Manoeuvres

There are four manoeuvres that all learner drivers have to learn during the course of their lessons.

They are:

1. Turn in the road
2. Reverse parking (also known as parallel parking)
3. Reverse round corner
4. Emergency stop

Why do you need to learn these manoeuvres?

Apart from having to carry out two of these on your driving test, you will find that they will help you in many situations later on when you are on your own, such as parking on the road or in a car park. On the driving test you will be required to carry out two of the three driving manoeuvres as requested by the examiner.

What will the examiner be looking for?

• Good co-ordination of controls
• A reasonable standard of accuracy
• Effective observations throughout each manoeuvre to make sure that it is safe to do what you are doing.

You will need to satisfy the driving examiner that you are capable of carrying out these exercises under control and safely. Naturally your instructor will teach you how to carry out these manoeuvres during your lessons but bear in mind that most pupils need plenty of practice to be able to perform them competently.

The main manoeuvres are:

• Turn in road
• Reverse parking
• Reverse round corner
• Emergency stop

Turn in road
This manoeuvre is more frequently referred to as a three point turn, but this is not the correct name as it does not need to be done in three. It can be carried out in any odd number (i.e. 3, 5 or even 7)

The number of movements will depend on three factors.

• The length of the car
• The width of the road.
• The ability of the driver to control it

The object of the exercise is to turn your car round in the road to face the opposite direction, using your forward and reverse gears, (you may, for example find yourself travelling in the wrong direction).
You must always make sure that where you carry our this driving manoeuvre, that it is safe to do so. You should try to choose a place where there is good visibility to the front and rear, so that you can see other traffic that may be coming and that those drivers can see you. So do not do this on the approach to the brow of a hill, or near a bend in the road, as this could be potentially very dangerous. Also bear in mind that you cannot do this exercise in a one way street or dual carriageway as you would now be facing the wrong way!

Accuracy requirement:

 Whilst turning you should try to avoid touching the kerb with your tyres, but remember, if you were to give the kerb a little bump on your test, this would NOT cause you to fail the test. A little bump would be recorded as a driving fault. If, however, you were to thump the kerb, or worse still, mount the kerb, then you would be likely to fail your driving test. You should also try to turn the car round in the minimum number of movements possible for the width of the road.

It is also necessary to keep a good look out for traffic coming from either direction, and pedestrians who may be crossing the road (possibly from behind you) The secret of carrying out the manoeuvre successfully is to keep the speed of the car nice and slow (1 - 2 m.p.h. is sufficient), and to steer briskly. Your instructor will, of course, teach you how to do this properly, and with sufficient practice you should be able to carry out the manoeuvre competently and safely.

Reverse parking

You could be asked to carry out this manoeuvre either on the road, or in the test centre car park. The examiner will ask you to pull up behind a parked car, leaving yourself enough room to be able to move off again. Once you have pulled up he will then ask you to carry out the reverse parking manoeuvre using the car in front of you. You would first, make sure it is safe, then move out and stop alongside and parallel to the car in front of you. Once you have stopped, make sure that it is safe, then reverse slowly, to park your car behind the parked one.

Accuracy requirement:
(a) You must not hit the kerb on this manoeuvre.
(b) You need to park reasonably close to the kerb (in practice, within 9 - 10 inches or 25 cm) will suffice,
parallel to the kerb, and no more than 1 car length from the parked car in front of you. It is preferable to finish the manoeuvre having straightened up the steering as well so that the front wheels are not sticking out. You must also keep a good watch out for other traffic coming from either direction, and pedestrians who may be crossing the road.

Bay parking

This would normally be carried out at the start of your driving test, and the examiner will wait until all other cars have left the car park. You would be asked to move your car out of the exit to the car park and stop where instructed.
Then reverse your car into any space either to your left or right. It is important to complete the exercise with your car centrally in the bay, and parallel with the bay markings.
It is acceptable to move forward and reverse again to adjust your position if necessary. Once completed, you would then be asked to drive out of the car park as normal to proceed with the rest of the driving test.
Your instructor will teach you how to carry out this manoeuvre, both on the road, and in the car park, but you will need to get plenty of practice to be able to carry out the exercise competently.

Reverse round corner

This manoeuvre involves reversing round a corner from a main road into a side road. YOU SHOULD NEVER REVERSE FROM A SIDE ROAD INTO A MAIN ROAD, as visibility would be poor and you may not be able to see traffic which may be coming along the main road. Also bear in mind that you should never reverse in a one way street. This would be illegal as well as potentially dangerous.

Accuracy requirement:

You MUST NOT hit the kerb on this manoeuvre, and also MUST NOT cross the centre line of the side road you are reversing into. It is more important to keep your car parallel with the kerb than a specific distance from it. On the test, the examiner would ask you to pull up on the left before the corner, and would then give you the instructions for the manoeuvre. When you are sure it is safe, move off and pull up again after the corner. When it is safe, start to reverse nice and slowly towards the corner, keeping a good look-out for traffic and pedestrians. When you reach the corner, again check for traffic, and if safe start to steer round the corner. You should reverse back into the side road for about four or five car lengths. When you have completed the exercise, the examiner will ask you to drive on again. Your instructor will teach you how to carry out this exercise, and how to judge your position in relation to the kerb, but again, this manoeuvre requires plenty of practice to be able to perform competently.

Emergency stop

Surely it stands to reason that all drivers should be capable of stopping the vehicle safely in an
emergency. If you drive safely in the first place, staying alert and reading the road and traffic conditions well ahead and reacting early to changing situations and hazards, you should normally be able to avoid a situation where you need to stop very quickly. However, even the most experienced of drivers can occasionally get caught out, possibly through a momentary lack of concentration.
On the driving test, one in three candidates will be asked to demonstrate their ability to stop the vehicle as if in an emergency. The examiner will ask you to pull up on the left, and will then tell you that he will shortly ask you to stop the vehicle as if in an emergency and as if a child had run out in front of you. He will demonstrate the signal he will give you, and then ask you to drive on. When the examiner is sure it is safe to do so, he will give you the signal to stop.

The main requirements are:

• To stop the vehicle in the shortest distance possible
• To keep the vehicle in a straight line
• To stop the vehicle without locking the road wheels (skidding)

It is very important to keep your eyes on the road ahead, and keep both hands firmly on the steering wheel until the car has stopped completely. Then apply the handbrake and select neutral. When the examiner asks you to drive on, look all round to make sure it is safe to move off, signal if necessary, and move off only when you are sure it is safe to do so.

Your instructor will teach you how to stop your vehicle in an emergency, under control and safely, but bear in mind that you will need plenty of practice on this exercise to become sufficiently competent.

You will also learn about the main causes of skidding, which are:

• Harsh braking
• Harsh acceleration
• Harsh steering