Controlling your vehicle

Control begins with the speed you chose before you needed it. Adjust that speed to the weather, the light, the road, the traffic and your own ability to handle the vehicle, and everything else about the driving gets easier.

Brake early and gently, firm up the pressure as the vehicle slows, and ease off just before it comes to rest so that the stop is smooth. In an emergency, brake at once. Remember that a locked wheel is no longer steering: if the vehicle begins to skid, come off the brakes and steer. Hard braking, fast cornering and rapid acceleration also punish your tyres, which are the whole of your grip in the rains.

Going downhill, select a lower gear before the slope rather than partway down it, so the engine holds the vehicle back and the brakes stay cool. Rolling in neutral or with the clutch held down gives that up. Speed builds quickly, the foot brake does all the work and loses its bite, the steering feels vague through a bend, and the gear you want is harder to find at the moment you want it.

If the brakes fail, sound the horn to warn everyone around you, change down through the gears to let the engine slow the vehicle, and apply the handbrake progressively rather than all at once.

If a tyre bursts, hold the wheel straight and do not brake hard. Braking a vehicle that is already unbalanced is what turns a burst into a spin. Slow gradually and pull off once you have it settled.

Avoid reversing where you can. When you must reverse, choose a suitable place for it and never reverse into a busy road. Use all the mirrors, check the blind spots, and look behind for pedestrians, cyclists and obstructions. Then go slowly, looking mainly through the rear window, aware that the front of the vehicle swings out as you turn. Where the view is poor, get someone reliable to direct you.