“In this short video, we briefly recap the moving off and stopping skills we have discussed so far. When moving off and stopping, you will use the POM and MSM Routines.
POM stands for Prepare, Observe and Move and MSM stands for Mirrors, Signal and Manoeuvre.
Prepare the car to move by starting the engine and then selecting first gear and finding the cluitch biting point. The biting point is the point at which the engine tries to turn the wheels but the car doesn’t move because it is held back by the handbrake.
After preparing the car, make sure that it is safe to move by checking all around. You can use the six point check to do this by looking over your left shoulder, left mirror, interior mirror, the road ahead, right mirror and right shoulder.
The shoulder checks are essential to check for vehicles and other road users who might be in your blind spots.
The six point check is only a guide. While it’s important to know what’s happening all around, unneccesary and repeated checks to the left could result in you missing safe opportunities to proceed.
Give a signal if it will help others but don’t give signals out of habit. Signalling out of habit can lead to misleading or mistimed signals or even lead to missed observation checks.
When it is safe to move, bring the clutch up gently. press the gas pedal a little more and turn the steering wheel slightly to move to your safety line. That’s the imaginary line you will follow to keep you at a safe distance from the kerb and obstructions on the road.
Look well ahead for accurate steering. Looking down at the front of the car will not help you to judge your road position.
When stopping, use the Mirrors-Signal-Manoeuvre Routine. Check your mirrors to make sure that it’s safe to stop, give a signal if it will help others. If there is no one to benefit from your signal, it is not necessary to give one. Press the footbrake and keep looking well ahead to judge your position as you park. The pressure that you use on the footbrake will depend on:
– Your speed
– The gradient of the road
– How quickly you want to stop in
Press the clutch down just before the car stops. After stopping, secure the car by applying the parking brake and selecting neutral.”
