Interior Familiarisation.
Before you begin to drive any unfamiliar vehicle, you must first spend time to become
acquainted with the various locations of the controls, the ability to access and
operate the controls must be developed to the point of naturalisation, this means
you are able to perform these tasks with little mental or physical effort, the entire
process of operating a motor vehicle successfully hinges on your ability to develop
the correct driving processes to naturalisation.
Visual Controls
Knowing the location of the visual controls is necessary as they will need to be
scanned at regular intervals while driving, determine the meaning of the various
warning lights and know what action you should take if any should illuminate while
driving, your ability to take appropriate action when something goes wrong could
save you from expensive blunders. If you are unsure of the meaning of warning lights,
or what action you should take, ask your driving instructor or consult your drivers
hand book.
Hand Controls
The steering wheel is your most important control, these days the design of steering
wheels usually suits the quarter to three position, apart from obtaining excellent
control, this position will help to reduce fatigue and relax your shoulders while
driving. Practice sitting behind the wheel with your hands on the wheel, become
accustomed to the feel of the wheel and your sitting position.
The gear lever is generally mounted on the centre console, the selection pattern
is normally a "H" pattern, your grip should assume a cupped position affording lateral
control over the gear lever. Practise your grip and changing through the gears,
remember to look forward while practising.
The handbrake position is sometimes difficult to access, practice the silent application
and release procedure. Remember to apply your foot brake while practising with the
handbrake.
Foot controls
The accelerator and brake positions must be determined, they are operated by your
right foot and must be accessed quickly without searching. Practice moving your
right foot from the accelerator to the brake. Avoid pressing down on the accelerator
pedal when the engine is not operating as it opens the supply of petrol and air
mixture to the engine and the engine may flood with excessive fuel causing difficulty
in starting the engine. Pressing down on the brake pedal, apart from operating the
brake lights, increases pressure to the friction linings or pads on each wheel to
stop the wheel turning.
Your clutch peddle which is operated by your left foot, is left of the brake, when
the clutch pedal is pressed the clutch plate separates from the flywheel, freeing
the gearbox from the engine, this action facilitates gear changing. Vehicles with
automatic transmissions have clutches which operate via engine management systems.
Many vehicles have a left foot rest, this aids personal stability while cornering
and braking. Practice moving your right foot from the foot rest to the clutch.
Before getting into any vehicle and driving off, it is important to make sure there
are no obvious reasons why it would be unwise and possibly dangerous to do so. A
simple visual check around the vehicle is all that's needed during which you should
assess for any leaks such as oil & water under the car, debris around the vehicle,
tyre inflation is adequate or damage to any part of the vehicle.