Photo: Mark Direen, Pexels
Good road craft for Australian learners comes down to five habits the official handbooks keep repeating: set the seat, wheel and mirrors up before you move, keep your eyes scanning, keep a three-second gap, brake early and progressively, and never coast in neutral or with the clutch down. This guide pulls those basics from the ACT Road Rules Handbook, the ACT learner guide Road Ready: towards your Ps and the NT Road Users’ Handbook. The techniques apply in every state, but the road rules and licence rules differ, so check your own state’s handbook too.
How do you set up the driver’s seat correctly?
Do it every time you get into a car, and every time you swap cars with your supervisor. The ACT learner guide lists not adjusting the seat, mirrors and seatbelt in an unfamiliar car as a common fault.
- Seat distance: sit back and put one arm straight out over the top of the steering wheel. Adjust the seat so you can work the pedals properly and the seat back so your wrist rests on the top of the wheel (ACT method). When your hands are on the wheel, your elbows will be bent.
- Seat back and position: fairly upright, supporting your back and shoulders, with your backside right into the back of the seat and knees slightly bent (NT handbook). Sit high enough to see the road clearly (ACT handbook).
- Steering wheel: if it adjusts, set it low, facing your chest rather than your face. The NT handbook says this also lets the driver’s airbag work as designed.
- Head restraint: adjust it for your height. The ACT guide suggests the centre of the head restraint at about eye level; check your owner’s manual.
- Mirrors: adjust them after the seat, not before.
- Seatbelt: low, flat and firm. Low across the hips, no twists, and pulled firm to remove slack.
Pre-drive checks the handbooks expect
Before you move off, the ACT handbook lists these checks:
- Walk around the car for obvious damage, and make sure nothing (especially a child, bike or toy) is in the way.
- Mirrors, windows and headlights clean, with no stickers or ornaments blocking your view.
- No loose items that could fly around in a crash, and all doors properly closed.
- Everyone wearing a seatbelt.
- You know where each control is and how it works. Check the gauges, warning lights and fuel.
Before starting the engine, the ACT guide adds: handbrake on, gear lever in neutral (manual) or park (automatic), and check the warning lights again once the engine is running.
Moving off safely
Under the ACT handbook you must give at least five seconds of indication before pulling out from the kerb. Then:
- check your mirrors and do a head check over your shoulder, then check again just before moving;
- make sure there is no danger to pedestrians, and look both ways for traffic and bicycles;
- when leaving a driveway or car park, give way to all traffic on the road and to pedestrians and cyclists on the footpath.
In a manual, bring the clutch up slowly to the friction point. Kangaroo hopping at first is normal. For a full clutch routine, see clutch control for learner drivers.
Observation: what scanning actually means
The NT handbook calls scanning the key to good observation: keep your eyes moving, check one area for a couple of seconds, then move on. Look:
- into the distance;
- at the road surface;
- to your left and right;
- regularly at your mirrors and instruments.
Other handbook points worth building into every drive:
- Mirrors every 8 to 10 seconds, and always before you slow down, stop or speed up (ACT guide).
- Head checks every time you merge or change lanes. Mirrors leave blind spots.
- Watch the driver, not just the car. The NT handbook suggests looking at the drivers of approaching cars so you notice when they are distracted.
- Five seconds ahead: if you cannot see at least five seconds ahead, you must slow down (NT handbook).
- Avoid tunnel vision. The ACT guide’s common faults include staring rigidly ahead and looking too long in one direction.
Scanning is also what the hazard perception test measures. See hazard perception tests across Australia compared.
Steering basics
- Hands at “10 to 2” or “quarter to 3” on the wheel, thumbs along the rim (ACT and NT handbooks).
- Use push-pull steering for most turns. Hand-over-hand is the other accepted method.
- Do not let the wheel spin back by itself after a turn. Use your hands to guide it back to the centre.
- Slow down before the turn, and wait until the car starts to straighten before accelerating.
- One hand must have a firm grip on the wheel at all times while moving. Do not rest your elbow on the window frame.
Why is coasting unsafe?
The ACT handbook says never coast or freewheel with the clutch pushed in or the gear lever in neutral. In gear, the car stays stable and grips the road better, and the engine helps hold your speed downhill. Out of gear, you lose stability and control of your speed, especially on corners, and can run off the road or roll over.
It is also a legal issue. It is an offence to drive without proper control of your vehicle, and the ACT handbook says that holding the clutch down for any distance, other than the last 2 or 3 metres before you stop, means you do not have proper control.
Braking: progressive, two-stage and in a straight line
The NT handbook describes two-stage braking: a light press to “set up” the brakes, a short pause, then “squeeze” on the pressure you need. The ACT guide calls the same idea progressive braking. Both handbooks agree on these points:
- Check your mirrors before you brake.
- Brake early and gently. Never brake hard unless it is a real emergency.
- Brake in a straight line where you can.
- Harsh braking can cause a skid, especially on wet or gravel roads.
- In a manual, push the clutch in just before the engine would stall, and stay in gear until you stop.
- Ease the brake pressure in the last 2 metres to avoid a jerk as you stop (ACT guide).
- Going down a long hill, choose a lower gear before the descent so the brakes do not overheat. This applies to automatics too.
The NT handbook adds that your brakes, not swerving, should be your first line of defence. Swerving can turn a minor hazard into a head-on crash.
How far does a car travel before it stops?
Total stopping distance is the distance covered while you react plus the braking distance. The ACT handbook’s figures, for a car with good brakes and tyres on a dry, smooth road:
| At 60 km/h | Distance |
|---|---|
| While reacting (average reaction time of 2 seconds) | 34 metres |
| While braking | 21 metres |
| Total stopping distance | 55 metres |
Things to remember from the same section:
- At 60 km/h you cover about 17 metres every second.
- Even a very alert driver needs at least one second to react. If you are not giving driving your full attention, it takes much longer.
- Double your speed and your reaction distance doubles, but your total stopping distance more than doubles.
The NT handbook uses the same logic to explain the three-second gap: about 1.5 seconds to react and about 1.5 seconds to respond. Keep at least three seconds behind the car in front, and much more in rain, at night or on gravel. The ACT handbook says to at least double it to six or seven seconds in those conditions.
Emergency braking with ABS
Most cars learners drive have anti-lock brakes (ABS). In an emergency stop:
- Do not pump the brakes. Keep the pedal pressed down hard and steer away from the danger (NT handbook).
- Expect the pedal to pulse or feel strange. That is the ABS working. Keep the pressure on (ACT guide and NT handbook).
- ABS lets you steer while braking hard. On most sealed roads it can shorten the stop, but don’t count on it, and on loose gravel it can make the stop longer. It also will not stop brakes fading on a long descent if you ride them all the way down (ACT handbook).
If your car does not have ABS and the wheels lock, the ACT guide says to ease off the brake straight away to the point where the wheels turn again while still slowing hard.
Eco driving: smooth is cheaper
The NT handbook’s eco driving tips double as good road craft:
- Keep a steady speed. Smooth acceleration and slowing use less fuel.
- Stick to the speed limit. Higher speeds burn more fuel.
- Check tyre pressure often. Under-inflated tyres increase fuel use.
- Do not over-rev. In a manual, change up at lower revs without labouring the engine.
- Do not warm the engine up before setting off, except in cold climates or after a long time unused. Gentle driving warms it.
- Turn the engine off when stopped for a long time, and take off roof and bike racks when not in use.
- Use air conditioning only when you need it.
For more on driving smoothly, see eco-safe driving and smooth driving tips.
Where to read more for your state
These basics are covered in plain English in the ACT Road Rules Handbook study guide and the NT Road Users Handbook study guide. For the licence stages and logbook hours in every state, see learner licence rules in every Australian state compared.
Sources
- ACT Government, “ACT Road Rules Handbook”, January 2019 edition, Part D Road craft (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
- ACT Government, “Road Ready: towards your Ps in the ACT, a learner driver guide”, March 2018 (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
- Northern Territory Government, “Road Users’ Handbook”, Fifth Edition, August 2020, Section 4 Safe driving (nt.gov.au)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Light Vehicle Antilock Brake System Research Program, Task 4” (nhtsa.gov)