from the curb and changing lanes and I passed.
I had a lesson before my first test last week in dundalk to see my bad habits and was never told about blind spots while turning which I got a fail on

I can't tell you why

spider_pig wrote: »

It was the tester himself who told me I never checked them when turning which led to grade 2 faults
But today in finglas I only checked when pulling away from the curb and changing lanes and I passed.
I had a lesson before my first test last week in dundalk to see my bad habits and was never told about blind spots while turning which I got a fail on

Well done.
The testers can be really bad at explaining stuff sometimes.

J_R

I can't tell you why wrote: »

Well done.
The testers can be really bad at explaining stuff sometimes.

Hi,

Don't you mean Instructors. Examiners job is merely to observe the applicants driving, see if they are safe to be allowed unaccompanied on the road.

It is the instructors job to explain, in this case observation, the necessity and methods of making proper observations.

I can't tell you why

J_R wrote: »

Hi,

Don't you mean Instructors. Examiners job is merely to observe the applicants driving, see if they are safe to be allowed unaccompanied on the road.

It is the instructors job to explain, in this case observation, the necessity and methods of making proper observations.

No. I meant testers.

I quoted Spider_Pig "It was the tester himself who told me I never checked them ( the blind spots ) when turning." As a result of this statement Spider_Pig and many others would have been thinking they needed to do the same blind spot check for a turn as for moving off.

Many instructors do need to explain things better, true. But someone who has paid €85 for a test deserves a better explanation then they get from many tester.

J_R

I can't tell you why wrote: »

No. I meant testers.

I quoted Spider_Pig "It was the tester himself who told me I never checked them ( the blind spots ) when turning." As a result of this statement Spider_Pig and many others would have been thinking they needed to do the same blind spot check for a turn as for moving off.

Many instructors do need to explain things better, true. But someone who has paid €85 for a test deserves a better explanation then they get from many tester.

Hi,

knew that. But I thought it might be a nice non-confrontational way of pointing out to the OP (and some others) that their instructor was incompentent. It is unforgivable that an instructor would not have taught their pupils how to make the correct observations so that they could safely change lanes.

It is not the examiners job to teach the very basics of safe driving, but it definitely is the instructors.

I can't tell you why

J_R wrote: »

Hi,

knew that. But I thought it might be a nice non-confrontational way of pointing out to the OP (and some others) that their instructor was incompentent. It is unforgivable that an instructor would not have taught their pupils how to make the correct observations so that they could safely change lanes.

It is not the examiners job to teach the very basics of safe driving, but it definitely is the instructors.

Try saying what you mean to the people you want to say it to. That would probably be easier then quoting one person and criticising their perfectly valid statement. Testers can be bad at explaining stuff. They don't have to explain anything, but when they do some do it badly.
Also, you are an ex-ADI if I remember correctly. Did you never explain something to a customer only to have them forget it? It is possible that the words of a competent ADI have been forgotten.