Vehicle Care, Breakdown and Emergency Handling
Vehicle Care
The car is your workplace and your livelihood; a defect can cost you the licence. Examiners test what you check, how often, and in what condition.
Daily walk-around (before the first trip)
Walk around the car: tyres for damage, pressure and tread, lights and indicators, mirrors, wipers, windscreen, bodywork and number plates. Confirm nothing blocks the plates or sits on the roof. Inside: seat belts, warning triangle, clean cabin, working air-conditioning.
Weekly and fluid checks
Engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, windscreen washer and battery terminals. Check oil on level ground with the engine off. Never open the radiator cap on a hot engine. Check tyre pressures when the tyres are cold - hot tyres read higher and mislead you.
Tyres and brakes
Legal minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm. Uneven wear points to alignment or suspension problems. A soft or vibrating pedal, pulling to one side, or a squeal means get it checked immediately.
Warning lights and inspections
Red warning lights (oil pressure, temperature, brakes, battery) mean stop safely and investigate; amber means book a check. Keep the car within its statutory periodic inspection schedule and never dismiss a defect because the trip is short.
Traps: checking tyre pressure after a long drive, topping up coolant with the engine hot, and mistaking a red engine warning for a routine service reminder.
Rule of thumb: if a red warning light comes on, you have seconds, not kilometres.
Breakdown and Emergency Handling
Breakdowns and emergencies are tested as procedures, in order. Learn the sequence and the reasons behind it.
Breakdown on an expressway
Signal left early, move onto the road shoulder or emergency lane, stop as far left as possible, switch on hazard lights and switch off the engine. Place the warning triangle behind the car - further back on a fast road - and get everyone out on the side away from traffic, behind the barrier. Never stand between the car and the traffic flow, and never attempt repairs on the shoulder. Call for recovery or towing and inform your platform.
Common failures
- Tyre blowout: grip the wheel with both hands, keep straight, ease off the accelerator, avoid hard braking, roll to a stop off the carriageway.
- Brake failure: pump the pedal, change down through the gears, apply the handbrake progressively.
- Engine fire or smoke: stop, switch off, get everyone well clear, call 995.
Accidents
Stop, hazard lights on, check for injuries, call 995 for an ambulance and 999 for the police. Do not move an injured person unless there is fire risk. Exchange particulars, photograph the scene, note witnesses, and report the accident within 24 hours if there is injury or damage to property, then notify your insurer and platform.
Traps: leaving passengers in the car on the shoulder, standing behind the boot, or moving a casualty who may have spinal injuries.
Rule of thumb: Off, Out, Behind - off the carriageway, out of the car, behind the barrier.