Path assesses whether you pick the best track and stay on track.
Competent drivers choose the best manoeuvre and route for a situation and keep ‘on track’. They do not need to make major adjustments to their steering to stay on track.
where and when you steer.
The ‘how’ of path is the physical aspect of turning the steering wheel. You use mental skills to do the ‘when’ and ‘where’ part of path.
Path sometimes has a relationship to speed. For example, if you go too wide at the end of a turn, it could be because you did not reduce speed enough before you started the turn. Another example of path’s relationship to speed occurs when you change lanes too quickly and your passengers are thrown sideways. If this happens, it means that the amount of steering you used was not suitable for the speed you were travelling.
If you follow a good path, it means that you tend to stay on track, like a train following the path of its rails. At first, novice drivers can have trouble staying on track and they may tend to ‘wander’ on either side of an efficient track.
If you have any weaknesses in path they will probably show up in slow speed manoeuvres. Competent drivers are good at working out the best path to take for the manoeuvre they want to do. For example, if they want to turn around in a street and go back in the other direction they can quickly work out the best way to do it. If the street is wide enough they do a U-turn rather than a three-point turn. When they decide whether to do a U-turn they know whether they have enough space to complete the manoeuvre successfully.
When is ‘Path’ assessed?
Your assessor checks the path aspect of your driving when you are performing manoeuvres in which you change direction. There are also checks while you drive along straight sections of road.
The assessor starts scoring path immediately after giving you a direction.
How is ‘Path’ scored?
| YES |
NO |
| You track accurately in manoeuvres, curves and on straight sections of road.
|
You steer inaccurately and follow a path where you use either more or less steering than is needed for the manoeuvre.
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| You use a manoeuvre that is suitable, safe and legal for the location.
|
You use a manoeuvre that is unsuitable, unsafe or illegal for the location.
|
| You keep the vehicle stable when you change direction.
|
You do not keep the vehicle stable when you change direction.
|
| You drive the vehicle in the centre of the lane, where lanes are marked.
|
You wander out of your lane when you should not.
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| You follow a legal path for manoeuvres.
|
You travel an illegal path for manoeuvres.
|
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Examples of ‘Path’
The following examples of path are indicative of the aspects of your driving that the assessor will be checking when assessing path. You should read these examples in conjunction with Drive Safe: A Handbook for Western Australian Drivers. In the following diagrams, you are driving the red car.
You steer accurately
You should be able to work out the best path to take and stay on track.
When Reverse Parking
When manoeuvring
Choose a safe location in which to complete the manoeuvre
The location you choose should be away from:
- blind corners;
- hill crests;
- large parked vehicles;
- any other obstructions.
It should also be more than 30m from any traffic lights.
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Assessment items