Driving exam tips

Awareness

When answering and assessing questions remember to be critical and never take chances.

When answering the hazard questions, assume that you are looking through the front windshield (you can also see the situation behind you in a rear view mirror).
When answering priority questions, assume that you are a driver of a driving school car. Assume that other road users comply with the traffic rules, such as respecting their give way duty. The road conditions and weather conditions are normal unless the image or exam question clearly indicates otherwise.

Speed Restrictions

Speed restrictions must always be respected and you must never drive faster than the speed limit.
You have to drive at the speed of maximum 50 km/h in built-up areas when there are good driving conditions. Always lower your speed when you get close to a traffic intersection without traffic lights. Drive about 5-10 km/h if you have to comply with your right hand give way duty, and approx. 30 km/h if the traffic from the side road has unconditional duty from their residential roads.
Pay special attention to children, the elderly, the disabled, and school patrols.

Speed limits in Nederlands:

• Inside a built-up area: 50 km/h
• In addition in urban residential areas as home zones/speed restricted areas (woonerven) speed can be limited to 30 km/h but it have to be sign that stated that.
• In residential and playground areas (erf) speed limit is 15 km/h

Outside a built-up area: 80 km/h

On motorways (autosnelwegen) (A and E roads) from 19:00 to 06:00 is 130 km/h.
At the daytime (06:00-19:00 h) speed limit is restricted to 100 km/h for all motorways.
In addition, there are other time- and place-dependent limits of 80, 100 and 120 km/h.
Motorways passing through urban areas are usually limited to 100 km/h There are some other limits (70 km/h and 90 km/h), but these apply far less often.

On an expressways/ motor traffic road (autowegen) (N-roads): 100 km/h

Maximum speed limit for different vehicles:

• Bus: 80 km/h / tempo buses (T100) on motorways are allowed to drive maximum 100 km/h
• Truck: 80 km/h.
• Car with Trailer: Maximum speed on highways and freeways is 90 kilometers per hour if the trailer weighs under 3500 kg. If the weight exceeds 3500 kg, the maximum speed is 80 kilometers per hour.
• Tractor: 40 km/h,
• When towing another vehicle: 30 km/h

You must adjust the speed so that you are able to stop the vehicle on time in the following situations (Slow down):

• • At a crossroads with poor visibility / where the situation is not clear
• • In a turn with poor vision
• • Before a pedestrian field with poor visibility
• • Before a hilltop with poor views
• • When there is a risk of dazzling oncoming drivers
• • When meeting on a narrow road
• • When the road is wet or slippery
• • As you approach a bus where people get off
• • As you approach children on or near the road
• • As you approach horses, cows or other animals on the road
• • When there is road work
• • Near places where there have been traffic accidents
• • Before railroad crossings
• • If your vision is impaired for any reason

Safe handling of traffic

You have to actively participate in the traffic flow. Always try to follow the others quickly to the legal speed. Remember to adjust your driving to the weather conditions, such as fog or similar. If it is possible to overtake trucks, tractors or busses, then do so, but not if the other vehicle is faster than your car (e.g. trucks without trailers).

Duties

Unconditional duty means that you must show that you can and will stop and hold back for traffic coming from both your right and left.
You have unconditional duty in the following situations:

• • There are shark teeth,
• • There is a road sign for unconditional duty (triangular board with the point down),
• • There is a stop sign (meaning full stop)
• • Driving into a roundabout,
• • When crossing a sidewalk - a bicycle path - you enter or exit from a garage or private property,
• • Leaving a parking lot, gas station, gravel road or leaving a clearly subordinate road that has a different surface (typically cobblestone).
• • Leaving a pedestrian area, living- and playground area.

Right hand give way duty means that you have to wait for all vehicles coming from your right. This applies where the rules for unconditional duty is not present.

Reduced Grip

There is reduced grip when you can see; ice or snow on the road, holes in the road, water pits, oil spilled etc. or the road is gravel etc. Remember that shadows or leaves from trees increase the risk of a slippery road. In the summer the grip is almost never reduced.

Placement on the road

You should place your car as far to the right as possible without getting to close to any cyclists, mopeds, parked vehicles and pedestrians. You should position yourself in the right lane and only use the left for overtaking or passing. Place yourself in the middle when the lane is marked. Move to the right on narrow roads before a hilltop and before turns with a poor vision.

Left Turns

Always wait for the oncoming traffic, never take a turn if you are to take chances. Pay particular attention to oncoming traffic, light signal and any pedestrians on the side road you want to turn onto.
General rule is: larger left turn and small right turn.

Right Turns

At the right turn, keep to the right and close the space for cyclists and mopeds coming from behind (when free) and do not turn straightaway, even if there is a green light, if you have not checked to the right side.

If you stop for pedestrians before turning, make sure you do not block the bicycle path.

Children

When you see children running, playing, or cycling, you typically need to respond by slowing down and by adding extra distance to them. You must always be prepared for children to respond impulsively.

Yellow Lines

When there are yellow lines then you should pay special attention to them rather than the normal white lines. But white stop lines at an intersection or at pedestrian lanes are still valid.

On the highway, never

Back, turn, stop, park, use emergency telephone, (unless you have a motor stop or in case of an emergency), the emergency track is only for ambulances, fire trucks, cars in serious trouble or the like.

When entering a motorway, adjust your speed to the others already on the freeway and follow the lane to where it meets the right lane of the motorway. (when merging, do not drive over any lines) Before driving onto the highway, always remember to look in the mirror and the blind angle.

The size of the car

The maximum size of a car with or without goods is: 12 meters long, 4 meters high and 2.55 wide.