kontrollfahrt this week...yikes

Transportation, Travel and Trips
1
Hello

I am taking the kontrollfahrt this Friday in schaffhausen... what are some thungs I should look out for?

ive been driving for 12 years in the US and Panama... safe driver, dont speed, and never had a ticket.

Do I need to parallel park, or park backwards? Both things which I am not that good at since ive never had to really do them..

any help is appreciated

2
Might be a helpful tidbit or two in one of these threads:

http://www.englishforum.ch/search2.php?q=kontrollfahrt

3
You have to do everything to do with driving .... including parking, reversing, etc.

Did you not invest in a short driving course in CH?

You have to move your head around a lot .... to make sure its noted that you`ve looked in the rearview mirror, the side mirrors, etc.

You have to switch off the engine if in a queu of more than 3 cars, keeping your feet on the clutch and the brake with gears in first so youre ready to zoom off again, if you`ve remembered to turn the engine on again.

You have to check bicycle lanes before turning right. And check again before signalling, and check again before turning (moving head).

Give way to traffic on the right, including bicycles.

You have to travel at the exact specified speed limits - the 30`s, 50`s, 80`s and whatever it is on highways.

Good luck. Don`t have a nervous breakdown - remember, its your driving that`s being tested, not yourself - to make it safer for us other idiot drivers.

4

Thank you, no I didn't invest in a driving course, since I submitted all of my papers on Friday. If I would not have taken this date, I would have to wait 6 moe weeks, and I need a license.. thankfully I have an automatic car, so I dont have to use the clutch..

So you always turn the engine off, such at a red light, train station or if you are the third car?.

thanks

5
Kontrollfahrt?

Is that like holding in a fart so it doesn't squeak out, in public?

Those silly Germans.

They have a word for everything !

6
It is a kontrollfahrt not a driving test, you don't reverse or park, you just drive around for 30 minutes or so. They just want to see that you are experienced and safe. I did it last week, so am speaking from experience.

good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine.

7
I passed my Kontrollfahrt last Friday in Basel. The inspector was really nice & told me that he would like to see me drive normally. He took me to drive on the highway & some residential areas around the test center. So here are my top tips which I got from my driving instructor which helped me navigate my test:: Turn head while changing lanes or before turning right for cyclists. Make use of all the three mirrors as much as you can. Intersections - Watch for traffic coming from right & put foot on brake. On a STOP sign, please do stop the car. No overtake or changing lanes on WHITE SOLID lanes. Always stop for pedestrians. Lastly be confident & you will pass the test. Good luck.

8
I'll add, I did not have to do any parking for this test drive.

9
When I took my test some 5 or 6 years ago in Sargans (SG) I was asked to drive normally (I had been driving for 20+ years already). Just like smoky and coolcd pointed out before me, show how aware you are of your environment (other drivers and very specially bicycles and pedestrians) by looking around you, turning your head when appropriate, and regularly monitoring your 3 mirrors. Perhaps you can have a little sequence in your head: rear-side-turn head (both for the left or for the right side). Don't overdo it: common sense will help. Also don't drive too slowly, just a tad under the limit is the desirable speed (according to my instructor, with whom I took some 3 or 4 lessons just in case). Don't freak out, and good luck !

10

I am taking mine next month (eeek) although mine is in Zürich (so much traffic....double eek)!

11
What time is your test drive? Mine was 7am and they guy said we couldn't go on the motorway at that time because of too much traffic.

My advice (assuming motorway driving is normally ok) is get to know the area around Wiedikon, Binz and across to the Letzigrund. This is probably where you will be driving.

In a weird kind of way, heavy traffic actually helps. Just remain focused and you can't go wrong.

12
I took mine 2 years ago.

Since i normaly drive on the left, i took 9 hours driving course in Lenzburg, just so i can get used with the system better.

I am fortunate that the route the "drive expert" chose was the same as the one that i took on the driving course. So i kind of knew where some trap might be

During driving test, he will ask you to turn left or right. And if he does not say anything it means just go ahead. Be careful of the signs though. You might have to turn left/right eventhough he does not say anything. Keep 1.5 m distance when you overtake someone with bicycle. Stop when it says stop (a very very very slow roll is not considered as stop ).

13

Mine is at 13h00 so I am hoping to have to take the motorway as its the major intersections that I have to really concentrate on as the rules here are considerably different to back home.

I have to agree, the heavy traffic can actually help slow things down and give driving a 'follow my leader' feel which is great at major intersections!

Thanks, I will be spending some time driving around the area until I got it waxed!

14

Mine is at 11, so we will see how traffic is.. probably also depends on the day (friday for me)..

15

How did it go?

I passed mine yesterday

16
Dear all,

I'm taking my kontrollfahrt next week and I've taken a few lessions with a swiss instructor as the way we drive back home is more of a "free style" approach.

My instructor advised me to take the test with an automatic car,

although I've been driving manual all my life. I agreed with him as it seems they also have a few different rules about how a manual should be driven and it seemed simpler to remove those factors and focus on priorities, pedestrians, etc.

Now my boyfriend and another swiss friend tell me that if I take the test with an automatic, I won't be allowed to drive a manual (!!!!). This is a big surprise as my instructor never mentioned this (he said it was the same).

Did any of you take the test with an automatic and did you receive any sort of special driving license only valid for automatic? If this is the case, I rather take the test with a manual, which is what I'd like to continue driving in the future....

I really appreciate if you can help me understand this.

Thank you!

17
That's only in case you have a normal test from scratch. If you do a Kontrollfahrt it doesn't matter which car you drive - license will be issued for manual as well as automatic.

Good luck!

18
Hi there,

I would like to add here one more success story to encourage fellow drivers, who have go for the "Kontrollfahrt".

My husband (non-EU) applied for exchanging his driving licence to the Swiss one after 5 years in CH. We didn't even know it was possible, just accidentally figured it out.

He received his invitation to the "Kontrollfahrt" end of November and his appointment was on the 5th January. He also received a piece of paper which allowed him to drive within Switzerland till the date of the Kontrollfahrt.

With this provisional licence he was able to join Mobility Car Sharing (however it took quite an effort to explain to the customer service that he has no driving licence, only the provisional one which is basically an A4 sheet of paper...).

Afterwards he rented cars and started to practice, read the driving rules book and also took approximately 9 lessons with a driving instructor. There was not much time to practice due to Christmas holidays.

When he returned to CH on 1st January with quite a jet leg, he continued practicing after more then 2 weeks of break. For the Kontrollfahrt he took his instructor with him, because you have to bring someone who would drive home your car in case you fail. But he took the exam in the mobility car, because he practiced the most with it.

He got a quite grumpy "typical Swiss" examiner, who only talked German to him. Luckily he understood the directions at least. :-)

He made 2 mistakes, once driving too slow in a 50 area and at the end of the exam he did not put the gear in the correct position and once the examiner released the hand break, the car started to move. Otherwise he was on the motorway, in some right priority streets in the next village and went through several roundabouts.

At the end the examiner told him he passed the exam and some other stuff he did not understand. :-) Then he paid the fee. This was on Tuesday, on Friday his pink Swiss licence was in our post box. They even returned his original non-EU licence with some holes on it, which says it's invalid in CH.

I hope this story motivates those who still have to pass a "Kontrollfahrt".

We only have one question left (and haven't found an answer through the different EF threads): what happens to your Swiss licence once you move out of Switzerland? Can you keep it? Do you have to return it?

I (EU member) never received my original licence back after I converted mine. They said it will be returned to my home country. So if I have to give back my Swiss licence how am I going to receive another licence?

Thanks & cheers,

Vixy

19
Thank you for the story.

The license is yours, at least as long as you do not do a major traffic infraction. Once you move aboard you would exchange the Swiss license for a license of the country you moved to, at least as long as Switzerland is not part of the EU. Depending on the law of the country you move to you have approx 6 to 12 months to exchange the license. After that period the Swiss license may be void in your new contry of residence.