General Notes

Parking... Feb. 29, 2020

1 Training Site for Parallel Parking portion - Cumming Fairgrounds

2 Jeromy's rules - "don’t hit light posts or another car"
3 Seat Belts - Driver to advise all passengers to buckle up before starting the car
4 Driver Seat position - 8-10 inches away from steering wheel airbag
5 Vehicle Controls - Driver to get familiar with seat functions, steering wheel and other controls
6 Mirrors - Adjust before starting the car
7 Starting the car - foot on brake pedal before putting vehicle into drive
8 Foot position - work on comfortable foot position - should be behind brake pedal
and then pivot to the gas pedal - use big toe
9 Steering through turns
1. Hand to hand
2. Hand over hand
10 Handy acronym to remember - RSL - use during parallel parking training
R - Right turn
S - Straight Use diagram for the course layout
L - Left turn
11 Turn Signal - Go over best method to use
12 Steering Wheel - How to know when wheel is straight - big open position on steering wheel
13 Steering wheel - will turn 1.5 times to the right and 1.5 times to the right
Three complete turns from full left to full right

Wheels are in straight alignment,

when steering wheel is in this position

AA Academy of Action
Driving School
 DDS - Parking Skills
1 Parallel Parking - 8 points RSL Technique

(2.5 parking spaces) Right Turn Signal

22 feet 3rd cone Roll forward towards the front cone
Stay 2 - 3 feet away from cones on your RS
Line up front cone in RS rear small window
R - Turn wheel full right and start backing in
10 feet Stop when you see 3rd cone in LS mirror
Front cone S - Straighten wheel 2 turns, back into space until the
front cone approaches RF wheel well
L - 3rd turn - full left
Center car evenly in space - Park - RS mirror aligned with cone
Leaving….
Move forward and then roll back with wheel full right
Left turn signal and look over left shoulder
Wheel full left
Look over shoulder for traffic and pull out of space

2 Turnabout - 6 Points
(1.5 Parking Spaces)
12 feet Start 6 feet away from front cones
Pass by Front cone until it disappears in RR window
Signal, reverse, lock wheel full Right
Look over inside shoulder
15 feet Straighten wheel and back up
Leaving….
front cone Signal on
Look left, right, left, right
Clear the cone and pull out

3 Reverse - 6 Points

20 feet
Reverse
Left hand on wheel - 12 o'clock

Turn hips
Hand on passenger seat
50 feet Look back

Keep looking back until after braking and car is stopped

 Road Course Training

1 Always be positive and drive defensively

2 Signal at least 100 feet before any turn

3 Fluent use of gas pedal, brakes and steering wheel

4 Automatic failure on yellow turned to Red

5 Fail if Instructor "spills coffee" - rough ride!!!…

6 Smooth use of steering wheel - two methods

Hand to hand Hand over hand

7 Always stay behind white line at traffic signals

8 Auditor will warn you once or twice about your speed, but not more than twice…

9 Count to 2 on all stops -always look both ways...

10 Where to keep your eyes on curves - "between mustard and mayo" - a little humor…

Another words - between the yellow centerline and white edge line

11 Right of way has to be given, it can not be taken away

12 If there is a short turning lane, look back to make sure someone did not get in early

into turning lane…

13 Not stopping at Red Light and inching up is not good

14 Do not talk to Instructor during road test - he/she is busy jotting down your performance

15 Big three major driving items are:

1. Looking over shoulder in blind spots

2. Using signals

3. Appropriate Speed

16 If you will be turning left within one mile, it is ok to stay in left lane

AA Academy of Action
 Key Points
Driving within Fowler Park
1 Drive slowly… 15 mph in the Park
2 Speed bumps - brake then roll over speed bump
3 Ensure all passengers are buckled up - same as on roadway

"SLOW' "SLOW"

"SLOW"
4 Stay close to the center yellow lines - eye ball the yellow line off your left knee
5 Cars can react - trees can't - that why stay closer to center yellow lines rather than the shoulder
6 Down hill - don’t have to use gas much - gravity will do the work...
7 When no lines in roadway, you have to judge RS + LS distances
8 "Ground Viewing" - to see people or shadows walking in-between vehicles in the park
9 Hand over hand turns - a lot of times, the car will do the work for you
10 "No points off for waiting" - always points off for not signaling
11 Never trust someone's blinker - wait, watch their wheels to see if they are actually going to turn
12 Get confident pulling out onto roadway
13 Driver with 10 hrs road experience, can do 6 hours in this order:
a. Long Drive b. Parking c. Parking and Road Course
14 Ask Yourself - How do I feel when someone is behind me?
If you are nervous? --- keep this in mind - "Lions are not concerned about sheep"!
Another words - build your confidence by practicing…
15 Drive in your subdivision a lot to gain confidence.
16 Instructors will let you know when you're doing things well - ex. Your speed, braking, use of steering wheel!
17 On a trip, stop every 2 hours - get gas and refresh…
18 The faster one goes, the smaller the wheel corrections…
19 Check your speed on straight away - not on curves…(dangerous)
20 When you see a yellow sign with speed limit on it - it is a suggested speed limit…
21 Practice changing lanes:
1. slow down 2. look over shoulder 3. then go into the lane
22 "This car only has 4 squirrels running it, you have to wake up the 4th one when going up hill.
Another words - car has 4 cylinders - smoothly step on gas when going up hill...
23 "How are you feeling"…You will know when you feel confident…
24 Reason for stopping at white line -
If big trailer wants to make LH turn into your opposing lane , he may hit you if you're past the line
25 Point of decision based on your speed - going into a yellow traffic light
Light stays yellow for 3 seconds
Then 2 seconds for the red light change to green, for the stopped cars
 Key Points
Driving
Total of 5 seconds to go green through within
a yellow Fowler
light - (Stop at aPark
traffic signal and observe it)…
 Road Test Auditor
Advice to Students

Merging Into Traffic Signal, Use Mirrors, Look over Shoulder, then Go...

Speeding 1 mph over will cost you

Too Slow 5 or miles below speed minimum

25 mph Adhering to this is toughest part for students

Stops Make sure to look Left, Right then Go…

R-Turn on Red Only after a complete stop

Parallel Parking "It's easy" - this section accounts for only 8 points
Any Traffic Violation Any traffic violation during test is an automatic fail
Anytime Instructor has to
grab wheel or use brake Is an automatic fail
Total Points on Test 100 Points

Minimum Points Needed 75 points to pass

Yellow Light If light turns yellow while car is in intersection - failure

Back up Cameras Yes you can use it

Notes: * There is a fine line between confidence and cocky

"Don’t cross the line"…
* City of Cumming all traffic is 25 mph unless otherwise posted

AA Academy of Action
Driving School
 20 Important Points

Basic Examiner does not expect a perfect score

They are not there to pass or fail students
They are there to assess adequate skills to drive
They just don’t look for proper driving mechanics
They look for other clues for overall picture of driving capability
a. Command you show over your vehicle
b. They make sure you have proper awareness of your surroundings
General
Considerations Body Language - How you present yourself
Know what to do and do it with conviction
Turn your head to see BLIND SPOT…
Arrive at test well rested and prepared
When parked, always have your park brake on.
Good examiners if on before you start engine
Know where all your controls are
Demonstrate proper hand signals in the event it is needed
Double Check the following:
Turn signals, headlights, tail lights, brake lights
Wipers, horn, front and rear defroster
Hazard lights, tires, windows and mirrors
20
Important Tips
1 Use mirrors every 2-5 sec. and every time you apply the brakes
2 Scan, Scan, Scan - exaggerate moving your head
Check for vehicles, bicycles and hazards, pedestrians
3 Check your Speed - Going too Slow, too fast - Stay with the flow of traffic
Points will be deducted if you are more than 5 mph over/under posted speed
Unless hazards are present - rain, snow, debris, bicycles, etc…
4 Maintain Constant speed during lane changes
Do not slow down during lane change - shows lack of confidence
5 Never drive in Left Lane - can cause Road Rage
6 Do not Tailgate - use the 3 second rule
7 S.M.O.G. -- Signal, look into mirrors, look over shoulder then GO….
8 Stay in your lane when turning - turn into your corresponding lane
9 Special middle turn lane - enter only 200 feet before the turn
10 BE RIGHT - STAY RIGHT
11 Back up Safely - Turn hip and look rearward, right hand on passengers seat
12 Freeway - never straddle two lanes
13 Intersections
Come to a complete stop behind the line
If behind a vehicle, need to be able to see the car's tires touching ground
14 Special Right Turns with elevated concrete barriers -
Do not need to stop unless there is a pedestrian crossing the road
15 Right Turn on Red Light - only after a complete stop
16 Red Arrow Lights - Can not turn on this
17 Turning Left on Green Solid light at intersection - Yield Right of Way to oncoming traffic
18 Turning Left on Green Arrow - You have Right of Way
19 Merge vs. Yield Signs
Merge is yellow - enter flow of traffic with caution
Yield has a little Red in it - might have to stop, slow down and wait for traffic to pass
 20 Important Points
20 A Complete Stop - press firmly on brake