Cockpit Drill

Doors

The Drivers door should be shut with the left hand to prevent wind or turbulence from a passing vehicle blowing it open.

All doors can be checked they are shut by several methods;

Checking in the side mirrors the doors will be flush with the rest of the car bodywork.

The interior light will go off after a short time.

Some cars have a dashboard light which will illuminate if the doors or boot are not correctly shut.

Safety checks (Tug & a Wiggle)

The handbrake should be checked it is firmly on to prevent the car rolling with extra weight from you and your passengers entering. (a tug)

The gear stick should be checked it is in the neutral position to prevent any jump from the car when the engine is started (A Wiggle)

Seatbelt

Most learner drivers will have used one before.

Remember to check it has clicked into the lock position, there are no twists in it to prevent further injury during a collision and if the shoulder fixing point adjusts so it is not cutting into you.

Seat

Your seat will be set so you can fully depress the clutch pedal and have a slight bend in your knee.

The back rest is to be set so you may easily access the steering wheel without stretching or feeling to close, so you have full control.

The head re-straight is to be set correctly in order to help reduce whiplash injuries in the event of a rear end shunt collision.

Mirrors

You have 3 mirrors to set and use.

The interior mirror has flat glass and gives you a true vision of the distance, position and speed of following traffic. This will be set as a picture frame of the back window to gain maximum vision.

The 2 door mirrors give a distorted view as the glass is convex and make the image appear further away than it is. They should be set so the door handle of the car is at the bottom of the inner corner and the horizon appears central.

Don’t forget you have many blind spots around the vehicle (well over 30 on most cars). These are areas not covered by checking the mirrors or by normal eye movement; you will have to physically move your head to see in them.