Adjusting your mirrors, steering wheel and seat. We all know how to prepare for driving. However, when the stress level on the exam increases, we get confused. How not to forget anything? How to properly prepare for driving on the test site?
Seemingly a task in which you only need to remember the order of the following actions. In fact, the preparation of the vehicle for driving may determine the fate of the entire test. After all, improperly positioned mirrors will not only make it impossible to pass a curve, but will also contribute to problems while driving in the city. An examiner who sees you constantly reaching high or unnaturally lowering yourself to see if someone is driving behind you will become suspicious. You, in turn, will be driving under constant stress. We’ll now walk you through the correct positioning of all your mirrors and give you step-by-step instructions on how to perform each task.
We will start with the left mirror, because it is undoubtedly the most important one. Correctly set will show you the left side of the vehicle, but also the space behind the left rear fender. This allows you to see oncoming traffic! In the right mirror, on the other hand, you should be able to see the right side of the car. Ideally, the lower left part of the mirror points to the front door handle. Then you can be sure that the right mirror is properly adjusted. However, this is not the end of the story. How to set the interior mirror, and therefore the rear-view mirror? The top edge of this mirror should point to the top of the rear window. Throughout the mirror, you should be able to see the entire rear window and the headrests in the second row of seats. Of course, the rearview mirror should point to the entire area of the windshield mentioned.
Preparing to drive – step by step
We will now introduce you to all the steps of preparing to drive:
Step 1 – even before entering the vehicle, take off your thick clothing. The seat belt should be placed as close to your body as possible, and a down jacket can effectively prevent this.
Stage 2 – now move on to seat positioning. Often test takers mix up the order and set the mirrors first because that is the most important thing to them. Unfortunately, once the mirrors are set you can no longer move the seat. How do you get the seat tight? There is a way to do it. When you depress the clutch pedal all the way down, your left leg should bend slightly at the knee. Then you know that the seat is properly adjusted.
Step 3 – this time setting the seat height. There is no single rule. Set it so that you can sit comfortably.
Stage 4 – we move on to adjusting the angle of the backrest. How to do it? Again, there is one rule – tilt the backrest so that when you straighten your arms (do not push your shoulders out and do not pull your back away from the seat), they touch the top of the steering wheel with the joints on the inside of your wrists.
Step 5 – adjust the steering wheel setting if the backrest tilt and seat height options on your particular car were not great and you are still sitting incorrectly in relation to the steering wheel.
Step 6 – move on to adjusting the headrest. The top of your head should be at the same height as the end of the headrest.
Stage 7 – start adjusting the mirrors, you already know how to do this.
Step 8 – now the seat belts. Seemingly all you need to do is fasten them, but in fact you still need to adjust the height of the attachment point on your left side. This point should be at such a height that the belt passes freely through the middle of your collarbone.
Step 9 – everything is ready, now you can move on to riding. Remember to always hold the steering wheel with both hands (unless you are changing gears). Hold it in a ten second or fifteen thirds position.
That’s it, really. You will pass your driving test without any problems or mishaps. If you let the examiner know that you have a good understanding of the car and know how to properly prepare for driving in a curve, you will certainly make a good first impression, and as we all know, it is the most important one!
