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Suggested length - 1 - 1 1/2 hours
Introduction
This should always be the first lesson for pupils who have never driven before. The lesson can be taught at the pupil’s house, or the supervisor can drive to a quiet place. It will be helpful if the supervisor can read this lesson to the pupil and point out the controls as they are explained.
In this lesson you will learn:
Cockpit drill - including how to adjust your seat and seat-belt correctly.
What the pedals do and how to use them.
What the gears do and how to use them.
What the handbrake/parking brake does and how to use it.
What the steering wheel does and how to use it.
What ancillary controls do and how and when to use them.
To understand the instrument panel.
How to start the car.
How to adjust your mirrors correctly.
What ‘blind spots’ are and how to deal with them.
Cockpit Drill.
Yes, it sounds like you’re piloting a fighter plane. But it’s the only way to explain five important things you need to do when getting into the driving seat. Some pupils find it helps them remember by using the initials DSSSM.
Doors. Make sure they are all properly shut. This is the driver’s responsibility.
Seat. Adjust the seat so that, when holding the steering wheel, there is a slight bend in the elbow and, when depressing the pedals, there is a slight bend in the knee. (See illustration). Adjust the head restraint so it protects the centre of the head. (See illustration).
Seat-belt. Make sure the belt is securely fastened in the position shown. There should be no twists and pregnant ladies should ensure the lower belt is beneath the stomach. Wearing a seat-belt is a legal requirement. For details on the law and seat belts, click ‘HERE’.
Steering. The pupil should run his/her hands around the wheel to ensure there are no obstructions.
Mirrors. These should be adjusted correctly after adjusting the seat.
Pedals.
On a manual car there are three foot pedals located on the floor beneath the steering wheel. The accelerator, the brake and the clutch.
The pedal on the right is the accelerator - sometimes known as the gas pedal. This is the power pedal. We press this pedal to make the car go faster or help the car maintain speed going up a hill. We release the pedal to slow down.
With the engine switched off, press the pedal right the way down to the floor with your right foot. Release it again. It should feel easy and smooth to press.
The accelerator should be pressed gently and progressively, not stamped on. Only use the right foot.
The middle pedal is the brake. This pedal is used to slow and stop the car. It operates on all four wheels.
Press the pedal with your right foot. It should feel firmer than the gas pedal and won’t travel right to the floor. If it does travel right to the floor, don’t drive the car - this means the brakes aren’t working!
As with the gas pedal, only use your right foot to operate the brake. Use it progressively and gently. Never stamp on the brake pedal. Remember the brake pedal also operates the brake lights and other vehicles will respond to your actions, so there are times you will deliberately rest your foot lightly on the pedal to inform others of your actions. There are also times you will avoid unnecessary use of the pedal incase the lights alarm other drivers.
The pedal on the left is the clutch. This pedal needs to be pressed to the floor when changing gear. Many pupils fear the clutch and claim to have problems with it but, once mastered, it is your best friend for controlling the car at slow speed. It is merely a matter of practice, practice, practice.
When the clutch is up, the engine is connected to the wheels. When the clutch is down, the engine is disconnected from the wheels (see illustration). In later lessons you will learn why this is important.
Press the pedal down to the floor with your left foot. It should feel similar but a little stiffer than the gas pedal. The clutch is pressed down quickly, and released slowly. Don’t drive with your left foot resting on the clutch pedal as it will cause excessive wear and cause the engine to rev harder than it needs to.
Gears.
All cars require gears. Low gears give the engine the most force but least speed. High gears are required for higher speeds but have less force so are unable to pull the car away from a standstill. Therefor, gears need to be changed depending on the speed and pulling needs at any particular time. Some cars do this automatically, some have manual gearboxes.
For the sake of this lesson we will assume a manual gearbox.
In a manual car, gears are changed by the driver using a lever which is usually placed to the left of the steering wheel on a floor mounted central console. Look at the top of the gear lever. You will see a diagram showing which way you need to move the lever to select the gears. Most cars have four, five or six forward gears and one reverse gear.
When moving the car away from a standstill, 1st gear is selected. As the car gains speed, higher gears are selected until the highest gear is selected for high speed cruising. As the car changes speed in general driving, so the correct gear needs to be selected to match that speed. Listening to the engine note is a great help when determining the correct gear at any particular time. We will go into this in more detail in later lessons.
When selecting or changing gears, the clutch pedal should always be pushed down.
When changing gear, use the palming method to avoid accidentally selecting the wrong gear. This is best understood by watching the video accompanying this lesson. The diagrams below helps to describe it. With the engine switched off and the clutch pressed down, practice changing between gears. Practice any combination of changes. Try to get used to how these changes feel using the palming method. Don’t look down when changing.
Use the video to see how you can practice gear changes and clutch co-ordination with the car at a standstill.
Hand-brake.
Also called the parking brake, this is the lever usually placed to the left of the driver’s seat.
The hand-brake keeps the car stopped when it is stationary without having to apply pressure to the foot brake. Unlike the foot brake, the hand-brake only works on the two rear wheels, so it must never be used when the car is moving as it could cause a severe skid.
Use the hand-brake when a stop turns to a wait, such as at traffic lights, or when parked.
To release the hand-brake, take the lever in your palm, press the button with your thumb and, holding the button down, push the lever down as far as it will go. To pull the hand-brake on, take the lever in your palm, press the button with your thumb and, holding the button down, pull the lever firmly up and release the button. Never pull the hand-brake on without holding the button down - this causes a clicking sound and can wear out the ratchet which holds the hand-brake on.
When the hand-brake is on a red warning light shows on the instrument panel in front of the driver. When the hand-brake is off the warning light goes off. This is to warn the driver in the event of a faulty hand-brake or if the driver has inadvertently left the hand-brake on when driving off.
Steering:
The wheel in front of the driver is the steering wheel. This usually operates the front wheels and is used to change the direction of the car.
Both hands should be kept on the wheel at all times unless one hand is needed to operate another control such as the gear lever. When driving in a straight line the wheel should be held in the ‘ten to two’ position. To do this, imagine the steering wheel as a clock face. Place the left hand on the steering wheel where the number 10 would be and the right hand on the wheel where the 2 would be.
If your seat is correctly adjusted, your elbows should be slightly bent when holding the steering wheel in the ten to two position.
When turning the wheel, try not to cross your arms. Use the push/pull method. This is best described on the video attached to this lesson. When turning the vehicle left, pull the wheel down with your left hand and push up with your right. When turning right, pull the wheel down with your right and push up with your left.
Push/pull steering can be difficult to master to begin with, but it is well worth persevering as it gives you good control. At a later lesson, find a quiet place and practice push/pull steering with the car moving.
Mirrors.
Mirrors are used to see what’s behind and to the side of the car without the driving having to move his/her head. Most cars have two external mirrors and one internal.
The internal rear view mirror is usually placed at the top centre of the windscreen. When adjusting the mirror the driver needs to be careful to sit in their normal driving position and adjust the mirror with their left hand, keeping the fingers off the mirror surface.
Adjust your internal rear view mirror so that you can see the whole of the rear window without having to move your head.
(WARNING! It is often suggested that the mirror should be adjusted slightly ‘off’ so that you have to move your head when looking into it. This is supposed to be so that, on your driving test, the examiner can see when you are checking your mirrors. This is a myth! Examiners know perfectly well when you are checking your mirrors properly without having to see head movement. Furthermore, if he sees you having to move your head, he’s more likely to think you don’t even know how to adjust your mirror correctly. So adjust it properly. If it helps put your mind at rest, I have always taught my pupils to adjust mirrors correctly in this manner and, in all the hundreds of tests my pupils have taken, I have never had a fail on mirrors. Not once.)
If your mirror is not big enough for you to see the whole rear window, align the top right corner of the mirror with the top right corner of the window.
Now adjust both external mirrors - how you do that will vary from car to car. Ask your mentor to show you. Both mirrors should be adjusted as shown in the diagrams below.
Now that you have adjusted your mirrors correctly, compare what you can see in them with the diagram below.
Notice the shaded areas? These are areas to the side and rear of the car that, even with mirrors, you can’t see without moving your head. They are called blind spots and, to drive safely at any speed, you must always be aware of what is going on in your blind spots.
Any time you are changing direction, or moving the car to the left or right, or changing lanes, you must check the appropriate blind spot first to avoid the risk of collision. This will be discussed in detail in later lessons.
Some external mirrors are convex in shape in order to reduce the size of the blind spot .
Be aware that convex mirrors reduce the size of the image so vehicles will appear further away than they really are. If you see a vehicle in a convex external mirror and it appears closer in a flat interior mirror, the interior mirror is the one to believe. Either way, don’t change direction until you are sure of the whereabouts of any vehicles around you and you are sure it is safe to do so.
Ancillary Controls.
Indicators. These are usually placed on a stalk to the left or right of the steering wheel. They are placed there so the driver does not need to let go of the steering wheel when operating them.
Indicators turn on the flashing amber lights on the outside of the car. They show other road users of our intentions. If the lever is to the left of the steering wheel, push the lever up to operate the right hand lights and push the lever down to operate the left and lights. This operation is reversed if the lever is on the right of the steering wheel.
Ignition. This is how we switch the engine on and off. On most cars a key is used which is placed into a socket on the steering column to the right of the steering wheel.
Ensure the gear lever is in neutral and insert the key in the socket. The key is in the off position. Turn the key clockwise (away from you) one click. This first click turns on certain electrical items in the car, for example it should enable you to use the radio.
Turn the key clockwise another click. This will turn on the ignition and you will see an array of warning lights show on the instrument panel - this is normal and enables you to check the warning lights are working correctly. The car is now ready to start.
Turn the key clock wise again and you will feel a spring resistance and the engine will start to turn over. When the engine has started release the key which will spring back to position two. With the exception of the hand-brake light, all the warning lights should now go out.
Switch the engine off again by turning the key anti-clockwise (towards you) to the off position. The engine will stop running.
Lesson 1 conclusion:
Congratulations! You have now taken the first important step towards learning to drive. You have learned the cockpit drill. You have learned about all the major controls of the car and how they work. You have also learned about most of the ancillary controls.
In addition, you have learned about rear view mirrors, why they are vital for your safety and a little about how and when to use them. Mirrors will be covered in greater detail during later lessons.
