Hawkwell driving schools: Rayleigh and the surrounding areas
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The following sections are all
written by Alan:
essentials
new pupil's page
best driving tips
driving test secrets
independent driving
driving on snow and ice
show me tell me
technique
general
control basics
safety drills
using the mirrors
left & right turns
one way streets
junctions
give way priority
giving warnings
zebra crossings
dual carriageways
roundabouts
mini-roundabouts
country lanes
overtaking parked cars
manoeuvres
general
reversing
parallel parking
bay parking
turn in the road
emergency stop
Hawkwell Driving School
www.drivingschoolrayleigh.co.uk
Rayleigh
Thundersley
Hullbridge
© 2011
Driving technique:
The pages linked on the left outline driving techniques for particular situations, and certain hazards and driving conditions. Although you must know how to deal with all of these to be a safe driver and to pass your driving test, it is also very important to have a confident and competent driving style. If you are able to convince your driving examiner within the first few minutes that you are an excellent driver, they are less likely to be looking for faults as you drive throughout your driving test. To do this your driving should be smooth, predictable and boring !
Everything should be planned well in advance,and the only way you can do this is to be constantly scanning the whole situation around you. Check the mirrors often, and change frequently where your eyes are focusing. Then if your focus point is steady, change the area within your field of view that that your attention is upon. Scan into the distance, mid-distance, close-to, and side-to-side.
Here are a few rules you can use to keep you safe on the road, and improve your technique:
- Make all your changes of speed and direction smooth and predictable. If you don't take anyone by surprise it is very difficult to have an accident.
- Take responsibility for dealing with a situation, not relying on other people to do the sensible thing.
- Always keep space around your vehicle: Hold well back, keep space to your sides, and always try to maximise your safety margins (see below).
- When vision is restricted, such as by a parked vehicle, or by a truck turning, always assume that something may happen in the area that you cannot see, until you can prove to yourself that it's not.
- Take responsibility for your learning, and make your own decisions. Try not to wait for your instructor to tell you what to do, but take the initiative. Your ultimate aim should be to drive with your instructor as though he wasn't there.
Commentary:
Using a commentary, or narration, will help you look and plan ahead, and organise your thoughts. To do a commentary describe out loud what you see well ahead of the car, trying to start with what's in the far distance, and talking about what's closer if you've got enough time. Identify the hazards, and say what you are going to do about them, such as checking the mirrors, and whether you are going to change speed or position. This will make you think much further ahead than the average driver and will improve your driving immensely. It is very difficult to do, but will get easier the more you practice, and is well worth the effort.
An example of a commentary you may hear from an experienced instructor:
"I am keeping a 3 second safety gap from the car in front. As I approach the brow of the hill I am checking my mirror and looking for brake lights from the car in front to give me an indication of any obstructions ahead that I can't see yet. The road ahead is now clear. There is a zebra crossing in the distance, so I am checking my mirror again and looking for any pedestrians that may be walking towards it. There are bushes to the side so I am aware that someone may walk out from the side that I can't yet see. The crossing looks clear, so I am now looking ahead as far as I can see along the road. There are a few parked cars by a row of shops ahead. - So I am checking my mirrors, and moving out towards the centre of the road. Taking an early postion will show any cars coming the other way that I intend to go through. There is another car coming so am looking for his reaction to me. If he doesn't react I can still slow down or pull back in if I need to. He moves to his left slightly so I know that he has seen me. I am out in position now about 5 car lengths before the first car and over a car door's width away. Just in case someone opens a door as I go past. One of the parked cars has its brake lights on, if they go off he may either pull away or open his door. I'll cover my horn just in case I need to use it to warn him I'm here "
A common phrase you will hear in a driving commentary is "maximise your safety margins". This means that you should leave as much space around you as possible, on all sides!
For example: You are driving along a busy, but fairly narrow, two-lane one-way street full of shoppers, with parked cars both sides of the road (Leigh Broadway). You want to turn right at the end, so you need to be in the right-hand lane where the road splits. However, to maximise your safety margins, you should stay in the middle of the two lanes until you have slowed down close to the end of the street. Thus giving yourself maximum clearance from the parked cars and pedestrians on both sides of the road.
You wouldn't be maximising your safety margins effectively if you stayed close to the cars one side to give lots of clearance the other side, because the danger may come from the side you are close to!
Part of your lessons:
During my fleet driver trainer course in 2002, with Pro-Drive in Stafford, I was taught to commentary drive. I had already been a driving instructor for 18 years, but I still learnt a vast amount on this course. Commentary driving was the major emphasis of the whole week course, because it is so important to be able to do to teach advanced driving. If I consider that it will be beneficial to your progress, I will teach you how to commentary drive as part of your normal driving lessons, or as part of your Pass Plus course if you decide to do that after you've passed your test.
To find out more about commentary driving see this link to Sgt Chris Gilbert, driving instructor to
HRH Prince William, HRH Prince Harry, The Duchess of York, The Duchess of Gloucester and
The Earl of Ulster: www.driving4tomorrow.com
or see his videos from Youtube below