Gears to go!

Some drivers always change through the gears one-by-one (1,2,3,4,5 - 5,4,3,2,1).

This is a habit that has stuck with some older drivers from when they originally learned to drive and was commonly taught well into the 1990s. However, it is not generally good practice to use the gears in this way when driving modern motor cars.

Over the years, motor car design and engineering has improved. Compared with cars of even thirty years ago, modern vehicles are lighter, more powerful and more aerodynamic.

These changes (and others) mean that the driving method that was essential in older cars is not applicable to modern driving.

Because cars used to be heavy and braking systems were not as efficient as they now are, it was necessary to use the gears (or to be more precise, the engine compression) to help to slow the car down.

The combination of efficient braking systems and lighter vehicles now enables drivers to slow down without the need to change to a lower gear.

The gear change is made when the power is needed to keep the car moving. This means that if you are stopping, you don’t need to change gear until after you have stopped. This is the preferred method of the DSA.

Missing out gears

It is not necessary to change gears in sequence.

For example: If you are driving along a major road at 60 mph in 4th or 5th gear, and you intend to turn left into a minor road, you may be able to do so without having to stop.

As you approach the junction, reduce your speed until you are going slowly enough to negotiate the junction safely.

It is only after you have slowed down to a safe speed by using the brakes, that you need to select a gear that will drive the car comfortably at the lower speed. In most cars the best gear for the job will be 2nd.

You can occasionally skip gears when changing up but this is less common. A typical upward skip might be from 3rd to 5th on an open road - or 1st to 3rd when driving a getaway car from a bank raid!

Modern motor cars are designed to be driven in the way outlined above. Driving in this way is not only more economical, there are also several safety benefits relating to driver concentration, fatigue, vehicle control and so on. The combined benefits make this a more efficient method than the old one-by-one gear changing method.

This style of driving is now expected on both basic and advanced driving tests.