Newslink March

Towards your CPD
Getting the right angle on
reversing techniques
Steve Garrod considers
the key elements required
when teaching reversing
Last week I conducted some ADI Part 3
training with a local PDI. When I got into
the car I noticed that the dashboard,
windows and doors were festooned, or
perhaps I should say ‘littered’, with a
range of coloured markers.
When I enquired why they were there
(although I could guess) I was told that it
was for his pupils to line up with the
various points of turn for manoeuvring
and road positioning. This is not
uncommon as I often see coloured dots
strategically placed in other training cars.
As I said to the chap, it’s like asking
your learner to sit in your driving seat
without adjusting it and expecting them
to be able to operate the controls
effectively, regardless of their height and
size.
Yes, it is important for all learners to
recognise points of turn and how to
position the car, but it’s also important
that they work it out for themselves so it
is meaningful. For example: when
dealing with the normal road position,
pupils should be able to identify how to
recognise their position by using the door
mirrors and/or looking for other clues,
including looking where the kerb appears
to enter the front windscreen or looking
towards the centre of their lane, or just
by the position of the vehicles they are
following.
It is often easier to see the darker
shades of the tarmac left by the more
worn tracks caused by other traffic’s
wheels.
I remember when I first started to
teach learners how to park. I was
teaching a musician and we had
completed the parallel park manoeuvre,
and I asked her how she could remember
her points of turn. She replied that she
counted in a ‘such and such’ beat, to
which I replied ‘Oh, that’s good!”
I had no idea what she meant but it
seemed to work, so a valuable lesson
had been learnt, which was not to tell
people how to do things, but to let them
make sense of things for themselves.
Often, working on manoeuvres requires
a bit of trial and error. Not everyone will
see what you see and may not be able to
steer as quickly or control the car as
slowly as you can, so understanding
where to start the manoeuvre and when
and how much to turn takes time to
understand.
When reversing, I often say ‘think of
the back of the car’ and ask which way it
needs to go, towards the kerb or away
from it? Using left and right can be
confusing and is unnecessary; just so
long as they know which way to turn,
they should be OK.
Understanding when to start turning
on a parallel park (on street parking)
depends on the size of the subject
vehicle being used. (The one we are
reversing around). Some are longer than
others, while others are wider or
narrower. These points of turn are just
guidelines and should be treated as such,
not definite turning points. They are the
part of the manoeuvre that allows you to
stop and check for a moment and to
collect your thoughts and to make minor
adjustments as required.
Another consideration is how far from
the kerb the subject car has been parked,
as this will make a difference. Imagine if
the car is about a drain’s width from the
kerb or tightly against it: how would you
adjust your steering?
Making the most of driving faults is an
important part of learning, and it can be
easier to discuss an analyse these faults
when parking, because we are moving so
36 NEWSLINK n MARCH 2023