Turning the car around
Spend between 30 and 40 minutes practising this manoeuvre. Quiet suburban roads, or off road areas, are ideal for reversing manoeuvres.
Start with an average width road and then graduate to narrower roads. Set yourself a challenge to see just how narrow the road has to be before you have to make five moves as opposed to three.
When choosing your location bear in mind the local residents. In many areas the residents get fed up with learner drivers constantly practising outside their front doors. They don't want you adding to their frustration as you practise for your advanced driving test!
I suggest that you don't do more that two turns in any single location if there is any possibility that someone might be upset – advanced drivers don't upset people and don't do road rage!
When you are easily able to meet the accuracy targets move on to a slightly busier location so that you are 'forced' to keep a good look out for other road users.
With proper observation and accuracy.
Position 1: ( diagram below)
Make sure that you complete the normal safely checks before moving off. This might seem obvious, however, when focusing on the turn during the test it's the obvious things that get missed! Steer briskly as soon as the car is moving - low speed, quick steering.
Position 2:
Make sure that you check all around before starting to reverse. You must be looking behind when you start to reverse. Get into the habit of preparing the car, checking right and left (giving way to others if required) and then looking out of the rear screen before releasing the handbrake.
Position 3:
Relax! the main thing here is full all around observation before completing the final leg of the turn. Avoid the learner's trap of watching the front of the car - focus on where you want to go.
Note: 'Dry steering' – Turning the wheel while the car is stationary is usually considered harmful to the steering mechanism and tyres, even in vehicles with power assisted steering.
Dry steering will usually incur a driver error on advanced driving tests. If you are a vehicle design engineer, or tyre specialist we would like to hear your views on dry steering – as we have a few of our own...
