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Right Reverse / Reverse Round A Corner Help
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Manoeuvre Help
Right Reverse / Reverse Round A Corner
Many pupils are surprised when you tell them it's possible that they might asked to complete a right reverse, or reverse round a corner as it is sometimes called, on the driving test.
Although rare, it does happen, so pupils need to be prepared for it - not just for the driving test, but in 'real' life as well.
The technique is very similar to the Left Reverse with the bonus of the kerb being easier to see. The other main difference is the drive to the starting point and the distance into the side road that you need to reverse.
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Where will the manoeuvre take place?
The Test Examiner will choose a junction and tell the candidate to pull over and stop. They will then explain that they want them to drive past the road on the right, pull over and then carry out a reverse to the right.
It will be at a suitable location which means the road should be: fairly quiet; with no obstructions (parked vehicles etc.) blocking the manoeuvre.
What's the most important thing to remember in a manvoeuvre?
When Driving Instructors are training, they learn 3 pieces of knowledge that are crucial to teaching pupils a successful manoeuvre.
Observation
Control
Accuracy
What it says on the Driving Test Marking Sheet...
Reverse exercises
You will need to display the ability to control the vehicle safely whilst reversing to the left, right, when parking on the road or into a parking bay. You must take good effective all round observation throughout the manoeuvre and show consideration to other road users.
Observation - Right Reverse
The Examiner will be watching your observation very closely because it is such an important safety feature of any manoeuvre.
There are 2 sections to this manoeuvre:
First Section - passing the junction and stopping
When the Examiner asks you to begin the manoeuvre you need to prepare the car and do the standard observation for moving off.
After moving off, you should look into the road on the right as you pass it to make sure there's nothing which would stop you from carrying out the manoeuvre e.g parked cars, road works etc.
As you drive past the road, don't forget to glance at the type of corner; a sharp corner will require a different approach to steering than a sweeping corner
If the road's clear (and it should be - the test isn't long enough for Examiners to drive around looking for junctions!), you should pull over about 3 cars lengths past the junction.
Second Section - reversing around the corner
After preparing the car to reverse, you must observe all round the car for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. Wait if there's anything that will effect your manoeuvre. Within reason of course e.g don't wait for a cyclist half a mile away!
As you reverse, keep up-to-date with what's happening around the car, a good rule is to do a check every car length moved.
When checking, pay particular attention to the blind spot over the left shoulder and what's happening through the windscreen where cyclists and vehicles approach from. This is especially important as you begin to steer the car into the road on the right (the 'point of turn') because the front of your vehicle will swing into the middle of the road.
Keep checking until you stop the car, which should be about 6 car lengths into the side road. The reason you need to reverse further into the side road than on the left reverse, is because when you pull away, you need to cross over to the left side of the road.
If another vehicle approaches the front of your car, make sure you stay up-to-date with what the driver's doing. They may drive round your car or they may follow you slowly as you reverse around the corner.
If they drive round: stop and wait until they pass, then do your observations and continue.
If they follow you: continue with the maneouvre but during your observations pay attention to what the other driver / vehicle is doing. As soon as they have a clear view of other traffic in the side road, they may well drive around your car.
If they drive round, stop and wait until they pass, then do your observations and continue.
Control - Right Reverse
Controlled Pace
The right reverse requires a slow driving pace for 2 reasons.
It gives adequate time for observation.
It enables the driver to ensure the car is staying near the kerb.
Good Clutch Control is the key
To crawl along, raise the clutch just inside the bitting point. If the car begins to pick up speed, lower the clutch slightly.
Be careful, a side road may be sloping uphill or downhill.
Downhill
Be prepared to quickly lower the clutch all the way down while using the brake to control the speed
Uphill
Be prepared to increase the power and lift the clutch slightly.
Accuracy - Right Reverse
When you pull over for the reversing section you should aim to keep the car approximately 1 foot (about the width of a drain) away from the kerb. You should try to maintain this distance throughout the reversing section.
As you do your observational checks, you can also glance down over your right shoulder to see the distance from the kerb
It doesn't matter if the car moves slightly closer or further away but you must not touch the kerb or cross over the centre line of the road.
Touching the kerb, as well as being dangerous, can also damage a wheel or the body work. Crossing the centre line causes an extra obstruction and could cause vehicles on the other side of the road to swerve.
Remember that different shapes of corner will require a different approach.
Sharp corner will require quick steering at the point of turn.
Sweeping corner will require slower steering from the point of turn, possibly in increments e.g. half a turn then add/remove steering as you continue around the corner.