The controls of a car
The controls of a car are very similar to one another. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you first start as each hand and foot has many different tasks to perform, often very different from one another. Through repetition and muscle memory, you'll pick it up before too long. Here are the basic controls of a car.
The pedals
Your feet control these. Remembering ABC, (Accelerator, Brake, Clutch) just in reverse, is an easy way to remember which is what.
The Accelerator (A)
is used for making the car go faster, it allows fuel to flow into the engine. The firmer you press it, more fuel enters the engine and the faster the car will go. Come off the accelerator and the car will reduce it's speed. The speedometer is the large dial on the dashboard and this informs you of your speed in miles per hour.
The Brake (B)
is the hardest pedal to use and is controlled with your right foot like the accelerator. Make sure you can easily move between the pedals by sitting correctly. This is the pedal that will save you! The brakes work evenly on all four wheels and illuminates the rear brake lights (red lights) at the rear of the car once the pedal has been pressed. Braking should always be smooth and progressive. Gentle at first, getting firmer and then coming off the pedal as we come to a stand still.
The Clutch (C)
is the most difficult to understand. We use it to make the car go, change gear and to stop the car from stalling. We use the clutch to get the car moving too. This is known as finding 'the bite'. When stationary and in first gear, the clutch rises to a certain point where you can feel a vibration change. At this point, inside the engine, it's just being allowed to push the wheels forward a very small amount. Any more release will see the car moving/stalling.
When we want to go faster or slower, we change gear. We come off the accelerator, dip the clutch and go up or down a gear depending on if we want to go faster or slower.
And we use it to prevent the car from stalling when stopping. Stalling is when the engine idols and conks out when the speed is too low for the gear we're in.
Gears
Most modern cars have gears 1 to 5 (sometimes 6) and will always be in the same place. Reverse gear on cars can be found in different places. Check the head of the gear stick to see where it is on your car. The clutch must be fully depressed in order to change gears and you'll need to be completely off the accelerator too.
What gear should I be in?
Is probably the question you'll be asking for a while. To begin with, think in increments of ten. 0-10 first gear. 10-20 second gear. 20-30 third gear and so on. This will change a little later on when becoming more proficient.
First gear is used to move away from a standing position. This gear offers the most power to get the car moving. Changing gear at the appropriate time means reducing engine wear, making your driving smoother and saving fuel.
Handbrake
This is used to secure the car and is operated with the left hand. To take the brake off you need to firmly lift then quickly use your thumb to depress the button. Push it down afterwards to it's resting position. Once the handbrake has been used, return your hands immediately to the steering wheel. Otherwise it's too easy to try and use your hands to stop the car. We use the handbrake on the roads when you feel as though the car is going to roll backwards, or when waiting for long periods at junctions to help prepare to move away quickly into a small gap.
Steering
The steering wheel is used to make the car change direction. The hands must feed the wheel using the 'pull-push' method of steering. The top hand pulls the wheel into a corner whilst the other hand pushes the remaining turn required from the base.
This could feel very weird to begin with and I'd recommend doing what ever you need to make sure you just stay on the road when you first start. However, you'll need to become disciplined in time. You can practice this at home by turning a dinner through your hands in one direction a few times, then back the other way.
The hands must not be allowed to cross one another whilst steering. Your hands should always be in the 10-2 (9-3 is also acceptable) position. If the steering wheel were a clock face, one hand rests at 10 o'clock whilst the other sits at 2 o'clock. This allows for better control of the car.
Watch Our Video Steering a Car
Indicators
These are found on the stalk to the left of the steering wheel. It's located here so that you're able to operate them with your finger tips whilst keeping some element of your hand on the wheel. Push the stalk down when wanting to turn left and up for right. When you apply the indicators, orange lights flash on the corresponding corners of the vehicle alerting others to your movement intentions.
These are the basic controls of a car. Anything else you need to know, just ask.
Mirrors
It's important to know why do we use our mirrors before we do too much driving and instill good habit early with their use? There are several reasons for using them.
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when we move off from the side of the. road and when we are pulling over to stop.
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when we open the car door to make sure it's safe for other road users.
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when we change direction for moving around parked objects.
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when we turn into or out of a road.
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when we change speed.
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when we change lanes.
Types of mirror
Cars have two types of mirror. The interior mirror is made of flat glass and so gives us a true image of what is happening behind us. All decisions should be confirmed with this mirror. It's also the mirror we use first when changing direction. The other type is the door mirror. These are sometimes shaped a little like the back of a spoon (convex) which enables us to see more of what is happening behind us. The drawback of this is that the objects can appear to be smaller, which leads you to believe they are further away than they really are. This is why we confirm all decisions with the interior mirror.
When you use the mirrors, you must act sensibly on what you see. Never make a car slow down or change direction for you.
Blind spot
There are several of these on all cars - two in front of you and two behind. The most dangerous is the one behind you and to the right. Make sure this is checked, by looking over your right shoulder out of the passenger window before moving off and before each manoeuvre. NEVER whilst on the move. This is because twisting your head in your seat will move your shoulders, arms, hands and ultimately the steering wheel. This is obviously dangerous.
Good habits
Very early on you'll be checking your mirrors as part of your routine for dealing with junctions. If you're also able to integrate an interior mirror check when ever you feel like you might be asked to slow down, like when you see a traffic light or pedestrian crossing, this is a great habit to form early.
Mirror checking for adjustments of speed has it's own check box on your test day score sheet. So, when you're at test standard you should be checking this instinctively when ever you see some thing that you "might" slow down for. This is to check to the position of the vehicle behind you, so if you did need to brake, you know what level to apply.
Moving off and stopping
There are two absolute key routines you need to learn here before going much further. POM and MSM. You need both of these for moving off and stopping.
Moving Off
The first thing you have to learn is how to P.O.M! Prepare, observe, manoeuvre. This is the routine you'll use every time your stationary.
To prepare the car you firstly press the clutch all the way down to the floor, keep your left foot still, then with your left hand put the car into first gear. You do this with an open palm, towards the left side of the car forward to the front left wheel.
You then need to 'set the gas'. This is done with your right foot. You need to squeeze the accelerator about the width of a pound coin, until you get a lively even hum from the engine. You can use the rev counter to help. Some where between 1.5 and 2 revs would be enough. Your right foot now stays still.
Slowly, a fraction at a time the left foot is going to come off the clutch until you feel a vibration change through the car. This is the biting point. It's when the engine starts to turn the wheels. A large biting point is when the bonnet feels like it's rising. If you feel this, dip it a little, you don't want too much. Once this happens, both feet stay still and your car is now prepared.
Next you need to observe. Firstly check your interior mirror, then right door mirror (looking for any other road user, remember not to make them slow down for you), then over your right shoulder into your blind spot.
If it's clear, your left hand releases the handbrake and the car will start to manoeuvre. Both hands should now be on the wheel and gently move yourself away from the kerb.
Whilst this is happening, your feet need to move like a little set of scales. Your left foot slowly releases the rest of the clutch. Perhaps over a distance of 2-3 car lengths (8-12 meters). Whilst your right foot applies more gas.
When you've steered from the pavement enough, about 1/2 meters, straighten up. Your left foot should be off the clutch by now and get into the habit of resting it on the floor, not on the clutch pedal.
Stopping
This is where we need to use the M-S-M routine. Mirrors, signal, manoeuvre. When we need to reduce our speed the first thing we do is check our interior mirror. This is to check the speed and position of the cars behind us. Then we check our left door mirror for cyclists.
We then signal to indicate to all road users what our intentions are.
The maneuvering section is broken down into three separate components. Positions, speed and look.
After checking the left hand side is clear, we change our position and steer towards the pavement. Gently.
Whenever we intend to stop and as soon as we feel we have the momentum to make it to our stopped position, we dip the clutch. We then apply the brake and control the speed. Make it progressive and smooth. Using the foot brake illuminates the rear brake lights, which is another form of signal in the M-S-M routine and can actually happen before the indicator later on when travelling at higher speeds.
Look for somewhere safe, legal and convenient to park up. Have a target in mind to practise what level of pressure to apply to the brake to achieve a certain result.
Once the car has stopped, keep the feet still! Fully apply the handbrake, put the car into neutral, cancel the signal and then relax your feet.
Now that you know about moving off and stopping, you should look to practise this is quiet areas to begin with with plenty of free pavement space. Once you're getting along with this, look to the next tutorial.
How close to the kerb am I?
A little reference point tip. Some struggle with estimating where the kerb is when parking. It's difficult to begin with. If you really need help, use a reference point on the wiper blade. In this photo, when the kerb stone is inline with the knobbly bit of the wiper blade, the car is about 10 cm from the pavement. All cars will have something you can use for this.
Be careful not to fixate on this. Use it for a little bit, then use your judgement.
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How to steer a car
Learning how to steer is sometimes over looked by a new driver. Do not underestimate how difficult and important it is. If you can't control where your car is heading, then you're not safe enough to drive down the street.
Keeping your hands at what is know as the "ten, two" position is the safest place to have your hands on the wheel. The position refers to where you would find the numbers on the face of a clock. It's easier to pull the hands down to control the car, than to have to push your hands upwards. So having your hands high on the wheel is considered to be far safer. Hands at "nine and three" is also acceptable.
You will also be expected to use the "pull, push" method of steering. Where one hand pulls the steering wheel down and once the hand is at the bottom of the wheel (in a position where it can go no further), the other hand pushes the wheel up, completing the turn of the wheel. Watch the video opposite, or use the image to see how it is done.
You can practice at home by using a round dinner plate as a wheel. Sit down (watch TV if you like) and feed the wheel through your hands for 5 minutes to the right, then to the left. You'll see the progress you'll make very quickly.
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