P plate Ready Indicator
The P plate Ready Indicator shows you a method for practically
assessing the mental skills and driving habits required for safe
driving. You can use it as part of the keys2drive free lesson with your accredited instructor; you can also build the
ideas into normal driving sessions.
The P plate Ready Indicator looks for the driver qualities that
emerge from having long, wide and deep experience. To
download a printer friendly version click here.
If want to have a go at an assessment together with your learner
driver, follow the guide below:
Plan a route
Ask the learner to choose a typical P plate journey. Here are
some suggestions:
- Drive to the cinema, stopping by an ATM on the way and then
parking nearby.
- Drive to pick up a friend and take them to sports practice.
Once at the friend's house, suddenly remember the friend actually
asked to be picked up from work. Go to their workplace and park
nearby; then take them to the sports practice.
- Go to a cafe, stopping to pick up some shopping on the way.
Drive home a different way.
- Take some relatives for a drive. Pick them up at their home,
take them to somewhere and then drop them off somewhere different.
Return to pick them up and take them home.
Predict performance
Ask your learner to judge how they will go at P plate ready
driving using this chart. Make your own predictions too.
|
Experience |
Learner Driver |
Parent/supervisor or Instructor |
|
Control the car smoothly
Comply with road rules
Display good driving habits (even when distracted)
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
Remain calm in different situations
Remain calm in complex situations
Remain calm in spontaneous situations
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
I am committed to zero harm target
Act as my own supervisor
Act as my own instructor
Act as my own assessor
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
Assess solo driving performance
Go for your planned drive with your parent/supervisor or driving
instructor and ask them to assess your progress using the checklist
in Table One. Table Two will assess how well you identify mistakes
and reflect on what you could have done
differently.
Ask your parent/supervisor for an honest rating on your
performance, and record your results.
Aim to drive mostly without help when you do the assessment -
make it as similar as possible to real P plate driving.
TABLE ONE
|
Primary Task |
Secondary Task |
Checklist |
Rating |
|
Learner drives for about five minutes towards a planned
destination
|
Adjust radio or CD
Dip mirror for night driving
Move sun visor to shade the driver's side
Adjust air conditioning in
vehicle
Clean the windscreen |
Speed is steady
Steering is steady
Combined actions are fluent
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
Learner either changes lanes; drives ahead or right at a multi
lane roundabout, zipper or highway merge; or comes to a left lane
that ends
|
Talk to passengers
Hear a mobile phone ring (prearranged)
Say random numbers between 1 & 21
|
Checks mirrors before indicating or braking
Indicates for longer than two seconds before
steering/braking
Head checks before steering
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
|
Leaner is given a sudden change of destination – they move from
the wrong to the correct lane of traffic; get back on track; enter
a street on the right by first turning left; find the tenth
building on the opposite side of the street and park outside it
|
Describes events in the distance that could affect safety
Judges another vehicle’s CAS*
Judges their vehicle's CAS*
Slows to a (given) speed without looking at speedometer
|
Driver appears calm and acts quickly when:
Facing an unfamiliar situation
The route, destination or task is changed
Traffic situations become more complex
|
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
|
* CAS means Crash Avoidance Space. In good
conditions, this is equivalent to a minimum of 3 seconds travel
space between you and any other car.
TABLE TWO
|
Reflection |
Task |
Checklist |
Rating |
| Throughout the
drive |
Learner comments
briefly on their mistakes as they make them |
Seems aware of
mistakes made |
1 2 3 4 5
|
| At the
end of the drive |
Learner talks
about their mistakes in more depth |
Describes ways to fix the mistakes and
explains the role that they played in the incidents |
1 2 3 4 5
|
| Leaner demonstrates an understanding of
special P plate risks and ways to manage them. |
Mentions & explains:
- Passenger/s in car
- Use of mobiles & iPods
- Driving at night, particularly after 10 pm
- Being tired and driving
- Situations involving alcohol or drugs
|
1 2 3 4 5
|
Use the results
Give your learner their results and compare them with your
learner’s predictions. This will help tell you both whether they
have a realistic sense of where they’re at.
Do they match? If there's a discrepancy, discuss why there might
be a difference. Are there certain areas that need more attention
than they thought? Encourage them to focus on improving these areas
and consider taking the assessment again.
Are they really ready?
If you rated you learner low (1, 2 or 3) for any
skill, your obviously feel they need to improve it. Ask
your learner to have a good think about why these tasks are
important to safe driving. Trouble with any of these tasks might
suggest that your learner needs to do some more work before
transitioning to solo driving.
If you rated your learner highly (4's and 5's) for
everything, congratulate them – they’ve done well.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready for solo
driving - that is still something both need to discuss and think
carefully about.
Be really honest with yourselves and each
other: Was it an unusual performance? Are you being a
tough enough judge? Are they truly ready? The P plate ready
indicator is an exercise in getting you both thinking hard about
this crucial question.
Download the P Plate Ready
Indicator (PDF 207kb)
