INDEPENDENT DRIVING TO UK DRIVING TEST IN NORTHERN IRELAND

From the 27th June, your driving test will consist of Independent Driving.  In this part of your test, you drive for approximately ten minutes without step-by-step direction from your Examiner. You will asked to be either follow a series of directions, following traffic signs or both.  To help you understand where you are going, your examiner will show you a diagram.  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.  It is not a test of orientation or navigation skills, it is about making your own decisions, which includes deciding when it is safe.  If you need confirmation of where you are going, you Examiner will confirm this for you.  If you go off the route, it won’t affect the result of your test unless you commit a driving fault.  If you go off route or take a wrong turn, your examiner will get you back on route.   These skills will help prepare you to make better decisions for yourself when you pass your driving test.