Here's What I'll Be Teaching You... In "10 Simple Steps" If you have already done some driving, take a look and see how far you've got. That will give you some idea how far you have left to go before taking your driving test.
Lesson 1:
Assuming you have never been in a car before, at least not in the driving seat, you will need to familiarise yourself with all the Basic Controls of the Car: The Accelerator, The Brake, The Clutch, The Handbrake, The Gearstick, The Steering Wheel, The Dashboard, The Indicators, The Windscreen Wipers, The Headlights, etc., etc. You will be taught where they are, what they do and how to use them.
In the first lesson it is very important to actually get you driving. I don't want you sitting at the side of the road for an hour listening to your instructor 'banging on'. So in Lesson 1, you will also be taught how to Pull-Away from the side of the road, how to Change up a Gear or two and finally how to safely Park the car next to the kerb line.
Lesson 2:
Having learnt how the car works and practised a little with pulling away and stopping, we will move on to dealing with Basic Junctions. First up is the T-Junction or Give Way Junction, I will teach you how to perform a Left and Right Turn both in to and out of a side-road. You will gain practical skills in speed management, judgement of speed and distance and above all you will start to develop a sense of timing.
Lesson 3:
Roundabouts. I can see the look of horror on your face all ready. If I had a pound for every time I've heard the words, "I can't do roundabouts", I could retire. Just follow the steps in this simple explanation and you'll do just fine.
Lesson 4:
Traffic lights can control any junction, but in this lesson I'll focus on crossroads, particularly when you have oncoming traffic to deal with.
Lesson 5:
As you venture out onto the Main Roads you will cope with Bigger, Busier Roads and Junctions. You will encounter Pedestrian Crossings, Road Markings, Traffic Signs and unusual Driver Behaviour. This is real Hazard Perception... and this is when You Really Start Learning To Drive.
Lessons 6:
One more major hurdle to go! Dual-Carriageways. Want to go faster? Now you get the chance to stretch your legs a little and experience roads with speed limits of up to 70mph. With these roads comes the need to know about Lane Changes, Slip-Roads and Multiple-Lane Roundabouts.
Lessons 7-10: Now we can start to have some 'fun' with the Set Piece Manoeuvres.
The Turn in the Road - Commonly called a three-point-turn but could be completed as a five-point-turn as long as it was in control. Here's where you will gain real skill with Clutch Control and Steering Coordination.
Reverse around a Left-Hand Corner - They rarely go to the right, but often choose this 'unpopular' manoeuvre. It really isn't as hard as people think - In fact once I show you how it's done, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about!
Reverse Park on the Road - usually called the parallel park. This is the one where you reverse into a gap between two parked cars at the side of the road. Just follow the simple steps I'll give you and this one is 'a piece of cake'.
Reverse Park in a Car Park - sometimes called the bay park. The choice of left or right bay park will normally be YOUR choice. However, if there are no available spaces on your preferred side... you will have to go the other way. I'll make sure you are happy either way... then it really won't matter.
Phill Godridge BSc DSA ADI was born in 1970 and has been a qualified driving instructor since 1997. He runs his own driving school in Coventry, UK and hosts the online training site at VirtualDrivingSchool.co.uk. For more information look him up at DrivingTips.co.uk or find him on Facebook/DrivingSchoolCoventry
