Traffic Management

Some road layouts are in place to help traffic flow smoothly, like roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and dual carriageways. During your practical test you will need to demonstrate you can anticipate and interact with these, as well as being able to show you're capable of safely turning the vehicle around (also referred to as turning in-road).

Roundabouts

Roundabouts are common traffic management junctions that allows for a constant flow of traffic around a central island (usually a circle or rounded rectangle shape) in a singular direction.

The regular flow of traffic can be daunting initially, but you will learn in time that simple rules, such as priority given to the vehicles coming from your right, along with giving priority to those already in the junction.

How to Practice:

Use large roundabouts to practice joining and exiting at different exits, to get a feel for it and to gain knowledge on initially choosing the correct lane. Mini roundabouts are often quieter, but have less space for manoeuvres. It's also important you watch out for drivers that are going all the way around a mini roundabout, essentially performing a u-turn, as it is easy to assume drivers won't be going back on themselves. Always wait until you know your route is clear.

Pedestrian Crossings

A pedestrian crossings simply means a crossing that is controlled by the pedestrians presence, rather than by traffic light signals. Examples of these are zebra crossings and school crossings.

Most pedestrian crossings will be marked with a zigzag link on either side of the road. You can't stop, park or overtake between these lines.

How to Practice:

Try to use a street with 1 or more zebra crossings and create a route that will take you past it a few times as you practice, to give more chances of pedestrians using the crossing.

Dual Carriageways

A dual carriageway is any road with traffic moving in opposite directions, where the lanes are separated by a central reservation.

Usually dual carriageways have 2 lanes in each direction, but it's worth noting that a round with 2 lanes in each direction without a central reservation is technically still a single carriageway. 🤯

Typically these roads have higher speed limits, as the central reservation is giving greater safety by separating the opposite direction of traffic.

How to Practice:

Once your instructor says you're ready, dual carriageways are often used to connect towns together, so seek them out and prepare for a longer drive than normal if you're going to go up and down the dual carriageway.

Turning In-road

Turning your vehicle around when on the road without using a junction, such as a roundabout, is an important skill to learn, but is no longer part of the practical driving test.

Turning in-road, in terms of the skill, is typically a three-point turn, but you could of course include a U-turn as a valid technique.

How to Practice:

Using a quiet area of an industrial park is a good place to practice, as there's less flowing traffic and often broad rounds. You don't want to use a space where you could simply perform a U-turn, or just force yourself to not just do the U-turn! Wide cul-de-sacs are also valid places to practice, as there is almost a guarantee that you won't be able to turn without performing a three-point turn.