There are four cones, plus a nose cone. The rectangle is 20′ feet long and 9′ feet wide. The nose cone is out another 20′ feet in the centre of the rectangle. You’re best chance of success is with a mid-sized car.

Introduction to Ohio Maneuverability

Hi there, Smart Driver. Talking to you today about the Ohio Maneuverability Test, step-by-step instructions. This is an awesome exercise for new drivers and those learning to drive, not just for those in Ohio.

having the cones set up for the Ohio Maneuverability.

The examiner will tell you to go either right or left of the nose cone for the Ohio maneuverability test.

The Ohio Maneuverability Test, for those of you there in the state of Ohio, if you fail this portion of your driver’s test, the part that sucks is that you’ve got to take an online course before you can come back and try it again.

So make sure that you practice this and are able to do it well. You practice this a few times, spend two or three hours doing this, getting the cones. It’s going to be easy and you’re going to nail this. First time doing your driver’s test and you’re going to be successful.

Where Are the Cones

What are the measurements for the Ohio maneuverability test?

The cone configuration is the same for every driver’s test doing the Ohio Maneuverability in the state of Ohio.

There’s four cones, and a nose cone. The two cones are 20 feet apart and the nose cone is out another 20 feet, and the cones are nine feet apart. So if you’re taking a bigger vehicle, this is going to be a bit tougher. You’re going to want to take it in a mid-sized car.

Small Details That Will Guarantee You Pass

The next thing I want you to do is put a piece of tape on the top of your steering wheel, so you can keep track of where your steering wheel is, and you can see here in the dash cam that the truck is here, and will show you where the center of the hood is.

When learning to drive put a piece of tape at the top of the steering wheel to know if your steer tires are straight at a glance.

When learning to drive, put a piece of tape at the top of your steering wheel to know where your steer tires are at a glance.

The first thing you want to do, obviously, is put your seatbelt on. Make sure that every time you change direction when you’re doing your slow-speed maneuvers, for the purposes of your driver’s test, that you signal forward and reverse. It’s a great rule of thumb to signal anytime you change direction of the vehicle.

Next, we’ll take the parking brake off.  Make sure you apply the parking brake as well for the purposes of your driver’s test, every time you stop the vehicle and are going to leave, secure with the parking brake.

The other piece that I learned from Smart Drivers recently is that when you come up to the nose cone, you’ve got to stop, so the rear of the vehicle is in line with the nose cone.

When you back out of the cones, you have to stop so the front of the vehicle is in line with the back cones. We get lined up, centered up through the cones here, and then we move forward. Basically all you want to do once you get to the front cones here is when they’re at the mirrors.

Remember, the mirrors are the farthest part of your vehicle, as they’re the widest part.

Then we signal to the left, we’re going to go left, and we turn the steering wheel approximately one revolution until that cone is right in the front corner. We turn it back, straighten the vehicle out, and come forward as we watch this cone here.

Activate the turn signal in the direction you're moving the vehicle - both going forward and in reverse.

Activate the turn signal in the direction you’re moving the vehicle – both going forward and in reverse.

We can see just in the back corner there that we’re in line with the back column. Come to a stop, into reverse. As we watch, we’re going straight back, we have our piece of tape at the top of our steering wheel. Go back until the cone is about halfway down the vehicle. Then turn the steering wheel one revolution.

Look in the mirror, and we can see that cone, and we can see this cone. Now, bring the steering wheel back to straight, and go back until the nose cone is at the front of the vehicle. Move the steering wheel to the left a little bit, while we’re looking in our mirrors, and we’re looking back.

You can use a backup camera to reverse on a driver's test, but NOT as your primary line of sight.

If your vehicle is fitted with a backup camera, use it as you would your mirrors, but NOT as your primary line of sight.

You Can Use Your Backup Camera

When it comes to using your backup camera, you are allowed. Use them as you would your mirrors, don’t rely on them as your primary visin. Like mirrors, you can check what you’re doing, but use primary things like shoulder checks and turning your head to look out the rear window. Now, you can utilize the backup camera if you have one.

Straighten your wheel out. Remember, the wing mirrors are the farthest, the widest part of the vehicle. Again, as you’re doing this, make sure you’re checking back. We’re in line, straight back. When we back up, and remember, we have to stop the front of the car in line with these cones.

So as soon as it comes past the eighth pillar here, the post, as I call it, we just stop right there and we’re in line with the cones.

We’re going to go up and do it one more time, and we’re going to go to the right of the pylons this time.

Backing through the pylons for the Ohio maneuverability test. A great exercise to learn how to drive.

Reversing for the Ohio Maneuverability Test is the most challenging. Stay tight to the driver’s side and the other side will look after itself.

So now we back up again, looking out at the back, checking our backup camera. As before, we get centered. Alright, now go forward, and then if you’re parked you put the parking brake off, get centered between the cones, while moving forward.

Straight, keeping our wheels straight, wing mirrors, we’re at the wing mirrors with the post, signal to the right. One revolution of the steering wheel. When the nose cone is right there in the front corner, we turn back. The cone is about halfway down the vehicle. Straighten the wheel out, and we can move up right there.

In the box for the Ohio Maneuverability Test and the examiner indicates for you to drive right past the nose cone.

Touching a cone on the Ohio maneuverability test is an automatic fail on your driver’s test.

Now, we’re in line with the back cone. Signal to the left, because we’re going to go to the left. Into reverse, and looking back over our shoulder.

We bring the cone halfway down the vehicle, halfway down the vehicle, one revolution to the left, and we’re looking in our mirrors, we’re looking back.

I can see the post here, or the cone here. I can see it there, I see it back there. I bring my steering wheel back to straight, okay? Tape at the top, right there. I can see that cone in both mirrors. Next, I bring my vehicle while I turn the steering wheel approximately one revolution.

When doing the Ohio Manoeuvrability Test the driver goes either left or right of the nose cone and stops with the rear of the vehicle in line with the cone.

Spend a considerable amount of time practicing the Ohio maneuverability test and you will become a safer, smarter driver overall.

Right there, I look forward and I can see that I’m straight. This is when I straighten my wheel out by bringing my tape back to the top. The back cones are visable in the mirrors. I’ve gone past nice and slow.

You don’t want to rush this, because the slower you go, the sharper the vehicle turns, and the more time you have to adjust the vehicle in between the cones.

Once again, we’re backing up, we’re backing up, we look out here. We’re just past, and I can see the cone past the eight pillar here. I just come down and I stop, so it’s in line with the bumper. That’s all there is to doing the Ohio Maneuverability Test!

Hitting a cone when practicing the Ohio manoeuvrability test is part of the learning.

When PRACTICING the Ohio maneuverability test, hitting a cone is not a bad thing.

Conclusion

Practice this. For those of you in the Buckeye, you need to have this, you need to nail this. Otherwise you’ve got to do that stupid online course, and that’s a real pain in the bunchkin, okay? Talking about your butt. wink

Do these practices, it’s really easy. For those of you in other places in the world, other states in the US, and provinces in Canada, it’s an excellent exercise for teaching you where your vehicle is in relation to other road users and other fixed objects, and mastery of the primary controls.

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And remember, pick the best answer, not necessarily the right answer.

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