Driving Terminology and Phrases in Common Usage that All Learner Drivers Need to Know.

         Part Two. Driving Techniques

Please Read the Article First...then Watch the Video

1. Biting Point--- The point at which the clutch plate engages with the Gearbox thus enabling the car to move. To put it in a little simpler form biting point is when the clutch pedal has been partially raised but not fully released. Being able to recognise “Biting Point”which will be a little different in each car (but not much) is the first essential step in learning to drive. Biting Point is reached when the engine note dips and the car gives a little message to you by straining to move off. It is a phrase used many many times by Instructors in the early stages of tuition. In fact it is often used well into a Learner Drivers lessons. Once the clutch is at biting point it is only the handbrake that is preventing the car from moving off.

2. Covering the Brake--- The phrase “cover the brake” means literally cover the pedal with your foot and get ready to use the pedal. Cover the Handbrake means positioning your left hand over the handbrake before getting ready to use it. This phrase can be used in conjunction with all three pedals and the handbrake.

3. Creep and Peep--- This is a very useful description of the technique used at junctions where visibility is limited or even non existent.  Having stopped correctly at a stop sign for example and with no clear visibility in either direction you cant hope and pray that there is nothing approaching before you pull out into the road! You have to move forward very slowly using the biting point technique with the  clutch (the Creep) and then look first one way and then the other(the Peep) until you have sufficient vision to make a clear cut decision to go or not as the case may be. Sometimes it will be necessary to do the creep and peep twice to give you full visibility in both directions before moving off. This term is used very frequently by Instructors and it should be noted that using the handbrake at each creep and peep is a good idea to prevent the car from rolling into the path of an oncoming car. This technique requires exceptional clutch control!

4. Coasting--- Coasting is the term used to describe the movement of the car in a forward direction while the clutch remains fully depressed. This can happen if after changing gear, the clutch is not fully released. It is also common for learner drivers to depress the clutch far too soon when getting ready to come to a stop. When you are coasting, the gear that you have selected is not engagedand therefore the car is effectively out of gear and out of control! Coasting is one of the very common faults on a Driving Test and can lead to failure if not corrected promptly. For some reason many learner drivers are mistaken by thinking that stopping the car requires the use of the clutch. It is the footbrake that stops the car and the clutch use at the very last minute only keeps the engine running. The use of the clutch takes the car out of gear and prevents the engine from stalling.

5. Block Change--- This phrase refers to the very useful technique of skipping a gear when down-changing.  It is primarily used when moving from fourth gear to second gear when getting ready for a slower speed manoeuvre or to enter a roundabout. It can be used to go from fifth gear to second gear but this is not something a learner driver should attempt until they have a very high level of skill with the gearbox after a lot of practice. It is not necessary nowadays to go from fourth to third to second gear, but it is necessary to be very accurate with your road speed when practicing this technique. The block change is very effective in an emergency situation when having to reduce speed dramatically while still retaining complete control of the vehicle.

6. Turnabout--- The phrase used to describe the turning of the car to face in the opposite direction .This manoeuvre used to be known as the three point turn but it was renamed to allow Test candidates the option of using more than three stages to complete it without incurring any loss of marks. However it is much more advisable to be able to complete this reversing exercise in three stages and should be the aim of every driver sitting a Driving Test. In three stages the job is done and dusted quickly. If you take longer to do the turnabout than you should, you run the risk of having to deal with cars that enter your space which can create more stress and the possibility of making mistakes!

7. Tyres and Tarmac--- The phrase used to highlight the correct distance from a vehicle in front of you when you are coming to a stop. You should be able to see tyres and tarmac after stopping .If you cannot then you are too close to the vehicle in front of you!

8. Opposite Lock--- This is a common term used to describe the movement of the Steering Wheel in the opposite direction to the one that you have been currently using. It can be either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Using the opposite lock technique is an essential part of successful reversing. It enables you to change the position of the front wheels while you are still moving and get them into the best possible position for the next part of a reversing manoeuvre. Opposite lock technique is absolutely essential in turning a car around in a tight spot without it taking you all day.

This concludes Part Two of the Driving Terminology Tutorial. Part three covers terms and phrases used to describe other aspects of the road and driving that are not related to the Car or Techniques.