Vehicle Controls and Handling
The Vehicle Controls and Handling domain tests whether you can operate a car smoothly and, more importantly, keep control when grip or gradient changes. Dominica's roads turn basic control skills into safety-critical ones, so exam questions are situational: a gradient, a surface or a component failure is described and you choose the control response.
Before you move
Run a cockpit drill every time: doors closed, seat and head restraint set, steering wheel within reach, seat belt fastened, mirrors adjusted, handbrake on and the gear lever in neutral or park before starting. Use pull-push steering so both hands stay on the wheel, and never dry-steer a stationary car.
Brakes, gears and gradients
Brakes fade when used continuously, exactly what happens if you ride the pedal down a long descent. Select a lower gear before the hill and let engine braking hold the car back, applying the brakes in short, firm applications. Coasting in neutral or with the clutch held down removes engine braking and is dangerous downhill. For a hill start, hold the car on the handbrake, bring the clutch to its biting point, then release the handbrake as you add power.
When grip is lost
In a skid, ease off the accelerator and steer smoothly where you want the front of the car to go; do not stamp on the brakes. In aquaplaning, lift off gently and hold the wheel straight until the tyres regain contact. With ABS, keep firm pressure on the pedal and steer; the pulsing is normal and means the system is working.
Worked example
You are descending a long, steep hill with four passengers when the brakes begin to feel weak. The correct response is not to brake harder. Select a lower gear at once to restore engine braking, apply the brakes firmly but intermittently to let them cool, and if they do not recover, stop safely with the handbrake and let them cool before continuing.
Traps
Riding the clutch; coasting downhill; braking mid-bend instead of slowing before it; steering one-handed through a bend; and forgetting that a loaded car stops more slowly and needs lower gears.