Learning to Drive: Manoeuvres You’ll Need to Know

There’s a lot involved in learning to drive. From memorising aspects of the highway code to learning how to use the clutch smoothly, there are a number of crucial skills and areas of knowledge you’ll need to master if you want to wave goodbye to your L-plates.

When it comes to practical techniques, there’s no substitute for experience – but understanding the basic principles of driving before you get behind the wheel will help you get off to a flying start in your first miles of motoring.

At GoGoGo Intensive driving school in Peterborough, we believe that this is key for those who want to pass their test in short order. That’s why, on our five-day courses, we teach our students all of the theory they need to know before they get behind the wheel. This means that, when they do sit in the driver’s seat for the first time, they can focus entirely on sharpening their driving skills rather than worrying about learning which lane to be in and what different signs represent.

Below are five key practical driving techniques and manoeuvres you’ll need to be proficient in to pass your driving test here in the UK.

Pulling off safely

One of the first things you’ll learn in your driving lessons is how to pull off from a stop in a safe and controlled manner. The use of mirrors and checking your blind spots is crucial here – as it is in pretty much any driving manoeuvre. When it’s time to take your test, driving examiners will be checking carefully to ensure you check your mirrors and blind spots properly before indicating and rejoining traffic; a failure to do so could mean a major fault and an instant fail.

Stopping at the side of the road

Just as important as pulling off safely is the process of stopping safely at the side of the road. You’ll be asked to do this on your test, and your first priority should be identifying a safe area in which to stop; the examiner will be expecting you to stop at the first available safe location on the left-hand side of the road, checking your mirrors and indicating before doing so.

Hill start

Clutch control is a key component of driving a manual car, and your mastery of the clutch will be truly tested on a hill start. Though our roads here in Peterborough are pretty flat, there are still countless crossroads and junctions which are placed on an incline. Careful clutch control is required to traverse these safely. It’s important not to hold the car on the clutch, as this is considered unsafe and will also wear out your car’s clutch prematurely. Instead, find the biting point with the handbrake on and then release it when you’re ready to move off.

Parallel parking

Of the possible manoeuvres you could be asked to perform on your driving test, the parallel park is perhaps the most nuanced and tricky to execute. Your instructor will equip you with reference points to make the process easier, but you have to take care throughout the manoeuvre to check for approaching cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. When you back into the parking space, the front of your car will swing out wide, so you have to be sure that no other cars are coming before you turn the wheel.

Emergency stop

This is another manoeuvre you may be asked to perform on your test, and although it sounds easy on paper, it can be quite intimidating. Modern cars’ anti-lock braking systems mean that you can stamp on the brake pedal as hard as you like and the brakes shouldn’t lock up, so all you really have to do is focus on keeping the wheel straight – just don’t be afraid to really push on the middle pedal!

Driving school Peterborough

Keen to get behind the wheel yourself and pass your driving test here in Peterborough? With a 90% pass rate and expert instructors who know the city’s roads inside out, the team here at GoGoGo will teach you all you need to know to pass in just five days – and become a confident and capable driver in the process. Find out more about what we do today or read our other Go Learning articles.