Hello I'm Chris.
Driving in a busy town or city can be a scary experience for a new driver.
In this video we're going to have a look at anticipation, observation and typical hazards that you
could find in a town or city.
In a previous video we had a look at clutch control in traffic.
You need to be confident with the pedals so let's have a quick recap so that you can drive
smoothly without any jerkiness or stalling.
Firstly, you need to get used to where the biting point is in your car.
It's slightly different in every manual car.
To find it, press the clutch down, select 1st gear,
press the gas slightly to rev the engine to roughly one and a half
but don't stare at it.
You'll need a little more if you're moving off uphill or no gas for moving downhill.
It's possible in this new diesel car to creep forward without any gas
but if you're driving an older car or some petrol cars then you'll have to use gas to avoid stalling.
To get in a good habit I'll be using a little gas.
I now need to raise the clutch gently until I find the biting point.
You know when you've got it as the back of the car will dip down slightly
and the engine sound changes.
Now keep the clutch still.
Once it's safe, don't move your feet and release the parking brake.
If I keep my feet still, the car will maintain this speed.
Lower the clutch slightly about the thickness of a pound coin to slow down
and raise it to speed up.
And that's clutch control.
Controlling the car at very slow speed with the clutch.
Bear in mind that holding the biting point too long can wear out your clutch.
When you want to drive on then bring the clutch up gently.
Clutch all the way down and footbrake to stop.
As usual, plan your journey before hand. Google Maps and a lot of satnavs also give
you traffic updates and suggest the best route to avoid the jams.
Try to avoid rush hour if possible that's early morning, late afternoon and early evening.
As a back-up have a trusty map book in the car just in case of any satnav problems.
I'm going to be driving into the London congestion zone. This sign shows when it's in operation.
It's Saturday so it's free today.
Driving in a busy area like London takes a lot of concentration and awareness
of your surroundings.
The two lanes are merging into one.
I'm checking my mirrors, quick glance over my shoulder in case anyone overtakes at the
last moment.
Signs relevant to me are a speed limit change to 20mph and no u-turns.
Cycle lane on the left.
I'm in 1st gear.
Clutch at the biting point briefly so that I can drive at this slow walking pace.
Raising the clutch gently to make the car move more.
I'm not using any gas at this point.
Looking past this vehicle in front I can see the bus slowing down.
Clutch down and braking to slow down.
Creeping forward, little use of the gas and clutch at the biting point to make the car creep at
about 2mph.
Motorcyclist and cyclist approaching on my left.
Mirror checking here as always is essential.
In this car, to slow down below 5mph
I have to lower the clutch down to slow down further.
If I don't lower the clutch then the car will start to shake, judder and stall.
Raise the clutch with a little gas to speed up and lower it to slow down and braking to slow down even more.
If I was to release the clutch all way now then the car would jump forward too quickly.
Now I want to move more, I can release the clutch gently still using a little gas.
Now off gas, clutch down, gently braking to slow down further.
Now a little gas and raising the clutch to the biting point to creep slowly.
Raising the clutch gently to speed up.
Be careful not to hold the clutch at the biting point too long as this will lead
to increased wear of the clutch and it can cost a lot of money to replace.
So only hold the clutch at the biting point for short distances.
A little gas and raise the clutch gently when you want to move faster.
Be careful not to focus your attention on one small area such as staring at the vehicle in front
but scan the entire area around you, including your mirrors.
Constantly be on the look out for hazards.
To put it simply, a hazard is anything that may require you to alter your speed,
position or direction.
If you're not observing properly then hazards such as cyclists and motorcyclists
can seem like they appear out of nowhere.
Frequent, quick scans of your surroundings will reduce our risk of an accident.
Take in what you see and try and anticipate what might happen next.
I'm keeping my distance from the car in front as his gives me a better view of the road
ahead and more time to react if they brake suddenly.
The traffic lights are green but anticipating they may change.
Keep up to date with what's happening in front of you, either side and behind.
In slow moving traffic, you an expect vulnerable cyclists and motorcyclists to approach
either side of you and to weave in between vehicles.
Distracted pedestrians can also step into the road at anytime so stay focused.
30mph speed limit ahead.
Other drivers can make mistakes so be ready for it and try not to get annoyed or angry
as this can lead affect your abiloity to drive safely and increases your risk of having an accident.
By maintaining space around your car also called a safety bubble allows
you room to react and manoeuvre. It's always a good idea to be able to see a little bit of road
between you and the car in front when stationary in traffic as you never know when
you might need it.
It's a nice day and there's lot's of pedestrians and cyclists about.
Keep up the planning ahead, concentrate and anticipate
any hazards.
There's a motorcyclist approaching behind. Are they going to overtake me on this tight road?
As usual try to be ready for anything.
I'm following the road ahead at the crossroads.
The warning sign means two-way traffic crosses one way road.
And there's a 20mph speed limit.
Checking both ways and ahead.
Watching the motorcyclist, double checking, triple checking
all safe, up to 2nd gear.
I'm on a one-way road with a contraflow cycle lane.
This means that although vehicles can only travel one-way, I can expect oncoming cyclists
on the right hand side of this tight road.
Pedestrian crossing ahead.
Pedestrians have pressed the button at the crossing, anticipating the lights might change.
Always keep crossings clear and make sure that when you're in slow moving traffic
that you can get past the pedestrian crossing without stopping on it.
Also, be careful of pedestrians that might walk out between cars.
I can see the flashing beacons for a zebra crossing.
Checking both sides, all clear.
I'm at a red traffic light and I've got a yellow box junction ahead.
I need to make sure that when the traffic light is green that I can make it past the box junction
without stopping on it.
Green traffic light and there's enough space ahead so I can go.
There were no shortage of hazards earlier, so I'm going to drive back over Tower Bridge.
I can see the two lanes merging into one.
Clutch is down, into 1st gear, I can see the pedestrians
are looking to cross.
Oncoming cyclist.
I'll let the car next to me merge in front.
Checking my mirrors, quick check over my shoulder.
Steering away from the cycle lane.
Watching the cyclists on the pavement.
Driving in stop and go traffic typically gives you the worst fuel economy.
And is also more wearing on certain car components.
To help save fuel, try not to speed up and brake harshly.
Instead, accelerate lightly and brake gently in plenty of time.
This not only saves fuel but is also a less stressful way of driving.
Keeping up to date with my mirror checks I can see some cyclists approaching on my left.
Cyclists and motorcyclists are vulnerable and have as much right to share the road as anyone else.
Be especially careful before changing lanes or turning left as cyclists might be in your blind spot.
Properly observe before emerging from a junction as cyclists and motorcyclists
are harder to see.
And always check it's safe before opening your car door.
For more information on cycle lanes have a look at our other video.
Ice cream van ahead which is attracting a lot of people on this hot day.
I'm scanning the road, especially looking out for any children that might run across.
Also making sure that there isn't anyone in front of it about to run out.
It might sound like an obvious thing to say but knowing where you're going
definitely helps. It might be a town, road name or number
and keep a look out for road markings and signs showing which lane or turn
you need so that you can get into position in good time.
Failing to look properly causes a high number of accidents each year.
Simple human errors cause a majority of accidents.
Stay alert at all times, don't be distracted and don't drive tired.
I'm following the road ahead at the crossroads and I can see it is now clear.
I'm going to keep checking though just in case I've missed anything.
Let's have a closer look at this next scene.
Always anticipate what will or might happen next.
There's a zebra crossing ahead.
I've checked both sides and it seems clear, but I've also got to anticipate that someone might
run across at the last moment.
A pedestrian could also walk out between these parked cars.
It's important to take in all the information that is available to you,
including what you see in your mirrors.
There's also a car ahead indicating to turn right.
They might turn before me or wait, either way I've got to be ready to react.
There's also a junction on the right and the left.
Checking my interior mirror, easing off gas, the car's turning.
Parked cars can hide potential hazards such as pedestrians.
Horses on my left, checking my interior mirror, slowing down.
Zebra crossing.
Someone wanting to cross.
I'm turning left.
And as always, be ready for pedestrians that might be crossing the road.
Bus lanes are common in the town or city and are marked by a thick white line.
Every bus lane has it's own times of operation.
This blue sign shows the vehicles that are allowed to use it between these days and times.
This bus lane is in operation 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
so I'll have to avoid this one.
If you are allowed to use the bus lane and it's safe and convenient then use it
as it allows others to overtake you if they want.
There's a bus lane on the left that's in operation between Monday to Saturday
7am to 7pm,
as today is Saturday and it's 4:15pm I'll have to avoid it.
Keep further away from larger vehicles such as lorries and buses.
If you can't see their mirrors then the driver can't see you.
Keeping your distance will also give you a better view of the road ahead.
If you can do so safely then give priority to buses, especially when they signal to move off.
If you're behind a bus then look out for any bus stops ahead as they might be stopping.
Be careful of any pedestrians running across the road from the right for the bus.
If it's safe then overtake but also be careful of pedestrians crossing the road in front of the bus.
One-way roads are common in towns and cities.
Look out for this blue arrow sign and any road markings.
If I was going to emerge right out of this road then I'd be positioned to the right.
Look out for one of these signs to know if the one-way road you're on
is joining a two-way road.
To help ease traffic congestion some city centres have tram systems.
Bear in mind that tram tracks can be slippery when wet or dry, so try to avoid driving on them.
Don't forget that trams can approach you quietly and at speed.
They also can't manoeuvre around you or stop quickly.
Always give priority to trams.
If you want more information on how to deal with trams then have a look in the Highway Code.
Well, that's the end of our brief guide to driving in the city.
Really hope you found it useful.
Bear in mind that driving in the town or city doesn't have to be stressful,
just keep planning ahead and always expect the unexpected.
Everything mentioned in this video just get's better with practice and as usual
it's highly recommended that you take driving lessons with a fully qualified instructor.
Thanks a lot for watching
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then good luck!
Keep safe on the road and see you on the next video!