“In this lesson you will learn about moving off on an uphill gradient. The key points are:
Preparing the car to move.
Moving off.
Changing gear uphill.
After completing your pre-start checks and starting the engine, select first gear. Keep the clutch pedal down or hold it at the biting point. Check all around to make sure that no one will be inconvenienced or endanged when you move off. You are looking for:
Drivers in front and behind.
Cyclists.
People using the footpath or crossing the road.
Anything or anyone else that would prevent you from moving off safely.
Use your mirrors and turn your head to look all around, including to the front.
If any other road users will benefit, give a signal, but, if there’s no one to benefit, you don’t need to signal.
Becuse you are on a hill, you might be moving a little more slowly than you would on a level road. Allow for this when judging a safe gap.
Immediately before moving off, glance over your right shoulder for a final blind spot check. Because you are travelling uphill, you might need to press the gas pedal a little harder than on a level road in order to move off smoothly.
You might also need to bring the clutch up a little higher in order to get the car moving.
Look well ahead to steer to a normal driving position and check your mirrors for an update of the situation.
Becuase you’re going uphill, when you release the gas pedal, the car will lose speed quicker than it would on a level road.
To compensate for this, you’ll need to change gear at a higher speed than you would normally do on the level road. The speed will be determined by the gradient of the hill. You’ll soon get used to this with a little trial and error.”
