Vehicle Controls and Safe Driving Technique
Controls
Know the primary controls: steering wheel, accelerator, brake, clutch (manual), gear lever, handbrake, indicators, lights, horn, and mirrors. Use the mirror–signal–manoeuvre routine for every change of direction or speed. Set mirrors before moving off. Use the parking brake when stationary. Select the correct gear for the speed and gradient; do not coast in neutral.
Safe technique
- Observation: check mirrors and blind spots before moving off, changing lanes, or overtaking.
- Following distance: use the two-second rule in good conditions; increase to four seconds or more in rain, darkness, or when following large vehicles.
- Steering: hold the wheel at "ten-to-two" or "quarter-to-three"; avoid crossing hands unnecessarily.
- Braking: brake progressively; avoid sudden braking unless avoiding a hazard.
- Hill starts: use the handbrake to prevent rollback.
Traps in questions
A frequent trap is the blind spot: mirrors alone do not show it, so a shoulder check is needed. Another is the two-second rule being treated as a fixed distance; it is a time gap that grows with speed. Questions may also test that you should not use the horn except to warn of danger, and that coasting downhill in neutral is unsafe and often illegal.
Rule of thumb
Mirror–signal–manoeuvre, and "only a fool breaks the two-second rule."
Worked example
At 60 km/h in rain, a two-second gap is too short. Double it to at least four seconds, giving you time to react and stop on a wet surface where grip is reduced.