A Quick Guide To Warning Traffic Signs
– By ANewDriver
This section includes signs that warn road users of a hazard ahead. They are diamond or rectangular in shape and have a black border and black symbols or letters on a yellow background.
A Quick Car Checklist before Your Test
– By ANewDriver
It is a good idea to be familiar with the car you are using for your test. A New Driver has made a quick list of things to check up before you go ahead with it. By checking all the list below is in good order before you go to your driving test centre, you will reduce your changes of getting refused eligibility to sit the test: It happens more often than you know!
So here is what to watch out for:
- Provisional Licence/Learners Permit: Make sure this is in date and has the correct category on it.
- Tax: Make sure your car’s tax disc is in date and correct registration number.
- Insurance: Make sute the insurance disc on the car is in date and has the correct registration number.
- Nct: Only if the test car is required to have an NCT disc, make sure the NCT disc is in date and has the correct registration number.
- Bonnet check: Check that oil for engine, coolant for engine radiator, water for windscreen washer, steering fluid, and clutch fluid is topped up. You must know where all fluids go for your test regardless.
- Lights: Check brake lights and indicators are working correctly and are the correct colour.
- Warning lights due to fault: Make sure there are no warning lights on before you go for your test as your car will be refused.
- Seatbelts: Check that all seatbelts are working correctly.
- Windows: Check that all windows are working correctly.
- Tyres: Remember you should know the Tyre Check as there is a 90% chance you will be asked. Vehicles with bald or worn tyres will not be taken out on test.
A Quick Guide For Information Signs
– By ANewDriver
An information sign is a very legibly printed and very noticeable placard that informs people of the purpose of an object, or gives them instruction on the use of something – like road signs showing directions and the location of services or other places of interest to tourists.
Advance direction signs |
 Motorway |
 National road |
 National road |
 Regional road |
Direction signs (at junctions) |
 Motorway direction sign |
 National road direction signs |
 Regional road direction sign |
 Local road direction sign |
 Destination distance sign |
 Town or village sign |
 Slow lane sign |
 Cul-de-sac |
 Industrial estate symbol |
 Disabled persons parking bay |
 Airport symbol |
 Ferry symbol |
 Alternative route for high vehicles |
 Lay-by ahead sign |
 Hospital ahead sign |
 Lay-by sign |
 Hospital sign |
 Carpark with facilities for disabled persons |
 SOS lay-by |
 
Advance information sign for low clearance |
 Traffic calming sign |
 Traffic calming sign |
 Supplementary plate |
 Ramps on road |
Tourist information signs |
 Advance sign for facilities in lay-by |
 Advance sign for lay-by with tourism information |
 Sign for Óige youth hostels |
 Advance direction to local services |
 Signing to approved tourist information |
 Tourist advanced direction sign |
 Tourist attraction direction sign |
 Pedestrian sign to a tourist attraction |
 Pedestrian sign to a car park |
 Sign to approved tourist information point |
Quick Guide For Road Works Warning Signs
– By ANewDriver
Warning signs for road work will warn you of hazards ahead, such as roundabouts, crossroads, dangerous bends or anything else that would call on you to drive more carefully.
You should always take special care when you see a warning sign. If you fail to observe these signs you could create an emergency. Like other warning signs, these are diamond or rectangular in shape and have a black border and black symbols or text. However, they are orange in colour instead of yellow.
 Roadworks ahead |
 One-lane crossover (out) |
 One-lane crossover back) |
 Move to left (one lane) |
 Move to right (one lane) |
 Move to left (two lanes) |
 Move to right (two lanes) |
 Obstruction between lanes |
 End of obstruction between lanes |
 Start of central reserve or obstruction |
 End of central reserve or obstruction |
 Lanes diverge at crossover |
 Lanes rejoin at crossover |
 Two-lanes crossover (back) |
 Two-lanes crossover (out) |
 Single lane (for shuttle working) |
 Two-way traffic |
 Road narrows from left |
 Road narrows from right |
 Road narrows on both sides |
 Nearside lane (of two) closed |
 Offside lane (of two) closed |
 Offside lane (of three) closed |
 Nearside lane (of three) closed |
 Two offside lanes (of three) closed |
  Two nearside lanes (of three) closed.Two alternative styles. |
 Offside lane (of four) closed |
 Nearside lane (of four) closed |
 Two offside lanes (of four) closed |
 Two nearside lanes (of four) closed |
 Side road on left |
 Side road on right |
 Site access on left |
 Site access on right |
 Temporary traffic signals ahead |
 Flagman ahead |
 Queues likely |
 Hump or ramp |
 Uneven surface |
 Slippery road |
 Loose chippings |
 Pedestrians cross to left |
 Pedestrians cross to right |
 Overhead electric cables |
 Detour ahead |
 Detour to left |
 Detour to right |
 Road closed |
 Diverted traffic left |
 Diverted traffic Right |
 Diverted traffic |
 Diverted traffic |
 End of detour |
 Detour destination |
Information plates at roadworks |
 Distance |
 Length |
 Direction |
 Direction and Distance |
 End |
 Cautionary speed |
 Slow |
 Concealed entrance |
 Type of works |
 Use hard shoulder |
 Hard shoulder closed |
 Unfinished road surface |
 Barrier Boards |
 Chevron board |
 Speed limit ahead |
Manual traffic control sign at roadworks |
| Flagman ahead |
 Stop |
  Either form of Go or Téigh can be used |
Quick Guide To Motorway Signs
By aNewDriver
A quick guide to Motorways Signs brings you on this Blog the most used signs on Irish roads, as part of our Understanding Traffic Signs posts. We hope you find it helpful and easy to access whenever you may need it.
Motorway signs are rectangular with blue backgrounds and white writing or symbols. Below are the most used signs on Irish roads:
 Motorway ahead |
 Motorway ahead |
 Advance direction sign |
 Entry to motorway |
 300m to next exit |
 200m to next exit |
 100m to next exit |
 Motorway ends 1km ahead |
 Motorway ends 500m ahead |
 End of motorway |
 Route confirmatory sign for M7 |
 Advance direction sign for destination |
A Quick Guide To Regulatory Traffic Signs
Regulatory signs show the course a driver must follow and an action they are required to take – or forbidden to take.
They are generally circular and have a red border with black symbols or letters on a white background.
Mandatory regulatory signs that indicate the direction traffic must take at junctions are blue and white.
 Stop |
 Yield |
 Yield |
 School wardens stop sign |
 No left turn |
 No Entry |
 No right turn |
 Parking prohibited |
 Clearway |
 Max speed limit 30km/h |
 Max speed limit 50km/h |
 Max speed limit 60km/h |
 Max speed limit 80km/h |
 Max speed limit 100km/h |
 Max speed limit 120km/h |
 Taxi Rank |
 No entry for large vehicles(by reference to weight) |
 No U-turn |
 No overtaking |
 Height restriction |
 Pedestrianised street |
 Parking permitted |
 Disc parking plate |
 Zonal restriction – no parking of large vehicles |
 End of the restriction zone |
Mandatory signs at junctions (white and blue) |
 Turn left ahead |
 Turn right ahead |
 Turn left |
 Turn right |
 Pass either side |
 Straight ahead |
 Keep right |
 Keep left |
Manual traffic control sign at roadworks |
 No entry for pedestrians to tramway |
 Stop |
 Either form of Go |
 or Téigh can be used |
 No entry to goods vehicles (by reference to number of axles) |
 With flow bus lane on left |
 With flow bus lane on right |
 Contra flow bus lane |
 Tram lane on left |
 Tram lane on right |
 Start of cycle track |
 End of cycle track |
 Electronic variable speed limit sign (tunnel only) |
 In a tunnel goods vehicles cannot use right-hand lane (by reference to number of axles) |
 Electronic periodic speed limit sign |
 Electronic periodic speed limit sign at school |
 Tram only street |
 Tram and access only street |
 Bus only street |
Traffic lane control signs in a tunnel |
 Go (Lane open) |
 Stop (Lane closed) |
 Move into the left-hand lane |
 Move into the right-hand lane |
How to Choose a New Car – Part 1
By AnewDriver
As much as it may sound like an easy task in general, shopping for a new car can be quite tricky if you are not so sure what to go for.
To start with, ask yourself what kind of car you want and what type of car you need. There is a huge different between the two options, as what you like might not necessarily be what you need. But according to car experts, considering what you like and dislike will make you happier long term, even if the car you are going for doesn’t necessarily fulfill your daily needs. But be careful here not to find yourself unable to perform your daily routine because of your car choice – for example: If you are a construction worker and need space to transport logs and huge pieces of wood and stuff, then a pickup truck will be the best option for you.
Moving on, ask yourself what you need by way of performance and space in the car. This is also the time to ask yourself who will be your passengers. This is especially important for those who have a big family with children and need to add on car seats. More space is needed if you are carrying your whole family with you, so a car with more space inside is preferable. If you have a large family and/or regularly transport about 5-6 people, get a van or minivan. A minivan can be safer in that it has a low center of gravity almost like a car.
But if only you are going to drive that car, and you are not going to transport more than one person somewhere, a two-seater should be fine. Consider, however, that a smallish back seat adds little or nothing to the cost and fuel consumption of the car, allows the passenger seat to recline more, and greatly increases cargo capacity (sometimes with the seats dropping and connecting to the trunk). A two-seater is more for extreme compactness, style and handling than lack of need of a rear seat.
If you usually transport 3-4 people but don’t need that much trunk space, a compact to mid-size should be fine. If you usually transport around 4 people and need lots of trunk space, then you should get a full-size sedan, a minivan, or an SUV. A minivan is roomiest of these and more efficient than the SUV – some have a stretched nose to look less minivan like. A full-size sedan is most comfortable, but an SUV often has four wheel drive and is good at low speed, for poor road conditions.
After you have a better idea which type of car you should go for, it is time to check your budget. Before going to the showrooms for test drives and car checks, have a primary budget in mind. This will help you to remain reasonable about the choices and not give in to a car you really cannot afford. If you’re on a Suzuki or Hyundai budget, it’ll help you not to tiptoe toward an Audi or Mercedes.
You should also consider fuel efficiency. If you need a fuel-efficient car, a hybrid will be right for you. You’ll want to consider however whether it is worth it or not. If you have a commute longer than thirty miles to work daily, or if you spend a great deal of a short commute in traffic every morning, then hybrids are a great option versus economy sized four cylinder cars. Extra cylinders and displacement greatly decrease fuel economy overall, and extra frontal area greatly decreases fuel economy at speed. A long, low car such as a big sedan or wagon with a relatively small, cheap engine can be stylish, comfortable and safe. For a personal, urban car, petrol or gas is best over diesel.
We will back with the second part of ‘How to Choose a New Car’ soon! We hope you found it helpful.
Best Time for a Driving Test
By AnewDriver – Source: Driving Test Tips
Have you ever wondered what time is the best time of the day to take your driving test? Although some may say that the best time for a driving test is irrelevant as you should possess the ability to handle any situation, driving test nerves play a significant factor and so choosing an appropriate time for the test is important. The best driving test time is dependent on many factors. Initially consult your driving instructor if you have one. Your driving instructor is likely to have a thorough knowledge of the traffic situation throughout the day and will match this to your driving ability.
Early Driving Test – Early driving test times of 08:10 and 09:07 will see you taking your driving test during rush hour. How much of a rush hour is relative to where you live. Although you may occasionally hear that a test candidate remained stuck in traffic jams throughout the duration of their test, making it easy, is not often the case.
The examiner doesn’t want to be stuck in traffic as this will not fully test your ability at driving and runs the risk of returning to the test center late. During early driving test times, an examiner will choose driving test routes that are less likely to result in traffic queues, making the driving test run smoother and on time.
Early driving test times are more likely to encounter frantic drivers trying to get to work, parents on the school run and a higher percentage of cyclists and pedestrians. Early test times are much more likely to involve traffic queues to some degree however, and so you need to weigh up the odds of the likely hood of the ‘advantage’ being stuck in traffic queues and the disadvantage of competing with high volumes of frantic drivers and cyclists. If however there are some areas within the test routes of your test center that you are not confident on such as busy multi-lane roundabouts, these maybe disregarded during early morning rush hour tests to avoid delays.
Ideal Driving Test Time – Probably the best driving test time is outside of rush hour. Driving test times of 10:14 and 13:35 being the ideal choice as this will also avoid the slight traffic increase that may occur during lunchtime. These test times with minimal traffic will likely see the examiner taking you over a broader amount of road types such as dual carriageways for example. Roads such as dual carriageways can often be disregarded from the test routes during rush hour due to the risk of traffic queues or accidents. Although these may be an increase the variety of roads taken during quieter times of the day, providing you are familiar and confident with test routes, the reduced amount of traffic should make 10:14 and 13:35 the best driving test times.
COMPETITION TIME! WIN 6 EDT LESSONS WORTH €160!
A NEW DRIVER is offering an EDT 6 lesson package* worth €160 to a lucky winner in March! All you have to do is: LIKE our Facebook Page, SHARE IT and Make a Comment Tagging a friend who also needs to take driving lessons!
Winner will be announced by the end of March!
What is EDT?
Essential Driver Training – EDT – is a mandatory training course that teaches fundamental driving skills to learner car drivers. It is part of the RSA’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) scheme and is intended to improve road safety.
Even if you are not required to complete EDT, you may still choose to take an EDT course, as it can help increase your chances of passing the driving test and will help make you a better safer driver.
A NEW DRIVER is run by James Hickey – a fully qualified and patient Driving Instructor with over 10 years of experience.
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