Print these tips off and keep or give to your friends
Road position and steering
I bet you’ve ridden a bicycle or a scooter before? Do you (shall I rephrase that, SHOULD you) ride it 2 cm away from the kerb, or down the middle of the road? You mustn't put your car in that position either.
A common mistake is to follow the white line instead of the lefthand side of the road when driving. Try it, follow the white line for a while then follow the lefthand side for a while, and see how much of a difference it makes in positioning your car in the road correctly. Use your peripheral vision though and look well ahead to see the kerb instead of looking down at the kerb. When you steer your bike or scooter, you turn the wheel just enough to get it around the corner, looking in the direction you want to be going in. Well it's the same in a car.
Tips for ensuring you get your car in the right position in the road:
- With your hands on the wheel you should see the kerb to the left of your left hand and the middle of the road to the right of your right hand Look in the direction you want to be going, your hands will naturally follow your eyes
- Don’t stare down at the kerb, look well ahead. Do you look down at your feet when you’re walking?
- Make sure that it’s the side of the road that you follow, not the middle of the road. Remember, we drive on the left not in the middle
Still finding it difficult? Get someone to take you to an empty car park or similar area and practice doing figures of eight, aiming for a metre from the kerb on the outside edges of the ‘8’. Go slowly at first then gradually increase your speed to about 5 mph in 1st gear.
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