Learn how to reverse along a curb for the purposes of a driver's test in California.
How To Reverse Along A Curb in California
Closed Caption
Introduction
- Hi there smart drivers? It's Rick, with Smart Drive Test, talking to you today about, reversing.
Specifically reversing along a curb, for the purposes of a driver's test.
Now, just before we get started here, be sure to hit that subscribe button right about there.
That way you'll get access to all of the information as I get it available for you, for those of you working towards passing a road test, or starting your career as a truck or bus driver.
Now, reversing for the purposes of a driver's test, I watched a video the other day about a road test in California.
I think somebody snuck a camera into the car and recorded the driver's test.
Because recording devices are not allowed on a road test.
But they did and during the road test, the examiner had the student pull over to the curb and reverse along the curb, for the purposes of demonstrating that they could back up.
Go Slower to Go Faster
So, if you've been watching any of my videos up until this point, you know, that I emphasize slow speed maneuvers and particularly slow speed maneuvers in a parking lot, for the purposes of not only learning how to drive, but to accelerate your learning for the purposes of driving.
So, this is another exercise that you can do.
Simply go out to a quiet residential area and practice backing up along the curb.
And I'm going to give you a couple of pointers for that today because if you go too close to the curb, you potentially could get jammed up against the curb.
So, I'm going to show you how that you don't get jammed up to the curb and I would suggest that you go and get some of those 36 inch tall, one meter pylons.
Back up straight along those before you go out and try this with the curb, go and find an alleyway and practice backing up for long distances on the alleyway, and then go to a residential area and try backing up along the curb.
So, that's what we're going to talk about today, stick around, we'll be right back with that information.
- Hi, there smart drivers, welcome back, Rick, with Smart Drive Test, talking to you today about reversing for the purposes of a road test.
Practice Backing in a Straight Line in the Parking Lot
As I said in the introduction, I was watching a road test in California, where the examiner got the student to pull up along the curb and then reverse along the curve for a period of time.
Now, I wouldn't suggest that you go and do this right off.
I would suggest that you practice these other exercises that I'm going to give you.
First, go and rent some of those 36 inch, one meter tall pylons, as you can see here in the image, and back up along on either side of those, with both the passenger side of the vehicle and the driver's side of the vehicle.
And get comfortable with that, and then go out and find an alleyway or a quiet residential street that you can practice backing up for long distances.
And I'll put a card up here in the corner for you on both of those videos, for the fundamentals of driving and reversing and backing up and if they're not up in the corner here, look down in the description and I'll put them down there as well for you for reversing.
Approaching the Curb - Close, but NOT too close
Now, as you're preparing to pull into the curb, you need to signal, mirror, shoulder check when you pull into the curb.
To make sure there isn't anybody there or the road users, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, and those types of things.
And the other key to this, is not to get too close to the curb because if you get too close to the curb.
What's going to happen is, if you try and move the back end away from the curb, the front end of the vehicle is going to go into the curb.
Going In 2 Different Directions at the Same Time
Because you're going to turn your steering wheel this way, the front of the car is going to go this way, and the back of the car is going to go this way.
So, what is going to happen potentially is that you could get the front wheels up over the curb.
So, you don't want to be too close to the curb because you want a bit of wiggle room there and if you get too close, you're going to get jammed up.
So, what we're going to do here is, we're going to turn the cameras on and the Dash cam and the Speedo cam and we're going to show you how to do this quickly, how to back up along a curb.
As I said, if you've practiced with the pylons and you've backed, practiced backing up in an alleyway for a good distance.
And done that a fair bit of a couple of times, then this is going to be fairly easy for you and shouldn't be too difficult.
Communicate With Other Road Users that You're Doing Something Unpredictable
Now, one other thing that I will suggest, if you are on a public roadway, activate your four-way flashers if you're backing up.
I know that your reverse lights are on, but that flashing of the four-way flashers is going to get the attention of other traffic.
It's just another safety feature that you can do to keep yourself safe while you're doing this, whether it's on a road test or otherwise.
So, the examiner's indicated that we're going to pull over to the side of the road, mirror, signal, shoulder check, and we come to a stop.
The examiner's indicated that we're going to reverse, so, we don't have to put it in park, we don't have to secure the vehicle.
So, you put the vehicle into reverse, look back, 360° degree scan.
Make sure there isn't any, aren't any other vehicles, activate your four-way flashers so other vehicles know what you're doing.
And you simply start to reverse along the curb in a straight line.
If you're driving a manual transmission, let the clutch out all the way and just let it idle back and if you're driving an automatic transmission.
You won't have to give it a very much throttle, you'll just have to give it a little bit of throttle, you just have to feather the throttle.
Backing Up Along the Curb
You don't want to get too close to the curb and you can just check how far you are from the curb in the passenger side, behind there every once in a while.
You'll just glance in it, straight back, backing up, looking back, and you're going to hold the steering wheel fairly static.
You don't have to move it very much, just a little bit and then you come back.
The examiner indicates that you stop and you've come to a stop, turn off your four-way flashers.
The examiner's indicated that you're going to go, put the vehicle into a forward gear in an automatic transmission.
Leaving the Curb and Proceeding
Put it in drive, signal, mirror, signal, shoulder check, and you proceed, when the way is clear and the way is clear and we proceed.
And that's simply how you reverse along a curb.
A quick review of reversing along a curb.
Don't try and do that first off.
You go to a parking lot, rent some of those 36 inch meter tall, one meter tall pylons, and practice with those.
That way, if you hit one, it's not a big deal.
You know, if you hit the curb, you may scratch the tire or scratch the rim, worse and if you got your dad's new car with the good-looking rims on it, dad or mom may not be too excited about that.
So, practice with those pylons first, as well, find one of these alleyways here behind me, they're really good for learning how to back up for a distance and as I said, when you learn how to back up and you become proficient at backing up the vehicle, it's going to accelerate your overall learning.
So, I do advocate this as one of the learning tools that will help you to learn how to drive and figure out where the vehicle is, in space and place, as well, to understand the blind areas around your vehicle.
And when you're reversing along a curb, the most difficult challenges.
Because the second biggest blind spot is out in your passenger side.
This is for those sitting on, driving on the left side of the road and for those of us on the right side of the road, it's going to be over there.
So, you need to understand that blind area over on the passenger side of the vehicle.
And I'll put the video up in the corner here on blind spots and understanding the blind areas around your vehicle and how important they are, when you're learning how to drive.
Now, just a couple of other things about driver's tests.
You can't use a back up camera for the purposes of your driver's test.
And the reason for that is because authorities are thinking that you're going to move around between different vehicles for the purposes of your driving career, which you probably are.
And not all of these vehicles are going to have back up cameras, so, they want you to look out the back window.
Leave your seatbelt on for the duration of your driver's test - even when you're reversing.
Now, the other thing I have said in the reversing video, is that you can take off your seatbelt for the purposes of reversing and yes, you can, according to the legislation, however, the feeling that I've got over the course of the last year or taking that video, is that just because you can, doesn't mean you should, and I wouldn't advocate it for the purposes of a road test, but know that after the road test, most of the legislation in the world, does allow you to take your seatbelt off for the purposes of reversing.
The problem with new drivers is that there's so much going on, especially on a road test, that oftentimes you forget to put it back when you put the vehicle in a forward motion and if you don't put your seatbelt on when the vehicle is in a forward motion, unfortunately, that's an automatic fail on a road test.
So, I wouldn't advocate you taking your seat belt off for the purposes of a road test, even though most of the legislation in the world does allow you to do that.
There's an exemption that when you're reversing, you don't have to take your seatbelt off.
Question for my smart drivers.
Do you reverse and do you feel that you are good at being able to back up your vehicle?
Leave a comment down in the comment section there.
All of that helps out the new drivers learning how to drive.
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Check out all the videos here on the channel if you're working towards a license or starting a career as a truck or bus driver, lots of great information here as well.
Head over to the Smart Drive Test website, great information over there and awesome online courses that you can purchase.
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As well, later this summer, we're bringing out '' Air Brakes Explained Simply,'' it's a manual that updates the 40 year old Air Brake Manual, currently in circulation.
As well, there's a hundred multiple choice Air brake questions that you'll be asked on a CDL Air brake, both for a practical and a theory.
I'm Rick, with Smart Drive Test, thanks very much for watching.
Good luck in your road test and remember, pick the best answer, not necessarily the right answer.
Have a great day.
Bye now.
And the examiner's indicated that we stop backing up, pushing the clutch, use the brake and come to a stop.
And that's all there is to it.
