Clutch control reverse
Aim: To reverse slowly in a straight line in a safe controlled manner using effective observations.
There are two elements to reversing, the first is having the ability to make the car go backwards using good control and the second is maintaining effective observation whilst reversing.
To make the car reverse slowly, we need to put the clutch pedal fully down and select reverse gear.
We then start slowly raising the clutch until we find the biting point, the car will start to move backwards.
The speed we are aiming for is less than 1mph, a crawling speed. Reversing slowly gives us time to make good observations, if our observations are good, we will spot other road users and respond safely.
We can dip the clutch to slow down or even press it fully down if the car has momentum. We can also combine a little use of the brake to gain more control
When starting to reverse, we should turn our upper body to look over our left shoulder, out of the rear window, we should look in the direction of travel.
As we are moving backwards, we can keep changing our focal point to other spots, like the wing mirrors and out of the front windscreen.
The final place we should be looking as we come to a stop is over our left shoulder, out of the rear window.