Hello I'm Chris. In today's video I'm going to show you some common
mistakes when meeting traffic on tight roads
and how you can make it easier. If you struggle with meeting traffic then this is for you.
You should always plan ahead and be ready for oncoming traffic
as you don't want to panic. Think about where you would stop if there were oncoming.
I found a good space here to wait but I've stopped at an angle and it looks like I'm parking. Not
great. A driver behind might overtake me. It's also harder for me to manoeuvre out again.
When you move over to wait, position the car so the oncoming can get through
but also not pointing towards the kerb, so that you're ready to get back out again.
I'm stopping for oncoming vehicles but I haven't left them much room.
This makes it harder for them and they might go through slower.
I also stopped too close to the parked car which made it more difficult to manoeuvre back out.
Think carefully where to wait. Stopping here for example wouldn't help anyone.
If you are going to wait then leave enough space.
Again I've made it difficult for myself by stopping really close to this parked car.
My passengers might also feel uncomfortable. I should start moving now. This delay might
annoy any drivers behind. Now I haven't steered enough and I'm too close to the parked cars.
Reflections in park vehicles can help you see oncoming.
Be ready to steer a lot to get into the space but leave enough room to manoeuvre back out again.
This time I'm stopping unnecessarily and too close to the kerb.
It's now harder for me to see oncoming and drivers behind might think I've parked.
Waiting in second gear isn't ideal. Always be prepared to go in first. Now I've changed to
first but it's delayed me, someone behind might have got annoyed and overtook.
I'm approaching this situation too fast...
and stopped unnecessarily. Now I need to do a hill start.
Approach the tight gap slowly and you might not need to stop completely. Check the interior and
right mirror before moving back out, especially looking out for motorcyclists overtaking.
And before moving over to the left, check the interior
and left mirror. At this slow speed a cyclist could be passing you on the left side.
Be careful not to rush into situations. Whenever you approach anything difficult
then remember to slow down as it will give you more thinking time and make it less stressful
Be ready to stop but also prepare to go again.
It's not always possible, but if you can, try and time it
and not stop. It's easier and it saves you money on fuel.
You should try and keep a doors width away from parked vehicles.
Remember that the tighter the gap, the slower you need to drive.
I found a good space to wait, but I've only got the front in
and the rear is sticking out. To make it easier for you
and oncoming, don't forget to steer left to get the front in but right to bring the rear in too.
It's safer on a tight road like this where only one vehicle can fit through
to drive in the middle. Even if I drove uncomfortably close to parked vehicles, oncoming
still wouldn't get through. So just drive in the centre but be ready to use spaces when needed.
No one's got priority when there's parked vehicles on both sides, but keep planning
ahead and anticipate what the oncoming driver is going to do and where you might need to wait.
If I'd approached this slower I wouldn't have needed to stop.
For more driving tips including how to drive on tight country roads and meet traffic there
have a look at our free driving modules on our website. There's a whole course that's
completely free to use and easy to follow to help you improve your driving and hopefully pass your
driving test. There's a link in the description. As usual, thanks for watching. Please subscribe
and like the video if it helped you. In the meantime keep safe on the road and bye for now.