Steering
Introduction
On this lesson you will recap last lesson skills and drills-
- Improving moving off and stopping
- Smoother gear changes
- Improving clutch control
- Co-ordination of your feet
This lesson will probably need to be a two hour lesson as you have lot to fit in, so lets broken the lesson into 7 phases (some students may need two lessons in the car park):-
Phase 1
Learn how to stop your vehicle behind a white give-way/stop line (using the parking bay line)
Phase 2
Re-cap and find reference points in your front window (by using the parking bays directly in front of you)
Phase 3
Practice the pull/push method of steering
Phase 4
Use the car park to do U turns practicing the pull/push to achieve full lock (using the bay lines to know when to straighten your steering wheel so the vehicle is parallel in the bay).
Phase 5
Talk about Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre including blind spots area's
Phase 6
Find the point of turns when you come to the end of the road to the left and right.
Phase 7
Learn how to turn from a main road turning right into a side road (using the correct point of turn)
The new Goals agreed for this lesson plan will be:-
- Understand the pull-push method of steering
- Confident building finding your biting point (using clutch control)
- Smooth gear changing with little or no conscious thoughts (may not happen on this lesson)
- Understand points of turns on corners and execute a safe and smooth turn when turning left, right and emerging
For safety before you move onto the next stage of driving on busier roads it is very important that you have the above skills
Risk responsibility's
You
and your instructor
will agree the support giving you ether full talk through, prompt or independent. This is important to ensure that you and the instructor understands who has the more responsibility on the control of the training vehicle.
Learning the 7 phases in the car park
Agree risk responsibility
Intervention
Agree if any of the lesson is instructor lead lesson
or a client centred lesson
and if it is client lead and if the instructor has to intervein verbally, take control of the training vehicle by ether using the dual control or take the wheel then the lesson plan may need to be changed until the fault is fixed.
Lesson aims and strategies
Your instructor will instruct/prompt you as much as needed from your last lessons the cockpit drill, gear changes, hand/foot controls, move off and stopping. Also your instructor will give you talk through to a level to suit your training, full talk through then reducing to either prompt or you understand the lesson and your independent.
Lesson aims
The aim of today’s lesson is to use the pull/push method of steering (complete the following car-park exercises), while looking well ahead keeping the car on course, maintaining full control of the training vehicle and being aware of your surrounding when driving the training vehicle.
Objectives
Your objective will to be as independent as possible and by the end of your lesson be able to use the pull/push the steering and going around corners (in a car park) with little or no help from your instructor.
Subject brief
During this lesson you will :-
- Improve P.O.M, P.O.S.M, moving off and stopping
- Learn the pull/push method of steering
- Learn how to get to a give way or stop line
- How to turn left, right and emerge
Peripheral view
During this lesson you will learn how to keep your car on course and under full control using the pull/push method of steering while going in a straight line and then turning corners.
This method ensures that you keep both hands in contact with the wheel at all times and that the wheel is never allowed to spin out of control.
The most important rule about steering is that you not only steer with your hands but also with your eyes to guide you to where you want to go!
Your peripheral vision i.e. your vision to each side helps you to keep your road position.
Phase 1
Getting to the give-way line
Once you have mastered the pull push you will then learn how stop behind a give-way line with the using the bottom of your wing mirror and using the edge of the bay as the white line. This is the best visual reference point to know you have stop behind the white give-way/stop lines.
So as you can see in the above picture if you run the bottom of the wing mirror on the white line it puts your vehicles bumper roughly a foot from the parking bay, use this method to stop behind a give-way or stop line.
Phase 2
Reference points
As discussed on a previous lessons you can use references in your front window by using the bottom of front windscreen (using the centre bottom of the windscreen).
Using the below picture, use the bay directly in front of you and look to where the white bay lines are in the bottom of your front windscreen.
With your training vehicle parked central in a parking bay, discuses the below view (remember different heights and positions of your driver's seat will give you different views).
- Nearside (Left) /white/red arrow should be pointing on or just over the white line
- Nearside door mirror view, you should see the white line 6/8 inches before the side of your training vehicle)
- Offside (Right) white/red arrow is pointing just before the centre line
- Offside door mirror view, you should see the white line again 6/8 inches before or on the centre white line)
Front two wheels
With this in mind just inside off the red and white arrows will be your two front tyres, Try this it really works.
Knowing where the Nearside (passenger) front and Offside (drivers) front wheels are in relation to where you are sat in the drivers seat will help your parking up on the left hand side of the road without hitting the kerb or or parking really wide.
I've found (roughly) 6 inches right of the centre of the dash board will give you a good ides of where your front will be (example the red arrow in the picture below).
Pull push method of steering
It’s now time to move onto the next phase and learn "the pull/push method of steering".
This method stops you from crossing your hands, ensuring you steer slow and safely while going around corners and bends.
Phase 3
Pull and push method of steering
In the diagram below always have your hands at the ten to two position (no lower than quarter to three) when you are driving on a straight road. When you are going to turn a corner you use the pull push method of steering
(this method will control your speed around corners and keep other pedestrians, cyclist and all other road user around you safe).
How much does your steering wheel rotate?
Every vehicles steering (lock) is different, so as a rule of thumb let's say it will rotate one and a quarter revolutions. So use the 6 o'clock position on your steering wheel for guidance (diagram below).
Phase 4
Practice U turns
Phase 5 (if not already of been briefed)
Using the M.S.M routine
Now you will briefed on the use of M.S.M routine and then you will incorporate the pull/push method of steering to the left and right using the Mirror, Signal and Manoeuvre routine in the carpark.
You will also be given references on turning left & right.
Questions that could be asked
Do you know what M.S.M is?
Mirror, signal & manoeuvre.
Mirrors
• When and how often do you need to check your mirrors?
Every 6/10 seconds & use them before you speed up, slow down & change direction
• What are the different glasses in your mirrors?
Flat (interior) Convex (door mirror)
• What’s the difference in the view in your mirrors?
Interior is the true view & door mirror give a further away view (X2).
• What and where are blind spots?
Blind spots are where you can't see in your door mirrors.
Use of signals
• What do you think signal is in the M.S.M routine?
Indicators, Brake lights, reverse lights
• What is the purpose of your signal?
To inform other road user, cyclists & pedestrians your intensions
• When is a signal necessary?
Before speeding up, slowing down & changing your direction
Hand signals
- Do you ever wave a pedestrian on?
Never.
- Do you Know how you can you back up your signal?
Hand signals
Phase 6
Once you understood the pull/push method of steering and can stop in a bay without going over the bay line. You will then cover turning left, right and emerging in the car park.
Manoeuvre
Discus why you need to have a good road positioning with your vehicle as it is vital when on a public road then you could be asked a few questions on adequate clearance.
Learning techniques and strategies
Practice moving off and stopping steering in a U turn while using the pull/push method of steering then progress onto reference points turning left, right and emerging in the carpark. Once you have completed this your instructor will challenge you with incorporating the M.S.M routine.
Once you have practiced the steering routine a few times your instructor will reduce his/her support transferring his responsibility over to you.
Lesson Planning
- Agree learning goals and needs of todays lesson
- Agree appropriate lesson structure (full, partially or independent level of instruction)
- Practice in a suitable training area
- Agreed if needed to adapt the lesson plan to help the pupil work towards their new learning goals if any verbal or physical intervention was made by the instructor
Risk Management
- Fully understood how the responsibility for risk of the lesson would be shared on the lesson plan between instructor and student
- Directional instructions will be given in ADI format (Alert, direction and identify manor) given to the pupil clear and given in good time
- Agree if the students made a minor, serious or dangerous error on your lesson it will be broken down using F.I.S.H (fault, implications, solution & help) this method of feedback helps pupils understand what fault is being made and how to strategies on how correct the faults.
Teaching & Learning Strategies
Like mentioned earlier every student is induvial and each and everyone of you will progress at different rates so driving will adapt their lesson plan to help you achieve your driving goals.
- Your driving instructor will adapt their teaching style to suite your ability and ability
- Your driving instructor will continue to encourage you on your lesson and analyse any problems made and allow you to take responsibility for your own learning goals by giving you technical information to improve your techniques. Your technical feed back from your instructor will be ether given on the move or if feel needed by pulling you up on the side of the road somewhere safe, legal and convenient.
At the end of your lesson
At the end of each lesson you will have a debrief with your instructor giving you the opportunity to reflect on your performance on your lesson then you can set up new goals for your next driving lesson.
This will also give you the opportunity to research any new topics that will be brought into on your next agreed lesson
