5 Basic Skills For Driving Lessons
The Important Skills That You Need To Have For Driving
Here are 5 skills for safe driving
Speed Management
The driver demonstrates their ability to manage speed and maintain a crash avoidance space.
- Maintains space to the front:
- With a gap of at least 3 seconds when following another vehicle and increases the gap in poor conditions.
- When stationary behind another vehicle.
- Reduces speed:
- When vision is limited (eg. blind crests and curves)
- When space to the side is limited
- Maintains traffic flow:
- When traffic, weather and road conditions allow
Road Positioning
The driver demonstrates their ability to position the vehicle by selecting a safe and legal path of travel.
- Buffering by:
- Maintaining space from parked and oncoming vehicles
- Moving left on crests and curves
- Avoiding driving in the blind spots of other vehicles
- Intersections:
- Are approached and exited in a safe and legal manner
- Manoeuvres:
- Parks at required angle, close to the kerb (including start of three-point turn)
- Maintains sufficient distance (between one and two metres) from other vehicles
Decision Making
The driver demonstrates the ability to select a safe and legal gap.
- When joining the traffic flow, lane changing, merging, diverging and manoeuvring:
- Chooses a safe and legal gap at intersections, leaving the kerb, changing lanes and merging
- When crossing the traffic flow:
- Clears the intersection 3 seconds before another vehicle arrives.
Hazards
Hazards were present and capable of moving into the path of the applicant’s vehicle.
Responding To Hazards
The driver demonstrates their ability to protect their crash avoidance space by responding to hazards with
one, or a combination of, the following actions.
- Responds by managing speed, ‘sets up’ or ‘covers’ brakes, slowing down
- Responds by managing position, buffers away from hazard
Vehicle Control
The driver demonstrates the ability to maintain smooth control of the vehicle by correct seat adjustment, use of the accelerator, brakes, clutch, gears, steering, auxiliary controls and signals.