How to do an emergency stop.

The emergency stop – hopefully you will never have to perform an emergency stop when you are a fully qualified driver. It is very important to learn how to perform one and there is every chance you could be asked to do an emergency stop in your practical driving exam. The emergency stop is a technical manoeuvre and does require a degree of skill, the first time you try one you may find the experience ends so quickly that it is difficult to avoid stalling your car – that is why it is important to practice in case you ever need to stop in a real emergency.

In the exam you will not be asked to perform the stop whilst driving down the bypass at 50 miles per hour. The examiner is not trying to catch you out or surprise you, before performing the stop the examiner will calmly inform you that he will soon ask you to perform the emergency stop, this will be in a safe area.

Most likely the examiner will say “Stop” and hold up their hand, this is the signal. Take your foot off the gas pedal, put your foot on the brake pedal, press firmly. Hold your foot on the brake until the car gets close to stopping, you may feel the car judder from the ABS, this will be normal and your instructor will tell you what to look out for on their particular car. Hold on to the steering wheel with both hands while you are braking, avoid skidding. Just before you stop apply the clutch to stop the car from stalling, you will notice the rev counter drop low (1000 rpm) – in an emergency situation a stalled car in the middle of the road could be as dangerous as the original problem, it is very important to get used to knowing when your car will stall and at that time applying the clutch. By keeping the clutch pressed in the whole time you will greatly extend the stopping distance of your vehicle.

Some instructors will tell you to apply the handbrake and put the car into neutral, in normal situations on the road this would not be a great idea if there is traffic approaching from behind. It is better to just try and drive on as normal to clear the road. You can ask your examiner what he or she would like you to do before performing the manoeuvre.

Before moving off remember to check your mirrors, and your blind spots.

The examiner on the driving test will expect you to:

• Stay fully in control of the vehicle throughout the manoeuvre.
• Begin the manoeuvre very quickly
• Avoid the locking the wheels (and skidding)
• Stop without putting other road users at risk