Aim: To pull away from the left kerb and drive a short distance in first gear.

 

When pulling away, we can use the POM routine. Prepare, Observe & Move.

Prepare - To start the engine, press the clutch fully down and turn the ignition away from you. Keeping our right hand on the steering wheel at roughly 2 o’clock, we use our left hand to select first gear, then move the left hand to hold the parking brake. We press the gas pedal about the thickness of a matchbox, until the engine gives us a healthy humm (about 1200rpm). We can now raise the clutch slowly until we feel the car wants to move, this is the “biting point”. We are now prepared to move.

 

Observe - We need to make good observations all around to ensure it’s 100% safe before moving. We can use a 6-point check starting with over our left shoulder, our left wing mirror, our interior mirror, out the front windscreen, our right wing mirror and finally over our right shoulder (the blind spot).

 

“What sort of things are we checking for when we are pulling away?”

 

We now decide if we need to signal.

 

"Is anyone going to benefit from our signal?"

 

Making a decision whether to signal or not before pulling away demonstrates that we are fully aware of our surroundings, as opposed to just signalling every time for the sake of routine. When actions become a habit, we can get complacent and the danger can increase!

 

Move - If it’s safe to pull away, make a second "life saver" check over your right shoulder, then release the parking brake, freeze your feet until the car starts to move forward, to gain speed, start to raise the clutch pedal slowly then apply a little more gas. As the car starts to move, steer 5mins to the right until about 1meter from the left kerb (this is our “normal” driving position), then steer 5 minutes back to the left until parallel with the road, check the interior mirror as you drive away.