Education Content

Teaching tips

The role of a supervising driver is a big responsibility and you may not feel adequately equipped. Rest assured your most valuable contribution to the learning process is your experience. Also, it is most likely that you already have an established relationship with your learner driver and are therefore in a position of influence in your learner’s life. You will however, be involved in teaching at some level and so these additional tips have been included to assist you in the teaching process. Above all, remember not to underestimate your power as a role model to your learner.

Keep it simple

A learner who is given too much information may have trouble completing all the required tasks. You need to make allowance for learners to process information at their own pace. 

Remember that you can’t expect a learner driver to do many things all at once. Also avoid detailed explanations and/or feedback when they are driving. Wait until the car is parked and then talk.

Stay calm

It’s very important to keep calm every time you’re on the road. On days when either of you feels tired or stressed, postpone the session. You’ll both perform better if you have a relaxed, friendly relationship. 

NOTE: Use a separate detachable mirror during lessons so you can see what is going on behind the car. Make sure the learner can see past your extra mirror.

Planning

Initial sessions will require some planning and structure. You will need to select an appropriate location and focus entirely on the needs of the learner throughout the entire process. Be prepared to swap seats so that you can take over the driving for busy or unusual traffic situations. As each learning goal is achieved driving sessions will become more ‘informal’ as the learner begins to gain experience by doing much of the normal day to day driving. Be prepared however, to continue to schedule sessions aimed at providing a broad range of learning experiences such as night driving, driving on country roads, or driving in busy city traffic.

Remember to take advantage of the conditions and ensure your learner gets some experience in a range of weather conditions.

Giving instructions

A learner needs very clear and specific instructions. You need to tell your learner what to do, but you also need to tell them where and sometimes when, to do it. Try to give directions early, allowing the learner time to think ahead and ask questions if necessary. Use the ‘at, when, do’ method (eg “at the next street, when there is a safe gap, turn right”), rather than general statements.

Maximise concentration

Ensure that, as a supervisor, your mobile phone is switched off so that you can give your full attention to supervising the learner driver. As a supervising driver your blood alcohol level must be under 0.05 and you must not be under the influence of drugs.

Steps in teaching

Although you are not expected to be a professional teacher, it is useful to have a basic structure to help your learner achieve their goals. This common five step model is simple and effective and can be modified to your, and your learner’s, own style.

Step 1: Explanation

• Explain what you are about to teach and why it is important.

• Outline the process in a logical order.

• Always ask for questions to check that your explanation is fully understood.

Step 2: Demonstration (you must drive)

• Show the learner exactly what you want done.

• Go through the steps slowly.

• Demonstrate any technique or correct procedure.

Step 3: Practice

• Check that the learner knows exactly what to do.

• Start with simple situations.

• Ask for an explanation of what the task involves.

• Allow several sessions to practise any new process.

Step 4: Feedback

Feedback should be:

• Positive. Give praise for tasks done well.

• Immediate. Always ask the learner to park first, and then provide feedback when something occurs. However, try to choose your time so you do not       interrupt their focus on driving tasks.

• Relevant. Try to keep feedback on the specific topic being covered. Too much correction can overload the learner and confuse the issue at hand.

• Specific. Avoid general statements such as “drive safely”, “drive smoothly” or “don’t speed”. Give details of particular actions, for example, “We should have slowed down for that last bend because we had limited vision.” Try to keep to the one key point that is most important.

Step 5: Recap

• Give a basic recap of the main points you covered in the session.

• Do not add any new information at this stage.

Teaching tips summary

• Choose locations and timing that suit the learner’s ability.

• Give specific directions using ‘at’, ‘when’, ‘do’ rather than general statements.

• Plan and prepare formal lessons that cover specific topics.

• Use the explanation, demonstration, practice, feedback and recap technique.

• Focus on one task at a time – don’t overload the learner with information.

• If you want to talk about a particular point, pull in and stop at the kerb and then talk.

• Allow for a learner to be slower than you in reacting to driving instructions. Never shout or reprimand and take a break if things get tense.

When you’re working with your learner driver:

1. If either you or the learner driver is tired, upset or stressed, reschedule the practice session to another time.

2. Try frequent, short practice sessions in the beginning.

3. Use the Learner Driver Log Book task key points and learning content as a guide to practice sessions.

4. Begin with the easiest tasks then, once they have been mastered, move to the more difficult tasks.

5. Discuss then demonstrate new tasks before getting the learner to attempt them.

6. Use ‘commentary driving’ – which involves the driver and passenger talking about what is happening inside and outside the vehicle.

7. Start the learner practising on quiet streets, preferably in daylight, before moving onto busier roads and more challenging conditions.

8. Allow the learner to proceed at his or her own pace.

9. Don’t criticise mistakes. Calmly discuss what happened and allow the learner to try again.

10. Be positive and offer praise when the learner successfully completes a task.

11. Impress upon the learner the importance of developing a sensitivity to speed. It is important that they realise that the faster a vehicle travels, the more difficult it becomes to respond to potential hazards. They should also realise that the faster a vehicle is travelling when involved in a crash, the more devastating the outcome.

12. Avoid using the radio, mobile phone or talking to other passengers while the learner is practising.

• Registration & Roadworthiness: The car must be currently registered and in a roadworthy condition.
• Physical Controls:
  • Handbrake: Must have a working handbrake located between the front seats where the assessor can easily reach it.
  • Mirrors: Side and rear-view mirrors must be in good working order.
  • Wipers & Demisters: Windscreen wipers and demisters must be functional.
• Visibility:
  • Windscreen: Must be clean and not cracked or obscured within the wiper arc.
  • Cleanliness: The car should be reasonably clean and tidy inside and out.
• Lights & Indicators: All brake, indicator (including side), and reverse lights must work correctly with no white light showing from the rear.
• Tyres: Must have a minimum tread depth of 1.5mm across the entire width and cannot be flat.
• Dashboard: No critical warning lights (e.g., Brake, ABS, SRS/Airbag, or red Stability Control) can be displayed. A low fuel light is also not accepted.

Before you can sit your P1 PDA, you must have a minimum of 15 hours driving experience at night (as part of the minimum 80 hours requirement), and record it in your logbook. Night includes any time from sunset to sunrise. Driving at night is not recommended until stage 3 of your learning .

When driving at night:

• slow down so you can scan to the sides of the road for hazards, look especially for animals that might run onto the road
• if your lights are on high beam, make sure you dip them at least 200m as other vehicles approach and when you are 200m behind a vehicle
• dip your headlights at the crest of hills and intersections avoid looking directly into oncoming lights by directing your eyes to the left of the road
• avoid glare from cars behind you by flipping the rear vision mirror to the night position (so that it gives you a reflection of the cars behind you)
• keep a lookout for other road users including pedestrians and cyclists - it can be hard to see at night
• keep your windscreen clean – it will make it much easier to see at night.

Remember, driving while tired can be dangerous. It is one of the leading causes of crashes on our roads. Although it is important to get practice at night, you should never drive while tired. If you show signs of tiredness, such as fidgeting in your seat or yawning, postpone your practice session.

What you need

• You can begin driving at night at anytime.

However, make sure you get plenty of practice when you are capable of driving in all traffic conditions so you can get the most out of your

night drive experiences.

Learning content

• Using the headlights.

• Using high beam.

• Use of driving/fog lights.

• Vision restrictions at night.

• Avoiding headlight glare from other vehicles, use of anti-glare mirror adjustment.

• Reducing speed when vision is reduced.

Facts and tips

• Night driving is a high risk time for provisional driver crashes. Gaining experience now will reduce the risk of a crash in the future.

• Fog lights may only be used in situations with limited vision (fog, rain, smoke). You must turn fog lights off once conditions improve.

You must complete at least 15 hours of driving at night.

Night means the period between sunset on one day and sunrise on the next.

The Tasmanian road rules are an invaluable safety measure that, when followed, save lives.

The Tasmanian Road Rules Handbook sets out the most common Tasmanian road rules in a series of diagrams and explanatory text.

Download a copy today:

https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/358278/413398_-_Tasmanian_Road_Rules_2022.pdf

To attempt the Hazard Perception Test you must

• hold a current learner licence and your earliest test date is no more than 3 months away, OR
• be transferring your overseas driver licence and have passed the driver knowledge test within the last 12 months.

Please enter your Tasmanian learner licence number and your Date of Birth, or your Client ID and Date of Birth. If you do not have a Tasmanian learner licence, or know your Client ID you will need to go to a Service Tasmania shop to prove your identity and obtain it. Service Tasmania locations can be found here.

To complete the Hazard Perception Test, please click the link below:
Plates Plus

If you are having difficulties please contact Service Tasmania.

You will be given 2 scenarios in the P1 assessment.

1. ‘Visit a friend’

Instructions: This involves you finding a safe spot to turn around, and then completing a reverse parallel park behind a vehicle parked up the street.

First driving task:

Turning around if necessary. The learner may choose to:

turn around using a driveway

do a 3-point turn

do a U-turn.

Second driving task:

Parking outside the house.

The learner will do a reverse parallel park.

2. ‘I left something behind’

Instructions: The supervisory driver will tell the learner they have just visited a friend’s house and remember they have left something behind at the house and need to go back to get it.

First driving task:

Turning around to go back. The learner may choose to:

turn around using a driveway

do a 3-point turn

do a U-turn.

Second driving task:

Turning around to park outside the house again. The learner may choose to:

turn around using a driveway

do a 3-point turn before parking at the start location

do a U-turn. 

Assessment Items:

1. Look

To meet the standard on look, you must:

› Look in the appropriate direction before moving off, turning or diverging and any other situation that requires it

› Look in appropriate direction again if there has been a significant pause since previous look Ensure your head and eye movements match the situation and allow you time to respond safely to your environment

› Check mirrors often enough to remain aware of following traffic

› Check mirrors before braking › Look at appropriate mirror(s) before moving off, turning or diverging and any other situation that requires it.

2. Signal

To meet the standard on signal, you must:

› Use the correct indicator for an appropriate duration before moving off, turning or diverging

› Ensure indicator is turned off after manoeuvre is completed

› Reapply the indicator if it self-cancels before a manoeuvre is completed

 3. Flow

To meet the standard on flow, you must:

› Start the vehicle and move off without delay

› Prepare for a manoeuvre by monitoring traffic and obeying road markings and road signs

› Select an appropriate location and gap in traffic to perform a manoeuvre

› Start each manoeuvre promptly

› Join parts of the manoeuvre together and link manoeuvres together smoothly

› Fit in with traffic flow, including driving at a speed that would allow other traffic to travel at a safe and reasonable speed

› Stop and remain stopped until it’s time to proceed. If there is a gap safe for a manoeuvre, you maintain a continuous flow and don’t come to a stop unnecessarily

› Obey the road rules › Drive without assistance where appropriate

4. Movement

To meet the standard on movement, you must:

› Make sure each car movement is in the right direction, and the car doesn’t move more than 30cm in the wrong direction

› Drive the car so that it starts moving or changes speed smoothly

› Brake so that the car comes to a smooth stop

› Brake mainly in a straight line and vary brake pressure according to the road surface

› Travel within the speed limit, but not too quickly or unreasonably slowly for the conditions

› Maintain an appropriate following distance

› Stop accurately, safely, legally and remain stopped as required

 5. Path

To meet the standard on path, you must:

› Choose the best path on the road and maintain it during manoeuvres, turns and curves

› Respond quickly to deviations from the ideal path

› Adjust the path to suit the situation

› Approach parking and U-turn manoeuvres in a way that allows them to be completed smoothly and finish in the correct position (P1 only)

› Select the most suitable location perform a manoeuvre, where it makes sensible use of space and minimises the delay to other road users and the time spent on the wrong side of the road

› Use the most travelled section of the road, including driving in the centre of marked lanes

› Maintain a legal path.

 6. Responsiveness

To meet the standard on responsiveness, you must:

› Drive at a speed that would allow you to avoid hazards that could be expected in that area

› Adjust your speed appropriately as you approach new or changing driving environments

› Adjustments are timely and at a frequency consistent with the environment

› Position the car suitably for the environment

› Respond appropriately to hazards posing a real or potential threat

› Ease off the accelerator for an appropriate duration before a known hazard and cover the brake when necessary

› Accelerate if moving away from the hazard will achieve a safer outcome.

7. Vehicle management

To meet the standard on vehicle management, you must:

› Ensure the cabin and occupants are safe

› Adjust the mirrors for the best view of traffic

› Adopt and maintain an effective driving posture

› Respond to appropriate warning lights

› Use required controls, switches and pedals correctly

› Steer and use gears in a way that demonstrates effective control

The testing officer will also observe and record some of these driving tasks:

• Seat posture and steering set-up, allow good control of the vehicle.

• Operate accelerator smoothly, when accelerating and decelerating.

• Operate brakes smoothly and effectively.

• Coordinate clutch and gear lever to make smooth gear changes.

• Select appropriate gears for driving, coming to a stop and parking.

• Avoid over-revving on take-off and gear changes.

• Seat belt correctly fastened, fitted and adjusted (low, flat and firm).

• Apply a brake when starting the vehicle.

• Prevent rolling back when starting on hills.

• Correct park brake use securing the vehicle and full release to drive.

• Steer with both hands on the outside of the steering wheel (except to use other controls), with either ‘hand-over-hand’ or the ‘pull-push’ method.

• Use other controls such as indicators, windscreen wipers and demisters.

You must be confident using and operating the controls without being distracted.

This includes maintaining a steady speed and avoiding over-revving when taking off. If driving a manual car, change gears at a lower engine speed (revs).