ADI Part 2 - Moving Off At An Angle

ADI Part 2 Manoeuvres - Moving Off at An Angle

We consider here the method used to move off from the side of the road, at an angle.

Please make sure that you read the moving off page before studying this page.

The position you'll start from is very similar to the position you'll be in after completing the reverse park, however, it's common for the SE to ask you to simply pull up on the left, behind a parked car, to carry out this exercise.

If you consider moving off to be something to not have to pay too much attention to, think again. Thousands of trainee instructors throughout the UK would tell you a different story. That's because a very large number of trainees fail part 2 on errors during moving off.

Most of these errors are serious or dangerous errors, caused through poor observation skills or, even more commonly, through the incorrect use of signals.

The Dangers and pitfalls

There are three main areas which catch out thousands of trainee instructors and learners alike - they are incorrect signaling, insufficient or poor observations, and delaying too long to move after the observations are complete.

There's also a further unique danger with this exercise, and that's one of clearance, discussed below.

If you think about it, these factors are always important when moving off, but they are particularly so when moving off at an angle. That's because you'll be moving off from a fairly restricted space, with limited views of the road ahead. The car or other obstruction ahead of you will also present a restriction to your view of pedestrians and other dangers.

It is essential that your observations are full, effective and cover the full 360 degrees around your vehicle. Be aware of any dangers or potential dangers.

Make sure that the car moves under full control, with brisk steering where required, with full, ongoing observations for potential dangers.

We've already said that signaling to move off should be extremely rare indeed. This cannot be stressed enough. Yet many ADI trainers still instruct trainees to apply a signal before even carrying out the correct observations. This is always, without question, a mistake. It will more than likely attract a driver error and could possible be elevated to a serious or dangerous error.

The other area of potential danger is in delaying between the observing and the moving phases. We've discussed this fully in the moving off page, so won't repeat it here.

You must also take account of the clearance you need between your vehicle and the one you are parked behind. You should give at least an open car doors width from the other car, just as you would advise a learner to do.

Practice makes perfect, so get plenty of it with your trainer.

ADIT Team.