General driving techniques

Braking

Wherever possible, do not brake when travelling on a curved path, use them before a bend or corner. If braking on the curve cannot be avoided do it as gently and carefully as possible.

Always try to brake in ample time, using the brakes gently and sensitively.

Be prepared to vary the pressure on the pedal, according to the road surface being traveled over.

Mentally link the mirrors with the brakes, and in planned braking, i.e. coming up to a stop sign or traffic lights, etc., check the mirrors first and be prepared to give a warning sign.

During firm braking both hands must be on the steering wheel. Therefore gear changes should not coincide with brake input. A very minor overlap at the end of braking is acceptable.

On descending steep winding hills, and having engaged a low gear use the brakes if necessary on the straight sections, and ease off on the corners, to avoid the possibility of the brakes fading due to overheating.

Steering

Keep both hands on the steering wheel, on the top half of the wheel, and do not let the hand rest anywhere else, or an elbow on the window ledge

Tighten the grip when cornering, braking, or driving through standing water.

Steer gently and carefully on slippery surfaces.

Don't "steer and gear" (i.e. change gear on a curve) or allow the wheel to spin back of its own accord, and try not to cross your hands when steering.

Following distance

Refresh your memory on the distance it will take to stop a vehicle from the highway code.

Allow two seconds between the rear of the vehicle in front passing some marker on the road (a signpost or a bridge etc.) and the front of your vehicle reaching the same point. Drop back as necessary. Double the time to four seconds in wet or slippery conditions.

In town traffic (<30 mph) it is acceptable to reduce the gap to one second. In crawling traffic allow at least two metres between vehicles and maintain this when stationery.

The system of vehicle control

There are five phases in the system of vehicle control; Information, Position, Speed, Gear and Power.

Information

Information is of vital importance in any vehicle manoeuvre where you are changing speed, direction or both. Information is taken in via your eyes, ears, roadsense and experience. Your senses of acceleration and balance are also important.

You must use this information and consider what information you give out to other road users. This may be via your indicators, brake lights, horn and certainly the position of your vehicle.

Information is received and transmitted throughout the four other phases.

Position

Ask yourself "Am I in the correct position in the road to deal with what is ahead?". Using the information you have gathered you decide whether or not to change position. In order to make this decision it would be necessary to have looked in a 360° circle around the vehicle, using all the mirrors.

Now decide whether or not to signal. Because of its slower speed and greater size most minibus manoeuvres will require signalling.

Speed

Normally in a minibus you will be most concerned with reducing speed. Consider the options you have and choose the appropriate one; either lift off the throttle, use the brakes or change down a gear. As a general rule using the brakes is often the best choice; you do not have to remove your hands from the steering wheel and it will bring the brake lights on, informing other drivers what you are doing.

Gear

After reducing speed, selection of a lower gear is usually necessary. It is not always necessary to go sequentially through the gears. As long as the speed is right, changing from fourth gear to second is a perfectly valid and correct option for most minibuses. Missing unwanted gear ratios has the advantage that your hands stay on the steering wheel for more of the time. Do not leave your hand resting on the gear lever

Power

Careful acceleration allows you to rapidly progress through and leave a hazard.

The amount of acceleration used depends upon visibility, the movement of other road users, the lie of the road and the condition of the surface.

Observation and anticipation

If you take half a second to react to a road hazard and you are travelling at 50 mph you will travel 12 metres before you even start braking. Careful observation and anticipation will give you more time to take urgent evasive action! Will that elderly cyclist ahead wobble, or even collapse into your path? There is a vehicle parked on the off-side, so will oncoming traffic be moving into the centre of the road or even onto your side? The parked car ahead has brake lights on and is emitting exhaust fumes; will it suddenly drive off into your path?

One way you can improve your observation and concentration is to talk to yourself about the road situation ahead. What is going to happen one, two or even three hundred metres ahead?

In this guidance:

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