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Get To Know Your Car
The cockpit drill
Before you drive any vehicle you need to carry out the cockpit drill. This is a simple routine to ensure the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users and is easily remembered as DSMS, which stands for Doors, Seat, Mirrors and Seat Belt
Doors
The first thing to do is get in the drivers seat! your instructor will probably have parked facing the traffic flow and put the seat back to make it easy for you to get in promptly. Open the drivers door from behind so you dint have to walk round it to get in. Beware of other traffic- you don't want to cause another road user to swerve when you open the door.
You should close the door as soon as you are seated and then check that the hand brake is applied - your instructor will show you how to do this.
Pull the door to make sure there's no movement. Check in the outside mirrors that the doors are flush with the body line of the car. Listen to make sure that passengers (including the instructor) have closed their doors properly. Remember - you are responsible for the safety of your passengers. A door not closed properly will rattle. It could fly open as you drive along or go around a bend.
Seat
The next thing to do is adjust the driving seat so that you can see all around and reach the hand and foot controls comfortably and easily. To do so, hold the steering wheel with one hand and pull the lever at the side/beneath the seat with your other hand so that you can move the seat to the correct position. You need to be able to push the left foot pedal down fully with your left foot without stretching.
release the lever when you are happy with the seat position and push yourself back in the seat to make sure it is locked in palce. You can then adjust the angle of the back of the seat by the lever/knob on the side of the seat so that you are comfortable, can see clearly over the sterring wheel and can move your arms freely.
Can you reach all around the steering wheel? If not you may need to adjust the back of the seat or move the steering wheel if the car you ar in has that option. Your instructor will guide you.
The next thing to do is adjust the head restraint so that it will protect your head and neck. Reach behind you and raise or lower the restrain so that the rigid part is at least as high as the top of your ears and as close as is comfortable to the back of your head (note that is some vehicles the position for the head restraint is fixed)
Mirrors and Seat belt>>>
The cockpit drill
Before you drive any vehicle you need to carry out the cockpit drill. This is a simple routine to ensure the safety of yourself, your passengers and other road users and is easily remembered as DSMS, which stands for Doors, Seat, Mirrors and Seat Belt
Doors
The first thing to do is get in the drivers seat! your instructor will probably have parked facing the traffic flow and put the seat back to make it easy for you to get in promptly. Open the drivers door from behind so you dint have to walk round it to get in. Beware of other traffic- you don't want to cause another road user to swerve when you open the door.
You should close the door as soon as you are seated and then check that the hand brake is applied - your instructor will show you how to do this.
Pull the door to make sure there's no movement. Check in the outside mirrors that the doors are flush with the body line of the car. Listen to make sure that passengers (including the instructor) have closed their doors properly. Remember - you are responsible for the safety of your passengers. A door not closed properly will rattle. It could fly open as you drive along or go around a bend.
Seat
The next thing to do is adjust the driving seat so that you can see all around and reach the hand and foot controls comfortably and easily. To do so, hold the steering wheel with one hand and pull the lever at the side/beneath the seat with your other hand so that you can move the seat to the correct position. You need to be able to push the left foot pedal down fully with your left foot without stretching.
release the lever when you are happy with the seat position and push yourself back in the seat to make sure it is locked in palce. You can then adjust the angle of the back of the seat by the lever/knob on the side of the seat so that you are comfortable, can see clearly over the sterring wheel and can move your arms freely.
Can you reach all around the steering wheel? If not you may need to adjust the back of the seat or move the steering wheel if the car you ar in has that option. Your instructor will guide you.
The next thing to do is adjust the head restraint so that it will protect your head and neck. Reach behind you and raise or lower the restrain so that the rigid part is at least as high as the top of your ears and as close as is comfortable to the back of your head (note that is some vehicles the position for the head restraint is fixed)
Mirrors and Seat belt>>>
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