The cockpit drill,

ALL DRIVING SKILLS

The cockpit drill

Before you drive any vehicle you need to carry out the cockpit drill. This is a

simple routine to ensure the safety of yourself, your passengers and other

road users and is easily remembered as DSMS, which stands for Doors,

Seat, Mirrors and Seat belt.

Doors

The first thing to do is get in the driver’s seat! Your instructor will probably

have parked facing the traffic flow and put the seat back to make it easy for

you to get in promptly. Open the driver’s door from behind so you don’t have

to walk round it to get in. Beware of other traffic –

you don’t want to cause another road user to swerve

when you open the door!

You should close the door

as soon as you are seated and

then check that the parking

brake is applied – your instructor will show you how to do this.

Pull the door to make sure there’s no movement.

Check in the outside mirrors that the doors are flush with the bodyline of the car. Listen to make sure that passengers

(including your instructor!)

have closed their doors

properly. Remember – you

are responsible for the safety

of your passengers. A door

not closed properly will rattle.

It could fly open as you drive along or go around a bend.

Seat

The next thing to do is adjust the driving seat so that you can see all round

and reach the hand and foot controls comfortably and easily. To do so, hold

the steering wheel with one hand and pull the lever at the side/beneath the

seat with your other hand so that you can move the seat to the correct position. You need to be able to push the left foot pedal down fully with your left foot without stretching.

Release the lever when you are happy with the seat position and push yourself back in the seat to make sure it is locked in place. You can then adjust the angle of the back of the seat by the lever/knob on the side of the seat so that you are comfortable, can see clearly over the steering wheel and can move your

arms freely.

Can you reach all around the steering wheel?

If not, you may need to adjust the back of the seat or move the steering wheel if the car you are in has that option. Your instructor will guide you The next thing to do is adjust the head restraint so that it will protect your head and neck. Reach behind you and raise or lower the restraint so that the rigid part is at least as high as the top of your ears and as close as is comfortable to the back of your head (note that in some vehicles the position of the head restraint is fixed).

Mirrors

The mirrors are your most important visual driving aid, which must be

checked at regular intervals as you drive along. It’s as important to know

what’s happening behind as it is to see what’s happening ahead. There will

be more about using the mirrors later. For now you need to know how to

adjust them.

Only adjust the mirrors when the car is stationary and you are seated in your normal driving position. Start with the interior mirror. Hold the mirror by the edges to avoid finger marks. Adjust

the mirror so that you get the best possible view through the back window without having to move

your head. You should be able to frame the whole of the rear window in the interior mirror, but, if you can’t, make sure you can see the top and right hand side of the rear window.

Adjust the exterior mirrors so that you can get the best rear view with minimal

head movements. You should be able to see a small strip of the side of the car, and the horizon should appear about in the middle of the mirror.

Anti-dazzle

Most interior mirrors have an anti-dazzle lever. This is for use at night so that

you are not blinded by the glare of headlights from vehicles behind.

Seat belt

Having adjusted the mirrors, you should now put on the seat belt. You must use the seat belt whenever you drive, no matter how short your journey. Use your left

hand to reach for the buckle and stretch it across. Ensure that the belt is not twisted and that it lies flat across your chest and stomach. Secure the belt in the buckle at the side of your seat. To remove it again you need simply press the button on

top/at the side of the buckle. When putting the belt on and taking it off, hold

the buckle so that it doesn’t fly up and hit you in the face or bang into the

window. Your instructor will demonstrate how to do this if needed.

Seat belts save lives and reduce the risk of serious injury. The law requires that all drivers and passengers (unless they have an exemption certificate)

must wear a seat belt. As the driver, you should encourage all of your passengers to wear their seat belts. If you are carrying passengers under 14 years of age, it is your responsibility to make sure they wear seat belts.

Fuel

On your first lesson your instructor will have made sure that there is enough fuel in the car, but you should get into the habit of checking the fuel gauge

Parking brake and neutral

After you have completed the DSMS routine, it is good practice to check once more that the parking brake (sometimes referred to as the handbrake) is applied and that the gear lever is in the neutral position. You’ll learn how to do this a little later in this stage as you go through the main controls.

It is very important that you complete the cockpit drill before starting the engine and moving off. It would be very dangerous to adjust the seat, steering column or mirrors whilst the vehicle was moving.

The main controls

Now that you’re seated correctly and the vehicle is secure, it’s time to learn about the main controls and driving aids.

Foot controls

Cars with manual transmission have three foot pedals. From right to left these are the accelerator,

the foot brake and the clutch pedal.

The pedal on the right is the accelerator or ‘gas’ pedal and controls the rate at which fuel and air are supplied to the engine. The accelerator should only be used with the right foot. The harder the pedal is pressed, the faster the engine will run and the more power is generated. You should press the pedal lightly, using gentle changes of pressure in normal driving. It takes practice and experience to know how much to press the pedal to make the car speed up. Easing the pressure on the pedal will make the car slow down.

The middle pedal is the foot brake and is used to slow down and stop the car by applying pressure to the front and rear brakes. The foot brake should normally only be used with the right foot, as you would not have to use both the accelerator and brake at the same time

Using the accelerator and foot brake

Position your right foot so that it will pivot comfortably between the accelerator and brake pedals. To do this, cover the brake pedal with your right foot.

Without looking down or moving your heel, practise pivoting between these

pedals. When you have found a comfortable position for your foot, get a feel for the brake pedal by pressing it lightly You should be able to pivot your foot between the accelerator and foot brake The first pressure puts the brake lights on at the back of the car. When driving along, this will let anyone behind know you are slowing down. The harder you press the pedal, the more the car will

slow down. You should brake progressively, using the ball of your foot to press the pedal lightly, increasing pressure gradually as the car slows, and easing the pressure just before stopping so that the vehicle halts smoothly.

The left foot pedal operates the clutch. The main purpose of the clutch is to connect and disconnect the power from the engine to the road wheels. It is needed so that changes can be made smoothly from one gear into another. The clutch

pedal should only be pressed with the left foot.

How the clutch works In its simplest form, the clutch is made up of two circular friction plates, held firmly together by spring pressure.

One of these plates is attached to the engine and rotates all the time that the engine is running. The other plate is

attached, through the gearbox, to the drive wheels. Pressing the clutch pedal

down forces the plates apart, breaking the link between the engine and the

wheels. Controlling the clutch pedal correctly is a vital part of safe and skilled

driving and takes practice and experience.

Using the clutch

To move off, change gear and stop, you should be able to use the clutch

smoothly and without looking at your feet. To begin with, cover the clutch

with your left foot and then press it down. This will disconnect the engine from the gearbox. You will have to do this when changing gear and just before stopping. Next let the pedal up smoothly. You will feel a powerful spring pushing your foot up.

Only a small part of the total pedal travel, known as the biting range, has any noticeable effect on the car. To move off and control very low speeds,

you must be able to find the biting point (sometimes called the holding

point) at the bottom of this range. The biting point is where the two clutch

plates are just in contact so that they slip against one another. Lifting the clutch pedal up beyond this point brings the plates into full contact, causing

the engine to drive the road wheels.

Parking brake

The parking brake is used to secure the car when you park it or are stationary for more than a few moments. A lever positioned beside the driver’s

seat usually operates the parking brake. You must make sure the car has

stopped before applying the parking brake, and you must be able to apply and release it promptly, without looking down.

To practise, first press the footbrake with your left foot and keep it pressed down so that the car won’t move. To release the parking brake, put your hand

on to it with your thumb on the button. Pull the lever up slightly and press the button in. Keep the button pressed in whilst you lower the lever.

To apply the parking brake, press in the button, pull the lever firmly upwards

and release the button. The button will lock against a ratchet. You should try

not to forget to push in the button, as this would cause unnecessary wear.

In some vehicles the lever operating the parking brake can be an additional foot pedal or even electrically operated. Your instructor will show you how these work if fitted in your tuition vehicle.

Gear lever

The purpose of the gears is to allow the car to be driven with minimum strain

on the engine, just the same as the gears on a push bike! The gear lever enables you to change from one gear to another.

Modern cars usually have five forward and one reverse gear, although

older vehicles may have only four forward gears. Newer vehicles may have

a sixth forward gear, which gives greater economy when driving at higher

speeds over longer distances.

The speed ranges overlap, so there is no fixed speed at which to change

gear. With experience you will know from the sound of the engine when a gear change is needed. First gear is the lowest and most powerful gear, which is

used to move the car from rest.

The highest gear is the least powerful and is used for cruising at higher

speeds. Low gears are used at low speeds and when the engine has extra

work to do, for example climbing a steep hill. Higher gears are selected at

higher speeds when the engine has less work to do.

The gear lever also has a neutral position where no gear is selected. With

the gear lever in the neutral

position the link between the

engine and the driven wheels

is broken in the gearbox. This

allows the engine to run without

turning the road wheels even if

the clutch pedal is up. To

check that the gear lever is in

the neutral position, move it

from side to side.

How to select a gear

You need to be able to select each gear without looking down at the lever.

The gear lever in most modern cars is ‘spring-loaded’ and, when in neutral,

rests between third and fourth gears. To select a gear, use the palm of your

hand on the lever. This will allow you to push the lever forwards, backwards

and sideways as needed. Your instructor will demonstrate the gear positions

for your car and let you practise with the car stationary and the parking brake

applied.

To find first gear, push the lever across and forwards. From first gear push the lever straight back to second gear.

To find third gear, palm the lever out of second and forward into the correct position, and so on for each gear. It will take practice to make smooth and unhurried gear changes. You usually change through the gears in order as you increase in speed. When you slow down,

however, you usually select the appropriate gear for the new speed, and it is safe to miss one or more gears in between.

Practise changing up and down the gears until you are confident you can do so without looking at the lever.

You will need to coordinate this skill with foot pedal movements when you start to drive.

Steering wheel

The steering wheel is used to control the direction of the car by turning the front wheels.

Imagine the wheel as a clock face. You should hold the steering wheel lightly but firmly with your hands in the ‘ten-to-two’ or ‘quarter-to three’ position. You should keep both hands on the wheel all the time the car is moving unless operating another hand control or giving a

signal. You should never take both hands from the wheel whilst the vehicle is moving.

To steer a straight course, look well ahead – you will always tend to ‘go

where you are looking’! You must be able to operate the main controls

without looking at them. Looking down will result in your car wandering from

side to side.

To turn the car you should use the ‘pull–push’ technique. This means

feeding the rim of the steering wheel through your hands so that one hand is

always gripping the wheel. For example, to turn right, move your right hand

to the top of the wheel but not beyond the 12 o’clock position. Pull the wheel

downwards with your right hand and at the same time slide your left hand

down the rim so that both hands end up at the same height on the wheel.

Then change the grip to your left hand and push the wheel further round, at

the same time allowing your right hand to slide up the rim of the wheel. You

may need to repeat these steps according to the angle through which the front wheels need to turn. You can vary your hand movements according to the amount you need to turn.

To turn the wheel back again, or to

turn left, use the same procedure, but

the left hand goes to the top of the

wheel first. You should not let the

wheel slip back through your hands

after a turn, as this lessens your control

of the car.

Try not to cross your hands on the

wheel, as this lessens control. You

should also avoid steering when the

car is stationary, as this can damage

your tyres.