Routines
Essential routines & skills before you sit the Practical Test :
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Setting up (HD-SMS) = (1) Handbrake, (2) Doors, (3) Seat, (4) Mirrors, (5) Seatbelt. Do HD-SMS as soon as you get into the car. Remember the seat has 3 parts including the head-restraint. Mirrors and Seatbelt can be in either order but Seat must come BEFORE Mirrors. (Here's another reminder video, this time shorter).
Pre-driving check. Check the gear lever's in neutral every time before starting the engine. If you stall in traffic or at a junction, apply the handbrake and restart in first gear (with clutch down, of course). To pull away from the kerb, use Prepare, Observe, Move (POM) = (P) Clutch down, select Gear, set Gas, clutch up to Biting point [CGGB], (O) check all-round, including over shoulders and giving a signal if anyone would benefit, (M) move off into a Normal Driving Position. NDP is about 1 m from the kerb. Pull-Push steering technique = If you want to steer right (clockwise), pull the wheel down with your right hand while sliding your left hand down in a mirror-image of it, so your hands meet at the bottom. To steer further right, swap your grip so the left hand pushes the wheel another half-circle to the top, while this time the right hand slides. To turn left, do the opposite. In both cases, each hand stays on its own side of the wheel: left on the left half, right on the right half. Full lock is where the wheel is turned as far as it will go, about 1½ turns (= “90 minutes' steering”, or 480 degrees). To pull up by the kerb, or change direction, use the "hazard routine": Mirrors, Signal, Move (MSM) = (M) check centre mirror, plus left door mirror if moving left (right if moving right), (S) signal if it's safe, (M) smoothly change direction (or pull up). Park only in sites which are Safe, Convenient, and Legal (SCL) = (S) you can see, and be seen by, other road users; (C) not blocking others' access to private property, crossing the road, people wishing to pass you; (L) not contravening a road sign or marking, which prohibits you. |
As well as for parking, use MSM also for any change of speed (M = centre mirror before slowing; centre and right before speeding up, to check for anyone overtaking).
Whenever you pull up (or just slow down), use progressive braking. Brake very gently at first (to show the brake lights as a warning signal to anyone behind), then more firmly (to lose speed), and finally reduce the pressure by half about ½m before you stop. The car will stop smoothly, without a jolt. Keep your foot on the footbrake till you've put on the handbrake ! When you've pulled up by the kerb, do Handbrake, Neutral, Signal. (Think of your left hand moving from the floor upwards). Put the handbrake on only when the car has fully stopped: keep both hands on the wheel until then. 'Neutral' means take the car out of gear. 'Signal' means cancel the left signal if you used one (i.e. if anyone was around to benefit). Approaching any junction, again use the "hazard routine": Mirrors, Signal, Position, Speed, Look (MSPSL). 'Mirrors' and 'Signal' mean the same as in MSM. 'Position' means adjusting your position, if necessary, to be ready to turn. 'Speed' means braking (gently) and probably changing to a lower gear. 'Look' means checking for other traffic approaching or waiting to turn across you, but looking also into the road you're about to turn into. A "rolling first" means selecting first gear (if your speed needs to drop below 6-7 mph). Choose this about 1-2 car lengths before a junction, if you've decided it's "closed" (= your view left and right is less than 3-4 car lengths). Decide if it's "open" or "closed" when you're still 3-4 lengths away. Keep the clutch down if you need to stop but, if it's safe to keep moving, bring it gently back up and keep going. (In other words, "Plan to go but be prepared to stop"). To decide whether to stop or go, use Look, Assess, Decide, Act (LADA). Within 'Act' is the "point of commitment", after which it's unsafe to change your mind. |
Peep-&-creep means, when you can't see to pull out, using "clutch control" to move forward a few centimetres at a time. (So, set the gas, come to the biting point, and alternately raise-then-dip your clutch foot the thickness of a pound coin, to gently creep out then roll to a stop. Repeat this as often as you need till you can see it's safe to go).
Avoid coasting. Coasting is where the engine is running but disconnected from the road wheels, so the car is "freewheeling". You'll have less control of speed and steering. So make sure, as much as possible, that you're in gear, with the clutch up. When stopping, put it down only at jogging speed (for gears 1 and 2) or 20 mph (for gears 3 and 4). You'll find it easiest to change gear, not mis-select the gear, using the "palming method". Remember to check your mirrors before changing Direction, Speed, or Signalling (DSS). Changing direction and signalling is covered above. 'Speed' means speeding up or slowing down significantly. Check centre mirror before slowing down (a car could be following close). Check centre and right mirrors before speeding up (another car may be committed to overtaking). Remember, "Eyes before fingers or feet" ! (Or "top down"). Finally, don't forget the Practical Test starts with 2 questions on the car. These are the "Show Me / Tell Me (safety) questions". Good Luck on the Day ! |