Manoeuvres in the Driving Test – Stopping on the Right

DTC UK Reversing in the Driving Test

Manoeuvres – Stopping on the Right

The new driving test will include this manoeuvre which involves; pulling up on the right and reversing two car lengths. You will have to go against the flow of traffic and therefore could be potentially dangerous if not performed with due caution. In this manoeuvre, the examiner will be looking for accuracy, control and observations.

Accuracygood road positioning throughout the duration of the exercise.
Controlto move the car slowly and under full control.
Observationsto be fully aware of your surroundings, including any nearby hazards such as other road users, pedestrians etc. You must also be able to react and adapt to changing circumstances which are a likely occurrence.

Manoeuvres  – How to pull up on the right

The examiner will ask you to pull up on the right behind a parked car and then reverse for a short distance before moving off. You’ll in a location that the examiner has specifically chosen that should be suitable. Therefore, if the road is busy, there will be plenty of room to park safely on the right side. There will also be no parking restrictions such as double yellow lines and the examiner will not ask you to pull up on the left before conducting this manoeuvre. Avoid parking in front of driveways as you’ll prevent the owner from entering or exiting their premises.

Stopping on the Right Manoeuvre – Choosing a suitable location

Avoid parking in front of driveways as you’ll prevent the owner from entering or exiting their premise. Furthermore, avoid stopping too close to a junction or opposite a junction. 

Stopping on the Right Manoeuvre – Road Positioning

Once you have found an ideal place to park, look at your interior mirror, your right wing mirror, and then a quick check your right blind spot. If all of the above shows that the road is clear, then signal to the right.

  • You should position your car slightly towards the right side of the lane, similar to taking a right turn.
  • You may have to give way to other vehicles as it is not your priority
  • If you must give way, you should perform the mirrors and blind spot check again before moving off.

Stopping on the Right Manoeuvre – Pulling Over

Make your way over to right side of the road, but not too sharp of an angle as this increases the chance of hitting the kerb and makes it more difficult to stop parallel to the kerb.

  • You’ll need to stop reasonably close to the kerb, around 30 cm is reasonable.
  • Avoid hitting the kerb as it will likely result in a fail, however, this is up to the discretion of the examiner
  • As you’ll shortly be reversing, it’s best to try and straighten the wheels parallel to the kerb
  • Remember to cancel your signal
  • If you have parked on a slight slope, you should apply the handbrake

Stopping on the Right Manoeuvre – Reversing

The examiner will ask you now to reverse around two car lengths, if your wheels are straight and parallel to the kerb this should be an easy process.

  • Perform all around observations and select reverse gear. However do not start moving if there are still vehicles going past, wait for them to pass first
  • While looking out of the rear view mirror, begin reversing slowly. Continuously looking around in all direction
  • Vehicles that are passing on the opposite side of the road can be ignored and you may continue reversing. However, for vehicles that are on your side of the road, you must stop and wait for them to pass before beginning to move off again.
  • Once you have reversed two car lengths, the examiner will tell you to stop. You should apply the handbrake and select neutral.

Stopping on the Right Manoeuvre – Moving off again

  • To move off, select first gear, look ahead at the road to determine whether it’s clear, check the interior mirror, left wing mirror, and the left blind spot
  • Once clear, signal left and move off

Stopping on the Right Manoeuvre – Potential Complications

An unlikely but potential complication which could occur is another vehicle pulling up in front of you. The result of this is drastically reducing your visibility of the road ahead, which is important for being able to pull off safely. If you have already reversed two car lengths, it’s advisable to continue reversing until you have a good enough visibility of the road ahead to be able to judge whether it’s safe enough to pull out.

Although reversing will improve your view, it’s still likely to be obscured by the car in front. Therefore before pulling away, look through the windows of the vehicle in front for any signs of oncoming traffic.

Overall, this manoeuvre is relatively simple, yet can still be dangerous if observations are not taken. Therefore it’s vital that both mirrors and blind spots are checked and you are certain there are no signs of oncoming traffic.

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