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Index - Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
PRACTICING MOVING OFF AND STOPPING AT THE
KERB
Moving off safely
To move off safely on the road you have to think
about other road users. Can you move off without endangering yourself
or anyone else? To answer this question you need to have a good
look around.
Having got your machine ready to move off, look
round over your right shoulder (unless you're on the right hand
side of the road) and then look ahead. You're looking to make
sure that
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There's no traffic approaching
from behind |
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The way ahead is clear |
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You're safe to move off |
Look out for pedestrians and cyclists - they're
harder to see than cars.
You should signal if it will help any other road
user.
IMPORTANT - It's very important that you look round
before moving off, even if you have mirrors fitted. Looking around
will allow you to
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Accurately judge how far away
any traffic may be, and how fast it's travelling |
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See if there's anything in the
blind area on your right |
Stopping safely
To stop safely you need to make sure that you don't
endanger any other road users. You should
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Use your mirrors and look over
your right shoulder, if necessary, to check for following
traffic |
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Signal if it will help other
road users. People in front may benefit from a signal just
as much as people behind |
Top
A typical example of where you would stop before
turning right would be at a junction into a major road.
As in many other situations, you will go through
the OSM/PSL routine discussed on Page 3 of
Element C.
So in practice the routine would be as follows
| O |
Look in your mirrors and take
rear observation as necessary. |
| S |
Signal right in good time. |
| M |
Manoeuvre - use PSL. |
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Position yourself as close to
the centre of the road as is safe. |
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In a one-way street, position
yourself on the right-hand side of the road. |
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When turning right it's important
to take up your position early. |
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| S |
Reduce speed. Be prepared to
STOP. You must give way to traffic on a major road. |
| L |
Look in all directions at the
earliest point at which you can see. Keep looking as you
slow down, and STOP if necessary. |
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Take a 'lifesaver' glance over
your right shoulder before you turn. Take this glance early
enough for you to change your plan if it isn't safe to turn. |
Top
RIGHT TURNS WITHOUT
STOPPING
A typical situation for this would be turning right
from a major road into a minor road when there is no traffic coming
towards you and no traffic already turning right out of the minor
road.
You will still go through the OSM/PSL routine and
you will continue without stopping only if you are absolutely
certain there is no reason to stop.
Top
The same as right turns with stops but you will
signal left and your position on approach shouldn't change significantly
from your normal riding position. Don't swing out before or after
the turn.
Top
LEFT TURNS WITHOUT
STOPPING
This is most likely to happen when turning left
from a major road into a minor road.
Left turns are often sharper than right turns,
so reduce speed accordingly and don't swing out before or after
the turn.
Look out for vehicles stopping just before the
junction and pedestrians who may not have seen you. Don't overtake
a cyclist just before the turn and then cut in just ahead.
If you're riding slowly, watch for cyclists coming
up on your left. A 'lifesaver' glance over your left shoulder
before you turn may be necessary.
As usual, always use the OSM/PSL routine.
Top
JUNCTIONS - MAJOR
AND MINOR
Many accidents occur at junctions as a result of
carelessness or poor observation. Whichever type of junction you're
dealing with, you must take the great care.
There are five main types of junction
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T-junctions |
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Y-junctions |
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Staggered junctions |
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Crossroads |
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Roundabouts |
During Element C you will practice dealing with
each of these junctions using mock-ups of them probably made of
cones.
Top
During your driving test the examiner will ask
you to perform a U-turn and stop on the other side of the road.
In Element C you will practice U-turns until you
show that you have control of the bike travelling at a speed slow
enough to carry out a U-turn safely.
Also, rear observation into the blind area is vital
just before you carry out the manoeuvre.
Top
You have now completed Element C
On to Element D
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