Hi guys, I get some free web space with my internet provider, and I am thinking of putting together a guide to help new drivers like myself, to get through the C & C+E tests. Before taking my class C just before Christmas (passed second time) I spent of lot of time searching the web for any help, and was unable to to find any dedicated web pages, so I thought I would start my own page, or perhaps gather all the info together for a sticky post or similar.
What I plan is simple guides on things to practice before you start your training i.e roudabout positioning, downhill start methods, gear change exercise etc - all thing that most drivers once new but have got out of the habit. Also layout of cones for the reverse etc. If anyone can help with the cone layout dimensions, that would be great.
I am keen to get this information collected while it is still fresh from my training,. I welcome any help or input
Personally, the physical driving stuff I wouldn’t bother about too much. That is what the instructor is there for, and what you are paying him or her for.
What I would think would be more useful is stuff like tips on how to get through the Hazard Perception test, which apparently not that easy. I understand that spotting the hazards is easy enough, but clicking the mouse button in the right time frame isn’t.
The links to VOSA, DVLA and DSA should get you most of the stuff you want, but it’ might take you a bit of time.
I take it you didn’t want us to lead you by the hand did you?
Thanks Simon,
The main thing I wanted to do was give people a good idea of what to expect before they start their training. I had been driving 20 years before I took my C, and the first 2 days of my training was spent undoing all the bad habits I had picked up. If I could give a guide to the driving style expected , perhaps anyone waiting for their training to start could practice the driving style expected.
For warned is for armed - as they say.
I have a rough draught of my guide if you are interested?
Gear changes - slow them down. If you try to change gear at the same speed as in a car, you’ll probably crunch the gears. A gear change should take 2-3 seconds, and is made up of a sequence of straight movements, not one fluid movement. Always push/pull the gearstick into neutral, then let it go, then push/pull into the new gear. That way you should get smoother changes.
If you drive a vehicle long enough that you can easily see the rear wheels in the mirrors, start practising with using the mirrors to tell you when you can steer around the corners.
Roundabouts - again, get used to taking them slowly. You should go round them at such a speed that you don’t feel any significant sideways g-force. (i.e. you don’t feel pushed into the side of your seat).
Approach to turnings, corners, roundabouts, etc. - either brake or steer. Not both at the same time. Getting round a turn (be it a turning, corner, roundabout, etc.) should be done as follows:
Speed - get the speed right first (i.e. braking)
Gear - once your speed is right, then select your new gear
Steering - you should have done the above two items before you start steering round the curve/roundabout/etc. You shouldn’t still be fumbling with slowing down and gear changes whilst you’re steering - you end up having to rush, and that’s when you make mistakes. On a roundabout, the first two should have been done before you even start to turn the wheel left on the roundabout entry.
[/*:m]
And above all, listen to your trainer. You’re paying them for their advice, so take it, and do what they say
On a roundabout, the first two should have been done before you even start to turn the wheel left on the roundabout entry.
And on the approach to most roundabouts there is a tarmac joint across the road which can be used as target for when the hands should be going back onto the steering wheel.
I’ll chip in with another. Progress.
Making progress is less about going fast, rather more about taking opportunities as they arise. Approaching any hazard, unless 1 & 2 above have been completed, then any opportunity that does arise, will be lost. And if the proverbial “Bozo in a Beamer” comes around that roundabout without signalling, then the vehicle can still be brought safely to a halt.
Krankee:
Making progress is less about going fast, rather more about taking opportunities as they arise. Approaching any hazard, unless 1 & 2 above have been completed, then any opportunity that does arise, will be lost. And if the proverbial “Bozo in a Beamer” comes around that roundabout without signalling, then the vehicle can still be brought safely to a halt.
Well, either the opportunity will be lost, or you’ll end up trying to steer, brake and rush a gear change at the same time, and the chances are it’ll all go horribly wrong and you’ll end up half way round the roundabout with the truck in neutral because it wouldn’t go into gear and you’re steering with one hand trying to find a gear with the other one…
The phrase I was taught was “prepare to go, but be ready to stop”.
On my C training I was with one guy who (IMHO) “didn’t have what it takes” - he had already failed something like 6 tests, was on his third driving school, and didn’t seem to be improving. On one occasion he drove up to the “give way” line of the roundabout, stopped, put it in gear, then looked to see if there was anything coming (which there was). If he’d looked ahead, he would have seen there was a huge gap before the vehicle he had to wait for, when he could have maintained significant speed and done the roundabout in 4th gear (of 6), but it was plainly obvious that he just hadn’t looked ahead and planned properly.
MrFlibble:
On my C training I was with one guy who (IMHO) “didn’t have what it takes” - he had already failed something like 6 tests, was on his third driving school, and didn’t seem to be improving. On one occasion he drove up to the “give way” line of the roundabout, stopped, put it in gear, then looked to see if there was anything coming (which there was). If he’d looked ahead, he would have seen there was a huge gap before the vehicle he had to wait for, when he could have maintained significant speed and done the roundabout in 4th gear (of 6), but it was plainly obvious that he just hadn’t looked ahead and planned properly.
There are plenty of people, with any class of licence, who still drive that way Mr Fibble.
