Driving Technique and Safe Vehicle Handling
What the exam tests
This domain assesses whether you can demonstrate and teach a repeatable, low-risk technique. The examiner looks for a correct seating position, an observation routine that survives stress, smooth control inputs and manoeuvres that a learner can reproduce without your hands on the wheel.
Setup and control technique
- Seat: hips and knees slightly flexed, clutch fully depressed without stretching, wheel rim reachable with shoulders on the backrest.
- Mirrors: interior mirror frames the rear window; exterior mirrors show a sliver of own vehicle.
- Steering: pull-push or shuffle steering, hands at about 9 and 3 or 10 and 2; avoid hand-over-hand and palming, which conflict with airbag deployment.
- Pedals: heel on the floor, progressive brake pressure, clutch to the bite point and hold, not riding the pedal.
- Observation: interior mirror, exterior mirror, indicator, shoulder check (Schulterblick) before any lateral movement.
Manoeuvres and economy
- Hill starts use handbrake or electronic park brake, bite point, then release; the car must not roll back.
- Parking and reversing are taught with reference points, walking pace and all-round observation, not with the camera alone.
- Roundabouts: approach in the correct lane, observe circulating traffic, indicate exit, keep lane discipline.
- Motorway entry: match speed on the slip road, indicate, shoulder check, merge without forcing.
- Eco-driving: early upshift, anticipatory release of the accelerator, correct tyre pressure, no unnecessary idling.
Worked example
A lane change on the motorway is taught as a fixed chain: interior mirror, exterior mirror, indicator, shoulder check, gradual lateral movement, indicator cancel, re-check mirrors. The reasoning is that mirrors leave a blind spot beside the rear pillar; the shoulder check covers exactly that gap. If the learner indicates first, other drivers may read the signal as a demand rather than a request. The sequence protects the learner when traffic is dense and the mirror image is ambiguous.
Traps that cost marks
- Accepting mirror-only observation before a lane change.
- Braking while turning instead of slowing before the curve.
- Coasting in neutral or with the clutch held down for long periods.
- Teaching a manoeuvre by reference points without teaching observation.
- Demonstrating at normal speed so the learner cannot see the sequence.