YOUR FIRST DRIVING LESSON
Your first driving lesson will no doubt be a mixture of excitement and nerves! Having met up, checked your license and eyesight, you will be driven to a suitable location to start with. On the way, I will try to establish what you already know about driving to pitch the lesson correctly. If you have already done some driving your level of expertise will be ascertained before we swap over at a suitable location. This will allow you to become familiar with the car and feel more relaxed. If you have never driven before then below is an outline of what you will cover. (based on a 2 hour session)
OUTLINE OF FIRST LESSON PLAN:
1. Main car controls: (Accelerator Brake Clutch Hand brake Steering & Gears)
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2.Cockpit drill: Doors, Seat position, Safety belt & Mirrors
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3.Safety precautions before starting the engine (hand brake & neutral)
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4.Moving off (POG)
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5.Steering & positioning
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6.Changing gear (Feet Hands Feet)
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7.Stopping safely & under control
MAIN CAR CONTROLS:
1. Accelerator: (located on the right & operated by the right foot only)
Provides power to the engine
Puts fuel into the engine
When pressed will increase the speed of the car (acceleration)
When released will slow the car down (deceleration)
Should be pressed lightly and released slowly
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2.Footbrake: (located in the middle & operated by the right foot only)
Should be pressed smoothly to slow the car, easing the pressure when about to stop
Slows all four wheels down but mainly the front ones
Red rear brake lights show when pedal is pressed
General rule: Brake more (progressively) so you can then brake less to stop without jolting
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3.Clutch pedal: (located on the left and operated by the left foot only)
Connects and disconnects the engine to and from the front wheels
When clutch fully down engine and wheels are disconnected
When clutch fully up engine and wheels are connected (ie. the engine can make the wheels move)
Biting point (found when clutch is brought up about 1/2 way from the floor) This is where the engine will first start to make the wheels move
Clutch must be fully down when changing gears
Clutch must be fully down 2 car lengths before you stop
Should not rest your foot on the clutch pedal when not in use (there is a handy foot rest to the left of the pedal)
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4.Hand brake lever:
Works on the rear wheels
Used only when the car is completely stopped
In general driving used when waiting or stopped on a hill
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5.Gear lever:
Most cars have 5 forward gears and reverse
1st has the most power but least speed whereas 5th has the most speed but least power.
You change up or down gears after you have either increased or decreased your speed and when slowing you miss out the gears you won’t use.
1st gear: 0-10mph
2nd gear: 10-20mph
3rd gear: 20-30mph
4th gear: 30-45mph
5th gear: 45-70mph
(these intervals will vary from car to car)
Neutral is the position the lever is in when not in any gear position
Two golden rules:
1. Do not look at the gear lever when driving and changing gear
2. Do not rest/leave your hand on the lever when driving
6. Steering wheel:
When the steering wheel is turned it operates the front two wheels of the car
Should be held lightly at roughly 10 to 2 and your hands should not cross over when steering. Instead you will learn to feed the wheel though your hands when turning it to the left and right and on the way back to centre.
Do not let the wheel spin back through your hands.
COCKPIT DRILL:
Every time you get in the driving seat of the car you should make sure you feel you can operate all the controls efficiently and safely. This is known as the cockpit drill.
It’s the drivers responsibility to make sure all the doors, bonnet and boot are safe and secure.
You will need to adjust the base and the back of the seat so you can operate the clutch and steering wheel correctly. The head restraint may need adjustment and it is the law that the safety belt is fastened securely. (drivers responsibility for under 14 year olds)
Finally, you will need to adjust all the mirrors for good rear visibility.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS BEFORE TURNING THE KEY:
Before turning the key and starting the engine you need to check 2 things.
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1.The hand brake is on and secure
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2.The gear lever is in the neutral position (ie. not in any gear position)
MOVING OFF FROM THE SIDE OF THE ROAD:
The sequence we use is called: Prepare Observe Go (POG)
Prepare:
Push the clutch down fully and select 1st gear then leave the clutch fully down
Put your right foot over the gas (accelerator) pedal with one hand on the steering wheel and one on the hand brake.
Now you have everything in place and ready to go
Observe:
Before you move off you must carry out a 5 point rear observation check as well as looking ahead for oncoming traffic.
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1.Check over your left shoulder blind spot (driveways/pedestrians/cyclists)
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2.Check left door mirror
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3.Check centre mirror
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4.Check right door mirror
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5.Check over right shoulder blind spot (driveways/pedestrians/cyclists/parked cars)
Go:
Basically, it’s hand brake off, signal up for right and go.
In detail:
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1.Hand brake off
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2.Set gas (press gas pedal so the engine makes a little bit more noise) and then bring clutch up to biting point
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3.Keep both feet perfectly still (keep breathing!)
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4.Signal right
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5.Final check in mirrors and right shoulder blind spot
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6.Lift clutch up very very slightly (about 1 mm) and no further
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7.As the car moves off keep both feet perfectly still
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8.When car has moved about 1 car length bring clutch up higher (slowly)
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9.Now you can use the gas to increase the speed (gently)
We will practice this a lot so you feel confident and can move off smoothly.
Future lessons will cover moving off at an angle, in traffic and up and down hills.
STEERING/ POSITIONING IN THE ROAD:
After you have moved off you will have to think about where in the road to drive. The first road you drive on should be fairly straight and clear but you may have to negotiate a few parked cars. Try to look ahead and not down at the road surface immediately in front of you and aim to keep about a metre (a car doors width) from the kerb and any parked cars. This will seem very weird at first and difficult to judge where you are in the road, but with practice and concentration it will become easier and eventually second nature. Driving in a straight line does not require much movement of the wheel but you will need to steer a lot more when going round corners.
CHANGING GEARS:
The best way to remember how to change gear is to think FEET HANDS FEET
Feet: Push clutch fully down and relax the gas
Hands: Change gear and concentrate on steering straight
Feet: Lift clutch to biting point, hold still for a second, then continue lifting up fully as you apply some gas gently (if needed to go faster)
STOPPING AND PARKING BY THE KERB:
When pulling over to park first check centre mirror then left door mirror
Signal left and gradually drift/steer towards the kerb
Relax the gas pedal (deceleration) and cover your foot brake pedal pressing gently as necessary
When at about a walking pace and reasonably close to the kerb push the clutch to the floor allowing the car to roll/coast for 2 car lengths before stopping.
When stopped check for movement by relaxing the foot brake, then apply the hand brake before selecting neutral.
Finally, cancel the signal, take your feet off the pedals and relax!
At first it’s hard to judge how close to the kerb you are but if you concentrate more on keeping the car parallel with the kerb by looking directly ahead and not at the kerb, you will gradually get better at getting close to the kerb.
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON YOUR FIRST LESSON
Now if you’ve managed to read all the above you are probably thinking how the heck am I going to remember all this and drive at the same time!! Well, to be honest, it’s a lot easier when you are sitting behind the wheel. Also, I will guide you through everything to start with and then gradually let you do it on your own as you grow in understanding, ability and confidence. In the early stages it’s a good idea to keep re-reading this page until it’s clear in your head and committed to memory. These are the basics and if you learn them well it will put you in good stead for the future and may well help reduce the number of lessons you need to pass. Now there’s a thought!
