Allied Driving Instructors

Driving lessons from €32 per hour.

We can tailor the session to suit your level of ability. Lessons can be done in your car or our dual-control driving school car.

Modules include:

1. Pre-Drive Checks

   

   • Doors: All closed properly.
   • Handbrake: Check that the brake is on.
   • Gears: Check if the vehicle is in neutral.
   • Seat: Adjust the seat to your driving position.
   • Steering Wheel: Adjust the wheel to your driving position.
   • Safety Belt: Ensure you and your passengers are safe.

   

   Mirrors should be checked before and after all actions.
   Windows should also be used to check blind spots.

   Post Ignition Checks:

   • Petrol
   • Lights
   • Wipers
   • Demisters

   Safety / Maintainance and Legality.

   • Tyres: Properly inflated and sufficient thread (1.6mm).

2. Primary Controls

   

   Accelerator (“Gas”)

   The more you press down (smoothly), the faster the engine turns. If that is connected through the clutch and gears to the wheels the faster the vehicle drives. Ease off, the vehicle moves “less fast”.

   

   Brake

   As you smoothly adjust the pressure on the brakes they:

   • Signal the vehicle behind that you are slowing with the brake lights
   • Steady / stabilise the vehicle
   • Slow the vehicle at a controlled rate, “progressive braking”
   • Stop the vehicle and keep it stopped.

   The Clutch

   The left foot controls the clutch. It opens and closes the link between the engine and the gears / wheels. Therefore it controls whether the vehicle “drives” or not.

   If you press fully down on the clutch it separates the engine from the gears and wheels. This allows the gears to be changed or for the wheels to be stopped.

   Partway up is the biting point. Here the engine has a partial grip on the gears and the vehicle is trying to drive.

   Fully up off the clutch allows the vehicle to drive properly.

   You should be trying to drive your vehicle slightly before releasing the brake to prevent rolling backwards. Fine clutch control must be practiced to achieve good controlled driving. If you are pressing on the clutch you are not “driving”.

   Steering

   • Left hand stays left side. Right hand stays right side.
   • Use the push-pull technique.
   • One hand pushes or pulls the wheel while the other hand matches it in height, ready to take over.
   • Indicators follow the direction of the wheel.
   • Take the strain off the wheel to release the steering lock

   

   Handbrake

   • To be used if stopping for three or more seconds, on hills or if gas is needed to move off easier.
   • Up is on / down is off.
   • To release: Take the strain, press the button, bring the lever down fully, release.
   • To engage: Press the button, pull the lever up, release the button before the lever.

3. Gears

   

   • Bring your hand to the gear stick.
   • Press fully down on the clutch.
   • Make a smooth and precise gear change.
   • Come smoothly up on the clutch and away.
   • Bring your hand back to the steering wheel.

   You need to be mostly off the accelerator as you are pressing on the clutch. You can keep your foot on the brake if you need to be slowing.

   Ranges and Common Uses.

   Lower gears are more powerful. Higher gears can be more efficient. Below are some guidelines of speed ranges and typical uses.

   1st	0-15kmh	Manoeuvring and moving off. “Blind” T-junctions.
   2nd	10-30kmh	Simple left and right turns. Difficult sections of road.
   3rd	25-45kmh	Slow continuous driving. Housing estates and villages.
   4th	40-60kmh	Mid-speed driving. Big easy roads in built up areas and some faster roads.
   5th	55+kmh	Fast Driving. Where speed limits, conditions, etc allow.

   You may use a lower gear further into the next range to accelerate faster, go up steeper hills or move more weight in, on or behind the vehicle.

   Listen to the engine revs as a prompt to change up.

   Look at the road ahead as a prompt to change down.

4. Moving Off / Hill Starts

   • Gears: Engage 1st gear.
   • Observation: Check your mirrors and blind spots to see if you will be able to move off without causing other road users to change their speed or direction.
   • Signal: Indicate that you intend to move off.
   • Set the pedals: Press on the accelerator to give the vehicle enough power to move off. More power may be needed for hills, busy roads, etc. Set the clutch at the biting point so the vehicle is trying to drive.
   • Handbrake: With a final check of the road, release the handbrake. Press down further on the accelerator and come smoothly up on the clutch.
   • Get into the appropriate road position.
   • Change up through the gears to the appropriate speed.
   • Typical road position is slightly to the left of the centre of the lane.
   • Road position can vary for different obstacles and road types.

5. Stopping on the Left

   • Check your mirrors before any manoeuvre.
   • Signal your intention to park.
   • Adjust position smoothly.
   • Reduce speed to a smooth stop.
   • Look around to ensure you are parked Safely and Legally .
   • Apply the handbrake, select neutral, cancel the signal, relax.

   Parking on hills: Ensure the handbrake is properly engaged. Turn the wheels so the vehicle would not roll out onto the road. Leave in the gear that would be used for driving up the hill (1st or reverse).

6. Right Turns

   

   Remember your MSPSL sequence.

7. Choice of speed, Emergency stops

   Speed

   Can we stop the vehicle in the distance we can see to be clear?

   Can we control the vehicle?

   Below are some of the factors that affect our potential to stop or control the car.

   • You, The Driver: Your ability to drive and level of concentration.
   • Your knowledge of the road. Your experience. Are you sick, tired, etc. Are you distracted be something inside or outside the vehicle?
   • Your vehicle: There are differences between one vehicle and the next. For example size, shape, blind spots, mechanical features. Your vehicle can also change with load and maintenance. Ensure your tyres are properly inflated and have minimum 1.6mm thread depth.
   • Other road users: Pedestrians walking across the road, along the road, playing, directing traffic, doing road works, loading or unloading a vehicle, alighting, walking a dog, moving farm animals. As well as push bikes, motorbikes, cars, buses, lorries etc. Basically the closer you get, the more careful (slower) you should be.
   • The road: The size of the road. The number of lanes, road markings, bends, junctions, traffic lights, hills, speed limits, etc. As the road gets easier you can often drive faster. But as it gets more complicated you should consider slowing down.
   • The conditions: Rain, snow, condensation, mist, fog, frost and darkness can all effect your ability to see through the window, through the air or to see the road markings. Water on the road can double your stopping distance. Snow or ice can multiply it by ten. Strong winds can also affect your control.

   

   Emergency Stop

   This manoeuvre is to be used to stop the car very quickly, in an emergency.

   • Do not check mirrors. You have to stop as quick as possible.
   • Brake quickly and firmly. If your vehicle has ABS press down fully. If it has no ABS then quickly and repeated release a small amount of pressure and re-engage fully.
   • Hold firmly onto the steering wheel.
   • Add the clutch when the vehicle has slowed.
   • Apply the handbrake once stopped.
   • Have a full look around before moving off again.

8. Pedestrian Crossings

   If a pedestrian is crossing the road ahead of you they have priority (right of way). You have to make the decision as to how you will react.

   You could:

   • Just check your mirrors and keep going.
   • Check your mirrors and ease off the gas.
   • Check your mirrors and break.
   • Or perform and emergency stop.

   Any of these are possible solutions depending on how far ahead the pedestrian is. The earlier you see them, the less drastic your reaction may be.

   If the pedestrian is at a designated crossing point, then you should have checked your mirrors and be more prepared to stop.

9. Traffic Lights / Crossroads

   Sequence and Meanings of Traffic Lights

   • Green means GO if it is safe to do so.
     
   • Amber means stop IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. You should have checked your mirrors and stop in a controlled manner before the stop line allowing the vehicles behind time to stop comfortably as well.
     
   • Red means STOP before the stop line, if it is safe to do so.
   • Flashing Amber at a pedestrian crossing means go IF IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.

   Crossroads

   Amongst the many complications at crossroads is what to do if you are trying to turn right. If a solid green light shows you are to move forward, if safe. If a green arrow shows you can usually continue in that direction. If on the green light there is a gap in oncoming traffic you may be able to complete your turn. If you are in the junction as the lights change amber and red you are entitled to clear the junction. It is the correct thing to do. Your waiting position can vary in different situations. This same procedure also applies to yellow box junctions.

10. Obstructions / Meeting Traffic

    If there is an obstruction (ie a parked car) in your lane you will need to go around it. If you can maintain a doors width from the obstruction and not cross the line or car see clearly that there is no oncoming traffic, there is little need to slow down. If there is oncoming traffic and the road ahead is a little narrower, you may need to intentionally go slightly closer to the obstruction to keep further from the oncoming traffic. This would require you to slow down to a speed that both you and the other driver will be comfortable with. The less space the slower you should be, to the extent that you might stop in good time before the obstacle. You should position yourself so that you can see the oncoming traffic, they can see you and get past. Do not get so close to the obstacle that it will become difficult to get past or so close to the kerb that following traffic thinks you are parked.

    More complicated situations with obstructions on both sides may have a variety of solutions. Technically, whoever gets there first may be entitled to continue through. Commonly, one driver will choose to stay back from the constriction until it is clear. Sometimes, both vehicles may be able to continue with greater care. At longer constrictions drivers may be able to find spaces in between the obstacles to get past each other.

    Note: You would always signal before overtaking a cyclist or pedestrian walking along the road. You would cancel any signal sooner if you are approaching a junction.