Hello I'm Chris. If you've ever driven a manual car then there's a good chance you've stalled at
least once. For most new drivers apart from worrying that they might have an accident,
stalling the car is probably one of their other biggest concerns. I'm going to
demonstrate the top reasons for stalling and show you how to never stall again.
Common reason number one. Stopping without pressing the clutch. Easy to sort out. About
roughly one to two car lengths before you want to come to a complete stop press the
clutch down. This will stop the engine from stalling. Reason for stalling number two.
Moving off in the wrong gear. I'm in third gear. Unless you're moving off
downhill then moving off in any other gear but first is normally going to result in a
stall. Don't forget to change back to 1st gear when moving off again.
Reason number three. Changing up to the wrong gear.
Practice how and when to change gear. If you change up to high
gear too early without enough speed then the car could stall.
If you find that you make mistakes when changing gear, for example first instead
of third then have a look at our other video on the palming technique as it might help you.
Reason number four. Releasing the clutch too soon. When moving off, to make sure that the car doesn't
stall, hold the clutch still at the biting point for about two seconds after the car starts moving.
If you can, rest the heel of your left foot on the floor when you're near or at the biting point as
it will give you better control. Your choice of footwear plays a big part in driving. To feel
the pedals easier, shoes that have thin soles and aren't too wide are the best. Reason for stalling
number five. This is common, especially if your first car is a petrol one and that's not giving
enough gas when moving off. A lot of new drivers learn in a shiny new diesel car. It's quite easy
to move off in a diesel without any gas, although it's not a good habit to get into and when they
buy their first car which quite often is an older petrol car they soon find out that it needs a bit
more gas to get it going. At this point after quite a few stalls they wonder if they really
can drive. Revving the car up to about one and a half on the rev counter and holding it there
is a good amount if you're moving off in a flat road and a little more if moving off uphill. If
you're experiencing a lot of stalling then don't worry. Like most things, after a bit of practice,
especially on a quiet road or in a car park, you'll soon start to get used to your car.
Bear in mind that stalling on the driving test isn't necessarily a serious mistake.
It depends where and how it affects others. Stalling when you're stationary at a red
traffic light might not even be a driving fault. But stalling in the
middle of a busy roundabout probably will be a driving test fault. Have a
look at our other videos on clutch control and how to change gear as they might help.
Thanks a lot for watching our video on how not to stall. Please subscribe for our latest videos
as it helps us to make more. Keep safe on the road and see you on the next video!