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The UK Driving Test

MikeSh said:
This has certainly brought back memories. I used to double de-clutch a lot (my first cars had no synchromesh on 1st gear, and not very good on the rest) and still do that sometimes when I have a manual car that's a bit balky.
I did learn to heel-and-toe as well at one point, but I think that's a lost skill for me now. I'm certainly not going to try and find out :eek:
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I had the clutch thrust bearing fail on my Austin 1300. I got quite good at starting the motor while in 1st gear, and changing up and down without the clutch for a while (IIRC it happened close to Christmas, and doing anything about service at that time of year was hopeless).
 
EEPhil said:
That'll be the so-called police advanced drivers that don't follow the police driving recommendations.
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Which is presumably to use the handbrake while stopped. This must be one of the most ignored 'road rules'. This is presumably why some new cars are getting handbrakes that automatically release when you try to accelerate.

I remember a story told to me by a colleague who was stopped third in line at a red traffic light in the middle of a city. The road where they were stopped was a reasonable uphill incline. He realised that the guy in front had his attention distracted by something (probably an attractive someone, it being a busy city centre) and the foot pressure on the brake had eased slightly and had started to drift backwards. So a very short toot on the horn to get his attention resulted in the guy turning around, making a rude gesture with a single finger, then accelerating hard into the car in front. Yeah, the light was still red.

I also had an incident in the Austin 1300 mentioned above. Driving home one evening I was travelling through the central city late on a midweek day, just before shop closing time. The streets were deserted of pedestrians. I stopped at a red traffic light, and observed that there was a traffic policeman on a motorbike stopped behind me. So taking note of this, when the light went green I proceeded on my way, taking extra care not to break any rules of the road. Just before I got to where I wanted to turn down a side street there was a pedestrian crossing, and a person stepped onto it from the far side of the road, so as I could safely pass in front of them I did (that was allowed) and then pulled against the centre line to stop for a car coming the other way. Next thing there was an almighty thump behind me, and I look in the mirror to see aforementioned traffic officer picking himself up off the road. He was travelling far enough behind me that he let the pedestrian cross and then served towards the centre line to pass behind them without realising I had stopped. The other funny part about the accident was that where the footpaths had been empty, there was now about 3 people in the doorway of every shop to see what the almighty thump noise was.
 
MikeSh said:
Crikey, I thought that was a thing of the past and there was now a consensus off left for lights, right for wipers. Is one of those vehicles quite old?
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Actually I got the 2019 Mercedes van controls wrong: It has the indicators on the left stalk the same as my 1999 Honda but also has the wiper controls on the same stalk whereas the car has the wiper controls are on the right stalk with the side/headlight controls on the left . But the van uses the right stalk for P-R-N-D automatic gear selection (with paddles for manual override) and has automatic side/headlights with a manual override via a button on the dash. But the recent Iveco work vans we also sometime use are different again.
 
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antipodean said:
So a very short toot on the horn to get his attention resulted in the guy turning around, making a rude gesture with a single finger, then accelerating hard into the car in front. Yeah, the light was still red.
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:rolling:

antipodean said:
Which is presumably to use the handbrake while stopped.
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Not just that, but that fact that the handbrake would have to be used for the hill start, so why not use it in the first place?!

antipodean said:
This must be one of the most ignored 'road rules'.
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That, and balancing a car stationary on an upward incline using the clutch. Just plain stupidity.

antipodean said:
This is presumably why some new cars are getting handbrakes that automatically release when you try to accelerate.
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Not just automatically release, but automatically apply. What's more, they seem to operate the brake lights at the same time, which is normally reserved for the foot brake only.

I'm not in favour of driver aids, because although it should make it easier to concentrate on the things which need concentration, in fact it means more morons are empowered to drive.

antipodean said:
Yeah, but they also don't have a clutch, and have a gear stick that works the same way my automatic does when in manual mode.
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Now, but not then.
 
Black Hole said:
Not just that, but that fact that the handbrake would have to be used for the hill start, so why not use it in the first place?!
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A lot of cars have hill-start assist these days, so (manual) use of the handbrake isn't needed.

Black Hole said:
I'm not in favour of driver aids, because although it should make it easier to concentrate on the things which need concentration, in fact it means more morons are empowered to drive.
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So you have an hypothesis that removing driver aids would remove morons from the roads.
Somehow I rather doubt that will ever get theory status. :)
 
Black Hole said:
In order to maintain proper control of an automatic, the left foot is supposed to remain on the brake pedal – because the driver is not otherwise in full control and might need to impede unexpected forward motion at any moment.
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Black Hole said:
But nonetheless not the bullshit you claimed.
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As it was eventually clarified that this applies specifically to manoeuvring and not general travelling along the highway, I was in two minds. But on reflection in still calling BS on it, not because it makes no sense, but because it's phrased in an 'anti-auto' manner. (And why only forward motion?)

Ignoring the relative times of reacting to the unexpected and moving a foot from throttle to brake, covering the brake does actually make sense. However, it would also make sense in a manual. So (excepting those with three feet) your definition means that no manual driver can be in full control when manoeuvring.

I'd say that if they cover the brake while manoeuvring automatic drivers can have better control than a manual driver.
Which actually means automatics are safer.
 
SemiRamis said:
Not needed if you have a hill assist.
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I didn't normally need to use a handbrake for a hill start unless it was particularly steep.
Clutch and foot brake depressed, when time to go there is enough time for foot to get from brake to accelerator and get some revs on before the car moves then lift clutch smoothly and move off.

But, yes, my automatic has hill start, so even though there is only two pedals I still only need one foot.
 
MikeSh said:
I had one of them, and my first car was an 1100, though I don't remember if it was a Morris or Austin. Definitely not a Vanden Plas though.
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Mine was actually a 1300GT, I think they were jazzied up for the Californian market, but I had mine in New Zealand. It had all the cheap things done to the engine to get an extra 10BHP over a standard 1300 along with some clip on trim on the bodywork. I did a 'port and polish' to the head, and had it around to an indicated 100MPH on a couple of occasions.
 
MikeSh said:
A lot of cars have hill-start assist these days, so (manual) use of the handbrake isn't needed.
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My experience of hill-start assist is that it couldn't be trusted to prevent the vehicle rolling backwards and the handbrake was very much needed.
 
My instructor had me doing three-point turns on a road with a huge camber, requiring hill starts at every stage of the turn.

What grade of diving licence exempts the applicant from demonstrating the ability to pull away on a hill?

As for pulling off without the use of the hand brake, I presume you enjoy the smell of clutch (and I wouldn't want to be behind you).
 
I took my test in Southport, Lancs. Hill, what hill?
Hill start was performed on a slight incline approaching a railway bridge, maybe 1:14.
 
gomezz said:
My experience of hill-start assist is that it couldn't be trusted to prevent the vehicle rolling backwards and the handbrake was very much needed.
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Like all these things the implementation varies wildly between makes and models. Having autos I don't usually notice as I'll use my left foot to hold the car while getting power on anyway.
That said, SWMBO's Smart does have it and it usually engages when I'm putting it away (uphill into the garage) as it's a situation where I just move my right foot across and accept a few inches rollback. (The other car is reversed into the garage, so not sure what that does - it's a hybrid so it may do clever electric stuff. Have to experiment sometime.)
 
SemiRamis said:
You'd be welcome behind me.
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I wasn't talking about the smell, the reason it's not the approved technique is the risk of cocking it up. The point of a conventional hill start is that you have three points of control not just two.

The way people on here are trying to defend bad driving is beyond words. If you're not doing it the way you had to do it to pass your test, then you are a potential risk to other road users. It's as simple as that.
 
Black Hole said:
As for pulling off without the use of the hand brake, I presume you enjoy the smell of clutch (and I wouldn't want to be behind you).
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Black Hole said:
I wasn't talking about the smell, the reason it's not the approved technique is the risk of cocking it up. The point of a conventional hill start is that you have three points of control not just two.
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Sorry but WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU BANGING ON ABOUT?
 
MikeSh said:
What did you get? As with most things there are good, bad and ugly.
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It's a Seat/Cupra, so basically a VAG DSG box. I wanted 4WD and they didn't do it in manual. I don't think I'll keep the car long. I can adapt fine, but I don't enjoy it.

It also has auto hold but keeps the brake lights on with it, which is not what I want to do to the cars behind.
 
af123 said:
It also has auto hold but keeps the brake lights on with it, which is not what I want to do to the cars behind.
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That's a pet hate of mine, sitting in a traffic queue at night being blinded by the array of rear brakes lights. Doesn't anyone use a handbrake any more?
 
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