Practical Driving Test Tips - Reversing
| Problem | Reason | Solution |
| At the point of turn you didn’t check / take effective observation | Because you were concentrating too much on controlling the car | Check ahead, over your right shoulder and left shoulder, before the car starts to turn |
| At the point of turn you didn’t check / take effective observation | Because although you looked, you didn’t act on what you saw / heard | Act sensibly on the information you receive |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking over the wrong shoulder | Look through the middle of the rear window over your left shoulder, when reversing in a straight line |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking through the rear side window / ahead | Look through the middle of the rear window when you’re going backwards |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were staring in the door / interior mirrors | Use the door mirrors as part of your overall observation strategy, for no more than a count of, say, 1 - 2 seconds |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking forward (too much) | Look the way the car is going, through the middle of the rear window. |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you didn’t turn sideways in your seat | Turn sideways in your seat so that you can look squarely through the middle of the rear window |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you didn’t check forward (enough) | Check forward, with quick glances, every half car length |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you were looking through / over the head-rest | Look clearly between the headrests - this will give you the best view to the rear |
| When reversing, you weren’t looking properly / taking effective observation | Because you didn’t open the windows | Open the windows before starting this manoeuvre and actively listen for hazards |
| You (almost) hit the kerb | Because you steered too much | Turn a specific amount (advise for corner) and then keep the wheel still: ‘steer and still’ |
| You (almost) hit the kerb | Because you steered too early | Turn earlier, when the back wheels are level with the point where the road begins to turn |
| You (almost) hit the kerb, in the new road | Because you didn’t take off the steering early enough | Start to steer the other way when you’re about two thirds of the way around the corner |
| You (almost) hit the kerb, in the new road | Because you over steered and kept turning the wheel | Use the ‘steer and still’ method (explain) and allow the steering’ time to take effect |
| You didn’t check properly before starting the manoeuvre | Because you didn’t look into the new road as you passed | Glance into the road you’re going to reverse into, as you drive across it |
| You didn’t look properly / take effective observation before moving off | Because you didn’t check blind spots all around the car | Check ahead, over your right shoulder and left shoulder before the car moves |
| You didn’t look properly / take effective observation before moving off | Because, although you looked, you didn’t act on what you saw / heard | Act sensibly on the information that you receive |
| You didn’t look properly / take effective observation before moving off | Because you glanced too quickly to take everything in | Take a longer look, say, two seconds |
| You didn’t position the vehicle correctly before starting to reverse | Because you’ve parked too far/ close / at an angle from the kerb | Stop parallel to the kerb, approx.) 30 - 45cm from it. The sharper the corner the further out you need to be |
| You didn’t position the vehicle correctly before starting to reverse | Because you’ve stopped too close to / far back from the corner | Pull up about two car lengths from the corner. A guideline is so that you can see the apex (tip) of the corner in your interior mirror |
| You dry-steered | Because you turned the wheel before the car moved | Turn the wheel only when the car is moving |
| You reversed too fast | Because the clutch came up too fast | Keep the clutch at, or about, the biting point |
| You reversed too fast | Because you had too much gas | Set the gas about the thickness of two one pound coins |
| You reversed too slowly | Because you didn’t assess the start correctly | Look at the road and decide whether it’s level, uphill or downhill |
| You reversed too slowly | Because you didn’t bring the clutch up high enough | Keep the clutch at or around the biting point, using movements of about the thickness of a pound coin up or down |
| You reversed too slowly | Because you didn’t have enough gas | Set the gas about the thickness of two one-pound coins, more for uphill starts |
| You reversed too slowly | Because your foot came off the clutch too quickly | Keep your left foot still as the car starts to move |
| You reversed too slowly | Because your foot came off the gas as the clutch came up | Keep the gas set about the thickness of two one-pound coins |
| You reversed too slowly | Because you didn’t assess the start correctly | Look at the road and decide whether its level, uphill or downhill and then use the appropriate technique |
| You stalled | Because you didn’t release the handbrake | Release the handbrake just before the car moves |
| You steered the wrong way | Because you got confused about which way to steer | Steer in, to the left, to go towards the kerb, and vice-versa |
| You veered away from the kerb | Because you weren’t looking through the middle of the rear window | Always look mainly through the middle of the rear window |
| You veered in and out | Because you were steering too far one way and then too far the other way | Steer no more than 5 or 10 minutes in either direction, when reversing in a straight line |
| You veered in towards the kerb, in the new road | Because you didn’t look far enough down the road | Look about 20 - 30m down the road and scan your vision back to the car |
| You veered towards the kerb | Because you were staring at the kerb and got drawn towards it | Look further down the road, say 20 - 30m and use other reference points to monitor your position: door mirrors / checking forward |
| You went too wide around the corner | Because you steered too late | Turn earlier, when the back wheels are level with the point where the road begins to turn |
| You went too wide around the corner | Because you didn’t steer enough | Steer more (advise the pupil). The sharper the corner, the more you need to steer |
| You went too wide around the corner | Because you were going too fast | Keep your speed to a walking pace. This will give you the time to look and steer |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because your left heel was off the floor | Keep your left heel on the floor - this will give you more precise control |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because your right heel was off the floor | Keep your right heel on the floor - this will give you more precise control |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because your right foot was going on and off the brake / gas pedal too quickly / harshly | Use smooth, gentle pressure on the gas and brake pedal |
| Your control was erratic - stop / start progress | Because you allowed the clutch pedal to move too far up and down | Keep the clutch pedal at or about the biting point and move it up or down no more than the thickness of a one-pound coin, as a general guideline |
| Your steering was erratic | Because you only used one hand on the wheel | Use two hands on the wheel, where possible, to maintain full control (advise pupil on hand positioning) |
| You’ve finished, in the new road, too close to / far out from the kerb / at an angle | Because you didn’t appreciate the effect it would have on others | Finish about 30 - 45cm from the kerb, and parallel to it; i.e. with left-side front and rear wheel the same distance from the kerb |
| You’ve finished, in the road, too close to / too far from the junction | Because you’re unaware of the correct distance | Stop about three car lengths from junction (4 - 5 for right-hand reverse) |