Manual vs. Automatic

Nan, most roads here are giveways (triangles), so you can headout without stopping if it's safe. Stop signs mean you must stop and look.  Quite rare, but they do exist. 

Okie dokie. (Thank goodness I drove a manual for years, then!).

I am doing the online practice hazard tests now, and not doing terribly well. It seems I identify the hazard before the computer thinks it's a hazard. I guess that I should just plan on clicking several times for each perceived hazard, then, to make sure that at least one of them gets in the scoring box?

I made sure to watch the replay to see where they expected me to click, then slowed down my reaction time. It went from not doing well to high scores fairly quickly.


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Okie dokie. (Thank goodness I drove a manual for years, then!).

I am doing the online practice hazard tests now, and not doing terribly well. It seems I identify the hazard before the computer thinks it's a hazard. I guess that I should just plan on clicking several times for each perceived hazard, then, to make sure that at least one of them gets in the scoring box?

Yeah I sort of clicked a few times. It's just about practising the timing to your clicks (will be trial and error really). I clicked when I first spotted it, then waited a second or two and clicked again, then clicked a third time when it was glaringly obvious.

Ok, I have been studying the driving test guide all afternoon.

Zebra = striped crossing, like on Abby Road Album Cover. You only stop if someone steps into it.

Zebra crossing - no traffic lights to tell you to stop, but be ready to slow and stop if a pedestrian is waiting at a zebra. In the UK, most motorists will always stop when people are waiing, or risk abuse from other motorists and those waiting to cross.  It doesn't work like that with motorists in other EU countries.
Pedestrians are meant to wait until the cars stop, but if they put a foot on the zebra or start to cross, then you MUST stop, although politeness means you will have already stopped.

Pedestrians always have the right of way on the roads.

Pelican = you push a button to change the light to let you go. If someone pushes the button, you follow the lights' directions.
Toucan = the same as Pelican except that bikes can ride across?

No. These follow the normal traffic light stages, but Pelicans have a flashing amber light stage, when you might be able to go if there is no pedestrian crossing, but must still stop if a pedestrian is still crossing.
Toucan, puffin and equestrtrain crossings don't have the flashing amber light stage
 It's the pedestrians who push the button and the motorists and bike riders must obey the lights.

Basically, the same as traffic lights, but Pelicans have a flashing amber light, which means  you can go if pedestrian aren't still crossing. If you are waiting on the lights at a crossing and a flashing amber light comes on, then you are at a pelican crossing and will be able to drive if the crossing is clear of pedestrian, wtihout waiting for green. Otherwise, wait for the green light to be able to go.


Highway code 192 - 199
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/using-the-road-159-to-203

Use these crossings as a pedestrian, so you can take your time knowing how they all work. Then driving near these will be easy.

Yeah, KoD, I was kind of getting that. I see a tractor that had been running parallel with the road disappear behind a dip and note an entrance to the road in the general area it was traveling and click "hazard."  Like 5 seconds later the tractor appears coming onto the road and I guess it's THEN I'm supposed to notice it.   I'll keep taking the video tests. And click more than once, but not tooo much.

https://www.theory-test-online.co.uk/free-hazard-perception-test-demo.htm


Scott - yeah, no problem with standards. I drove standards exclusively until about 1996, when I switched over to automatic because 1) that was the cheapest car for sale in town and then later 2) because stop and go on the freeway is a pain in the tush if you're always having to shift up and down.

Zebra crossing - no traffic lights to tell you to stop,

Got it. I use one by the house all the time.

No. These follow the normal traffic light stages, but Pelicans have a flashing amber light stage, when you might be able to go if there is no pedestrian crossing, but must still stop if a pedestrian is still crossing.
Toucan, puffin and equestrtrain crossings don't have the flashing amber light stage
 It's the pedestrians who push the button and the motorists and bike riders must obey the lights.

Basically, the same as traffic lights, but Pelicans have a flashing amber light, which means  you can go if pedestrian aren't still crossing. If you are waiting on the lights at a crossing and a flashing amber light comes on, then you are at a pelican crossing and will be able to drive if the crossing is clear of pedestrian, wtihout waiting for green. Otherwise, wait for the green light to be able to go.

Got it. No difference, except they have lights and the pelican has flashing amber. And bicyclists can use the Toucan.
 Stop as directed by lights. If amber is flashing, stop if someone is in the crosswalk, otherwise carefully proceed.

(Yeah, I kind of figured the pedestrian was going to be pushing the buttons, as I'd be driving the car.   )

Highway code 192 - 199
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/using-the-road-159-to-203

Use these crossings as a pedestrian, so you can take your time knowing how they all work. Then driving near these will be easy.

Yep, I had downloaded the highway code. I think I need to buy a book as it's very difficult to read all that on the computer. I am out walking quite a lot, and amazed by the various mechanisms out there for people to cross the road.

So, no stop sign plus triangle means yeild. 
No stop sign plus double dashed yellow across means stop?

In regards to automatic vs. manual, we have a new colleague arriving here today, and we think she only has an automatic licence... however, she needs to be able to drive for the job, and we only have manual cars down here... which means someone is going to have to drive her everywhere for the next few months!

So, if you can pass the test on a manual car, it'll mean you won't ever end up stuck in a situation where you can't legally drive because you don't hold the right type of licence.

Yeah, I'll be taking the manual test later. Once I'm comfortable with the streets here. There have been a lot of jobs I could have applied for but they inexplicably had "must have full drivers license" in the requirements. (For desk jobs. Whatever.)

In the meantime, the "automatic" means I can rent a car in the States, which is the priority as we need to make a trip back soon.

I am doing the online practice hazard tests now, and not doing terribly well. It seems I identify the hazard before the computer thinks it's a hazard. I guess that I should just plan on clicking several times for each perceived hazard, then, to make sure that at least one of them gets in the scoring box?

I think the hazard test actually is harder for someone who has experience driving than someone learning for the first time.  I, too, seemed to click on the hazard well before the computer flagged it as a hazard. 

I think the hazard test actually is harder for someone who has experience driving than someone learning for the first time.  I, too, seemed to click on the hazard well before the computer flagged it as a hazard.

I had the same issue. If you just do a lot of practice fixing it will get easier, especially if you have ones that show you when you should have clicked.

... but it is in a higher road tax band than it’s manual equivalent because fuel economy is not as good. (Hyundai i20)

Road tax bands have changed for cars first registered after 2017, so that might not be as important a factor, depending on the age of the car you eventually drive.  Going forward, only the first year's tax will be based on emissions (it's technically not fuel economy, but emissions that determine road tax band).

Road tax bands have changed for cars first registered after 2017, so that might not be as important a factor, depending on the age of the car you eventually drive.  Going forward, only the first year's tax will be based on emissions (it's technically not fuel economy, but emissions that determine road tax band).

Just seen that this week. Our son bought a Toyota Yarris hybrid, road tax £140, and when investigating saw that from April 1st 2017 the only zero tax bands now are for all electric vehicles.

Ok, I have been studying the driving test guide all afternoon.

Zebra = striped crossing, like on Abby Road Album Cover. You only stop if someone steps into it.
Pelican = you push a button to change the light to let you go. If someone pushes the button, you follow the lights' directions.
Toucan = the same as Pelican except that bikes can ride across?

Car lights. Jeezus, I've only had a car with high and low beams, and parking lights. Now we're talking driving lights and fog lights and running lights? Do most cars here have all those kinds of lights?

Studying the road signs. I see a stop sign in the book. A nice familiar stop sign. And I haven't seen a single one of them in Glasgow. Do they not exist here?

I'm feeling really panicky about this test. 

I used to live up by Abbey Road. I swear to god the 189/139 bus drivers make sport of tourists in that zebra crossing...

I used to live up by Abbey Road. I swear to god the 189/139 bus drivers make sport of tourists in that zebra crossing...

I remember taking my parents to see it when they came to visit the first time because my dad was a mega Beatles fan and raised me on them. I was shocked and appalled at the people taking photos on the crossing just casually taking their time like there weren't other cars on the road. If you're going to do it, do it quickly! LOL Don't just run out in front of the cars and then stop there for your photo session for ages, holding up traffic! (I just kept thinking how annoyed I'd be if I were driving in that LOL I would try to avoid it completely I think.

I recorded in Abbey Road studios once. That was the most amazing day 
There's a webcam on the crossing. So after I had my day's recording session, I phoned up my Dad and asked him to look for me crossing the road. So he did and took screenshots as I walked back and forth across the road. It was a funny moment, shared with my Dad all the way on the other side of the world.