How to teach safe positioning
Keeping a sensible position on the road, in lanes and around parked cars.
What to teach
- Keep a normal position about a metre from the kerb where there are no lane markings.
- Give parked cars at least a door's width, and slow down if that is not possible.
- Stay in the centre of the lane on multi-lane roads.
- Position early for turns and lane changes.
Faults to watch for
- Hugging the kerb.
- Drifting across lanes on bends.
- Passing parked cars too closely.
Practice between lessons
On supervised drives, ask the learner to say out loud where they are aiming to position the car.
Common questions
How far from parked cars should a learner be?
About a car door's width where possible. If there is less room, slow down to match.
Why do learners hug the kerb?
Usually because they are unsure where the car's left side is. Reference points help.
