Vehicle Operation, Control, and Maneuver Execution
Setup before motion
Every in-car lesson starts with a pre-drive routine: walk-around inspection, seat position, hands at 9-and-3 or 8-and-4 with shuffle steering, head restraint, mirror adjustment, seat belt, gear, brake. Mirrors should minimize blind zones, but the student must still turn the head and check the blind spot before any lateral move.
Sequences that score
Lane change: Signal, Mirror, Over-the-shoulder, Go. Backing: check behind before entering the vehicle, back slowly with both hands on the wheel, use a spotter when available. Turns: correct lane, signal early, slow before the turn, accelerate gently through it. Hill parking is a reliable exam item - uphill with a curb, wheels turned away from the curb (left) so the tire rolls back into it; downhill, wheels toward the curb; uphill without a curb, wheels toward the edge of the road. Always set the parking brake.
Vehicle technology
Threshold braking is taught for non-ABS vehicles. With ABS, hold firm steady pressure and steer - do not pump. Skid recovery: look and steer where you want to go, ease off the accelerator, avoid hard braking.
Traps
Candidates pick "pump the brakes" for ABS cars, "turn the wheels toward the curb" when parking uphill at a curb, and "brake hard" during a hydroplane. All are wrong.
Worked example
A student parks facing uphill against a curb. Correct procedure: pull forward slowly, turn the wheel left (away from the curb), let the vehicle roll back until the rear of the front tire touches the curb, set the parking brake, shift to Park.
Rule of thumb
Slow in, smooth through, accelerate out - and look where you want the vehicle to go.