On your test, you will obviously have to move away several times, but it's how you do it that counts. By this stage, moving away correctly should be second nature, but sometimes things go wrong. You will be asked to move away on the flat, from behind a parked car and uphill, all done safely and under control. Easy, eh? What can go wrong? Plenty!
What is the examiner looking for? There are 6 main requirements needed to move away safely and we'll look at them one by one.
1. Using your mirrors correctly. You must check your interior and door mirrors to assess the road conditions before you move away. Look for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians behind and around you and act upon what you see. They have priority, so wait until things clear up.
2. As well as proper mirror use, you must observe all traffic and other road users (pedestrians, cyclists etc.) and act upon what you see. There is an old expression that is sometimes used by driving instructors- "They look, but they don't see." In other words, you can look at everything around you, but if you don't act upon what is there, it will end in tears.
3. Signalling when necessary. Do we have to signal before moving off? Not usually. A signal is used to warn others of your intentions (tell them what you're doing.) So, if there were vehicles approaching from behind, just wait for them to pass and then move off. No signal needed to an empty road. If there were pedestrians milling around, but the road behind was clear, give a signal to tell the pedestrians. Unusual situations like Christmas shopping week when some roads are nose to tail, a signal may help you out into the flow, as another driver might let you in, but do not use your signal as a "battering ram."
In general, just wait for the road behind you to clear, and then move off without a signal.
4. Checking your blind spots. However well you check your mirrors before moving away, you must check your blind spots, which are areas behind and to your side, which will not show up in the mirrors. You must physically look over your shoulders to be certain of safety.
5. Proper co-ordination of the accelerator, clutch, handbrake and steering. In a nutshell, you must always move away safely and under control.
It will go in this order to move off safely:
A. Check your gears are in neutral and the handbrake is on. Switch on engine.
B. Press the clutch down to the floor and select 1st gear.
C. Set your gas. You need some power to move away, so gently press the gas pedal to achieve some gentle revs.
D. Ease the clutch pedal up to biting point, and then keep your feet still.
E. Check your mirrors and blind spots, and if it's safe, release your handbrake to move away. Gently ease the clutch up more as you add more gas.
F. Steer accurately to a safe line, about 1 meter from the kerb, if the road allows and check your mirrors again.
6. Select the correct gear to move away. Some driving tests come to grief because of the wrong gear selection on moving away. You should choose 1st gear, as a higher gear will cause the car to stall. Very occasionally, if you are facing downhill on a steep slope,you may choose second gear to move off.
Typical driving faults that can be recorded in this section:
Move off safely:
No attempt to look around.
Lack of observation ahead and to the rear.
Moves away when unsafe.
Move off under control:
Stalls the engine.
Moves off with too much speed.
Rolls back.
So, there's quite a lot to deal with in this section 13 on the DL25, which is appears as a very small section on the Driving Test Report, but there's plenty that can spoil your day.
If you have had, or are having problems with any aspects of moving off our instructors at John Lowe Driving will be able to solve the problem very quickly.
Give us a call on 01452 614226, or email john@john092.orangehome.co.uk
As always, let's be careful out there!
Warm Regards, John Lowe.
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