To become competent going forward and backwards takes two years of full time driving. By that time you should have come across most of the challenging situations you can encounter and learnt how to solve or at least cope with them.
On the advice front I will pass on what my trainer said to me;
- Use ALL the manouvring space available to you in any given situation.
- If your taking a shunt use all the space available, a six foot shunt when you have twenty available will result in more six foot shunts!!
- Slow down earlier at junctions and roundabouts to give yourself time to look and position yourself correctly.
- Don’t worry about holding people up when reversing, take your time, don’t rush and keep using your mirrors.
- Get out and look, don’t commit to a yard etc blind. Better to know what’s over the fence before you go through the gate.