Chapter 1. REVERSE TURNS

The first "surprise" you will encounter while driving in reverse, lies in the fact that the car, just starting to move back, immediately thinks to turn to the side. She doesn't want to go back in a straight line! And it will begin to obey your desire only after you master the turns back to the right and left!

Don't believe? It's easy to check! Try to reverse 20-30 meters, keeping the straight position of the car in some real or imaginary corridor.

So after how many meters did your car suddenly turn off the straight and go in the wrong direction?

In ten? Fifteen? I think not more. Now let's find out why this happened.

When you look in an ordinary mirror, as a rule, you don’t think that everything in it is upside down, because you are used to it. And if, for example, you need to cut off a couple of extra hairs on your face with scissors, and "under the spine"?

Who has not tried it, try it and then you will understand that it is not so easy to do it. For some reason, the scissors turn in the wrong direction! You wanted to turn them so that they flatly touched the skin of the face, but they turned the other way and turned out to be completely sideways.

The same thing happens when reversing. It seemed to you that the steering wheel should be turned a little "there", but it turned out that this was wrong.

Rice. 135. Landing the driver when reversing straight and to the right

Before starting to move in reverse, you should try to forget the sensations that you successfully used when moving forward, and strictly follow certain rules:

Before starting to move in reverse, it is necessary to sit on a half-side (more often to the right), turn your head back and look only in the direction of movement (Fig. 135).

When reversing straight or to the right, right hand should be on the back of the right seat, and the left on the steering wheel (Fig. 135). It is desirable to turn the steering wheel with one left hand (see Fig. 15). When moving back to the left, on the contrary, you need to sit half-side to the left, place the elbow of your left hand on the back of your seat, and steer only with your right hand.

Move in reverse at the lowest possible speed. To achieve the minimum speed, you should use the "balance" or "push" method.

Before starting a reverse turn, you should translate your gaze into the continuation of your chosen trajectory of movement approximately to where it will end.

When turning in reverse, the steering wheel must always be turned in the direction where your gaze is directed (Fig. 135, 136 and 139).

It is necessary to return the steering wheel to the position of rectilinear movement a little earlier than the car takes this position (Fig. 136 and 137).

90° reverse turn - right

You choose the moment when you start turning the steering wheel on the "bare" platform arbitrarily - when you want, then I will turn. What can not be said about the exit from the turn. You must correctly determine the moment when it is time to turn the steering wheel back.

Of course, there are recommendations on this topic. For example, take a wide view of the site and try to see all the nearby lawns, sidewalks, as well as various parallel-perpendicular lines and cracks. Then you will surely be able to see those 5–10 ° (remaining to the straight position), upon reaching which you need to start turning the steering wheel back (Fig. 136).

I would like to remind you that feeling is very important in driving a car. Of course, you can stop, get out of the car, step aside, look at the wheels and turn the steering wheel on the spot. You can even take a piece of chalk, a ruler and mark the entire area, put poles around which you need to start and finish turning the steering wheel.

But on a real road, all this will not happen! Therefore, I advise you to immediately learn to feel the car! Yes, you will have to spend a lot of time on this, but later on you will be able to successfully perform reverse turns anywhere, without lines and landmarks.

Now about the turning technique. Sit half-side to the right, turn your head back to the right and look only in the direction of movement (Fig. 136, pos 1). Next, do the start and the minimum speed.

After driving some distance in a straight line, choose the moment to start turning the steering wheel and then quickly, but smoothly without jerking, turn it all the way in the direction you are looking (in this case, to the right).

While continuing to maintain the minimum speed, try to see how the degrees of the steering angle change. It is easy to see 45°, but then, when they begin to decrease rapidly, do not yawn, but do not rush either. There are two known bugs:

1. If you start to actively turn the steering wheel back 20–30° before the end of the turn, the car will head along the trajectory "B" (Fig. 137) without completing the turn at an angle of 90°.

2. And if you start to return the steering wheel back only after the car has already taken the position of rectilinear movement, then it will go along the trajectory "B" (Fig. 137).

Rice. 137. Errors when turning in reverse

In both cases, you should immediately stop, engage first gear and return to the starting position. Then you need to try again, but now taking into account the mistake made.

As soon as you manage to see the very 5° 10° that provide the correct exit from the turn, and you begin to turn the steering wheel back at that very moment, your car will definitely go along the trajectory "A" (Fig. 137).

To practice this turn, you can use two route options - "back and forth", that is, each time return to the starting position, regardless of whether you successfully made the turn or not, as well as "in a circle" (Fig. 138), but only in if the previous turn was successful for you.

Rice. 138. Turns back to the right "in a circle"

90° reverse turn - left

At the moment (on the site), in terms of the execution technique, this turn is no different from turning to the right. You just need to turn around on the seat half-side to the other side, press your left hand at the elbow on the back of your seat (preferably) and look back to the left. And then you already know: start, minimum speed, turn the steering wheel to the end in the direction where you are now looking (that is, to the left), then you need to feel 5–10 ° before the end of the turn and return the steering wheel to its place (Fig. 139). And then all this must be worked out along the well-known route "back and forth" or "in a circle."

Rice. 139. Turn back at an angle of 90 ° to the left

A little later you will have to learn to turn the steering wheel at a controlled speed, maybe even at a variable speed, since on a real road the technique for turning back left is significantly different from the technique for turning right (see Fig. 151).

If you take the time and carefully work out all these exercises on the site, then later on the road you can reverse into any gateway, and during the exam into any "box", both on the right side and on the left.

I have never participated in climbing Mount Everest, but I guess that the way to the top is long and difficult.

Driving a car also has its peaks, which are worth striving for, but the path to them is measured in months and years of daily conscious driving. The pinnacle of driving skills includes not only driving a car in the most difficult car races, but also the usual at first glance - towing, overtaking and reversing.

Yes, yes, reversing refers precisely to the heights of driving skills. Of course, you can successfully pass the exams in the traffic police by driving into the "box" in reverse without knocking down the racks. But after the exam, which of you, firstly, will dare, and secondly, will be able to successfully reverse into an ordinary "shell" (mini-garage), and even the first time? Will all of you dare to drive the car back that way for 100-200 meters on a narrow road with heavy traffic?

"Well, I can. What? Is this a problem or what?" - so only an unreasonable "newbie" who only yesterday received a driver's license can say.

"Yes, now I can do it too! No problem!" - and so the "old man" will say, who for a long period of time successfully drove his car on the roads and acquired one very important quality.

At some point in his car life, the driver suddenly feels an inextricable connection between himself and the car, between his thoughts and the behavior of the car on the road. Hands are the steering wheel and front wheels, legs are accelerations and decelerations, the interior of the car seems like a home, where everything is familiar and controlled even with closed eyes, and the car goes exactly there and the way the driver thought and planned.

Each of you will definitely come to these sensations, just give it time. And this period depends on your dedication to the heights of mastery. Someone will be able to come to this in a year and a half, and maybe even earlier. Someone has a long way to overcome the ledges of the automobile Everest. But anyone can reach the top.

Now let's return from sky-high peaks to earthly everyday life. Let's look at some of the problems of reversing.

The first "surprise" that awaits you when reversing is that you can only move backwards "in a straight line" when you learn how to turn!

Don't believe? It's easy to check! Try to reverse 20-30 meters, keeping the straight position of the car in some real or imaginary corridor.

So after how many meters did your car suddenly turn off a straight line and go in that side? In ten? Fifteen? I think not more. Now let's find out why this happened.

When you look in an ordinary mirror, then, as a rule, you don’t think that everything in it is turned upside down, because you are used to it. And if, for example, you need to cut off a couple of extra hairs on your face with scissors, and "under the spine"? Who has not tried it, try it and then you will understand that it is not easy to do this. For some reason, the scissors do not turn in that side! You wanted to turn them so that they flatly touched the skin of the face, but they turned the other way and turned out to be completely sideways.

The same thing happens when reversing. It seemed to you that the steering wheel should be turned a little "there", but it turned out that it was necessary to turn it in the other direction. This happens because, when reversing, the driver perceives himself and his car in the world around him not quite correctly and cannot immediately coordinate his actions with his hands with the direction of movement of the car.

Firstly, the driver does not see his hands, which in itself is already unpleasant.

And secondly, often “novice” drivers do not take into account the fact that when reversing, they become controlled rear wheels! In fact, just as the front wheels were steerable, they remained so. But in the direction of travel, they are now rear!

You should be aware that forklift trucks and other self-propelled transport trucks that have to constantly maneuver, moving through the territory of factories and warehouses, it is precisely the rear wheels that are steered! This is done specifically to increase the maneuverability of lift trucks in tight spaces.

In a conventional car, when reversing, when the front and rear wheels change roles, the slightest movement of the steering wheel leads to a significant change in direction! It is not easy to force the car to move backward exactly "in a straight line". You have to constantly work the steering wheel, turning it a little bit, then to the right, then to the left. But this is something you still do not know how.

Now let's talk about how your hands should work with a significant steering wheel angle, for example, when driving into a garage.

Figure 68 shows the correct position of the hands on the steering wheel. Only such a position (not higher and not lower) ensures maximum accuracy of hand movements, allows the driver to feel the road on the steering wheel, and makes it possible to apply small and large efforts to the steering wheel. But all this while moving forward!

Rice. 68. The correct position of the hands on the steering wheel

I suppose you can guess that when reversing, you need to look back. And you need to see the whole situation in the direction of the car. To do this, you will have to stand up slightly, turn your torso to the right back as much as possible and sit on a half-side. Then the field of view will be maximum, and your neck will not get tired.

But what about your hands? Oh, they're not comfortable now? So find a comfortable position for them.

If you search carefully, the only suitable position for the hands will be what is shown in figure 69.

Rice. 69. Landing the driver when reversing

"Yes, it's convenient! But how to steer now?" is your question. And my answer is in figure 70.

We will steer with one hand!

Rice. 70. Turning the steering wheel with one hand

So let's get ready to turn right. Before you start steering, you need to correctly orient your palm on the steering wheel rim. I suggest you "spread" your fingers, put your left palm on the steering wheel, rest against it slightly and twist your hand to the right and left. At some point, the palm seems to fall into the hole. In fact, it is the rim of the steering wheel that has taken its intended place in the creases of your palm. Now you can relax the tension in your fingers and slightly hug them wheel.

Further, leaning with your right hand on the back of the seat and applying some effort with your left hand, we begin to turn the steering wheel to the right. When the steering wheel is turned almost 180° (fig. 70, pos. 3), your left hand will begin to feel discomfort - it cannot turn the steering wheel any further! This is a signal for you to straighten (“spread”) your fingers, slightly increase the pressure on the steering wheel rim with your palm and, continuing to turn the steering wheel, turn your hand counterclockwise (Fig. 70, pos. 3–4).

Keeping your fingers straight and resting with your palm, you continue to turn the steering wheel further. As soon as the hand passes the lower point (fig. 70, pos. 4), it will be possible to slightly weaken the pressure of the palm and lightly hug the rim of the steering wheel with your fingers (fig. 70, pos. 5).

Then, without much effort, you turn the steering wheel to the initial position (Fig. 70, item 6), from which you can continue turning and make one more turn of the steering wheel or return the steering wheel back. It is very easy to continue, you just need to repeat the above steps. Returning the steering wheel back is also not difficult, the steps are the same, only they must be performed in the reverse order.

I am sure that after a short training you will like this method of taxiing. Not only does it provide continuous steering wheel rotation with maximum speed and accuracy, your right hand is still free! When moving back, it occupies the only convenient position - on the back of the right front seat. When moving forward, for example, when driving through a courtyard with numerous maneuvers, an extra hand will not hurt you either. And to successfully reverse into the exam "box" and into your own garage, the ability to work with one hand is a must!

It was a turn back to the right, when only the left hand worked. To turn back to the left, you just need to turn around on the seat half-side to the left and change hands - transfer the right hand to the steering wheel, and press the left one at the elbow on the back of your seat. Everything else remains unchanged - we turn the steering wheel, "spread" our fingers, scroll the brush, and so on.

Train better in winter. Based on the fact that you will have to thoroughly work with your hands, the front wheels of your car should be provided with maximum freedom. And what could be better than slippery ice! Therefore, drive your car to some quiet place where a compassionate janitor has not yet sprinkled salt on a shiny mirror of a frozen puddle, and start training.

And if in the yard ... July ?!

Then I advise you to purchase CDs "Health" or "Grace". Yes, yes, these are the same discs with which our lovely ladies improve their figure, rotating on them "back and forth." Believe me, these discs can easily withstand not only the representatives of the "weaker sex", but also a much greater load.

By placing one disc under each of the front wheels, you will ensure that the steering wheel turns very lightly. Then you just have to spend some time on training.

If, when reversing, you try, without changing the position of your body, to leave your hands on the steering wheel in the initial position (Fig. 68), then you can steer with both hands, but where will the car go?

Man can't turn his head like an owl! Therefore, you will not be able to control a large sector of the road behind you! Vehicles, pedestrians, examination stands, and other objects that would be better seen could be in the stealth zone. On the road, this is fraught with an accident, and at the exam, a complete failure.

Rice. 71. Options for turning using reverse: a) reasonable; b) foolish

In your opinion, which figure (Fig. 71) shows a safer turn using reverse gear? On the top or on the bottom?

On the top, for three reasons!

Firstly, the less distance you drive in reverse, the less problems you will have.

Secondly, turning left is always more difficult than turning right. And if this is a left turn in reverse, then in terms of execution technique it is not only more difficult, but much more difficult than turning right.

And finally, thirdly. In the top picture, the driver is looking over his right shoulder when driving backwards. This means that he can simultaneously control the trajectory of his car and the entire traffic situation on the carriageway on which he moves and on which he turns.

In the picture below, when reversing, the driver is forced to look back over his left shoulder. Will he be able to simultaneously maintain the intended trajectory of movement and control the cars approaching this place from two sides? It can, if it spins on the seat like a top, then in one direction, then in the other. But not everyone succeeds, especially in the first years of driving a car.

• Before reversing, the driver should assume a comfortable position on the seat, allowing him to control the maximum possible sector of the road in the direction of travel.
• When planning a U-turn using reverse and side passage, you should choose a trajectory in which the machine will reverse the shortest distance.

Of course, the driver must master all the techniques of driving a car, but these techniques must be mastered not on the busy highways of the city, but somewhere on training ground or on a deserted dead-end section of the road. Determine for yourself (not for exams) the circle of your problems in driving, allocate time, find a suitable place and train. And try to implement different versions of the same exercises. Do not stop at the results achieved in the driving school and in the exams in the traffic police. Only the creative process of learning the science of driving and self-training can lead the driver to the heights of driving skills.

The feeling that the car is not going where it wants to go, and that it constantly strives to turn to the side is the first thing a beginner encounters when reversing a car. This is due to the fact that the guide wheels have "swapped places". During normal forward movement, the front wheels steer, the rear wheels do not change their position relative to the axle. When reversing, the steering wheels are now "behind" and from this the feeling of the trajectory of the movement changes slightly.

In order to "build" the desired line of motion, you need to understand how in such a situation and learn how to make turns to the right and left in reverse.

To perform such maneuvers, you, as the driver, will need to assume an appropriate driving position. There are two ways to land. The first way is a normal landing, in which the driver holds the steering wheel with both hands, looks ahead and is guided by the rear-view mirrors. The second way is a half-turn landing, when the driver holds the steering wheel with one hand and looks back through rear glass. You can lean in this position so that the head is in the middle, between the seatbacks and the gaze is directed to the rear window along the center line of the car. With this landing, the trajectory of movement is best controlled. The second method is the most "rough", but it is he who is the most convenient. Ideally, it's better to be able to use both, but we'll look at the second option for now.

Now, in order to successfully perform turns when reversing, you will need to remember a few rules.

• Move in reverse at the lowest possible speed;

• The car turns in the same direction as the steering wheel turns. This means that if, while reversing, you turn the steering wheel to the right, the car turns right back; if you turn the steering wheel to the left, the car, respectively, will turn left back;

• It is desirable to turn the steering wheel with one hand. When moving back straight and to the right, the left hand rotates the steering wheel, while the right hand rests on the back of the right seat. When moving back to the left, the steering wheel is rotated by the right hand, the body is turned to the left, and the left hand rests with the elbow on the back or is placed on the back of your seat;

• You need to look at the point where you want to be in a few moments, while simultaneously turning the steering wheel, directing the trunk of the car to the desired trajectory;

• At the end of the turn, return the steering wheel to the straight ahead position a little earlier than the car enters a straight line.

It is very important to develop a sense of the car. For example, how much you need to turn the steering wheel to direct the wheels to the required arc. This skill comes with practice. To begin with, it is recommended to learn how to reverse the conditional corners of the rectangle on a free site. First with turns to the right, then with turns to the left.

After the simple turns are mastered, you can gradually complicate the exercises. For example, to narrow the "corridor" of movement.

Very often there is a need to turn around on the road, but not always the situation allows you to do this in one go, for example, in a narrow lane or in a narrow garage passage. In such situations, you will need to turn in three steps, one of the elements of which will be reversing.

You can use the following action plan. We will turn around from the right side of the road. It should be recalled that turning the steering wheel on a stationary car can be quite difficult, so you should start turning it when you start moving, at a time when the wheels have already rolled.

1. We turn on the first gear, start moving, and immediately quickly turn the steering wheel to the left until it stops. We move in an arc to the left side of the road.
2. When the car begins to approach the left edge of the road, we squeeze the clutch and immediately, while the wheels are still rolling a little, turn the steering wheel to the right until it stops or as far as it will go. When we reach the edge of the road, we stop the car. Now we are ready to move back.
3. Turn on reverse gear and start moving back, at the same time turning the steering wheel to the right, if it didn’t work out just before the stop.
4. As soon as the car approaches the right side of the road (already backwards), we squeeze the clutch and, again, while the wheels are rolling, quickly turn the steering wheel to the left. We stop the car.
5. Now we turn on the first gear and start moving already in reverse side. The development is over.

If three tricks are not enough, then you will need to repeat the “back and forth” manipulations the required number of times. If only the width of the road was not less than the length of the car.

It should be warned that the scheme discussed above is only a technique for performing a turn. On the road, you still have to, i.e. look in the mirrors and turn your head, and be sure to turn on the turn signals. We will return to this in the section « » .

To practice maneuvers in reverse, you can put a conditional gate of a conditional garage. You will need to try to "call in the garage" starting the movement from different angles. And repeat the arrival - departure, remembering how the car behaves. Such exercises develop the ability to feel the car very well.

There is an opinion among experienced drivers: if you have learned to drive in reverse, then consider that you have already gone in front. It's about the feel of the car. You can also say that reversing into the garage is a good workout for all future ones. Therefore, it is better to spend a little time and work out these movements within conditional boundaries. In addition, the exercises "reversal" and "check in boxing in reverse" will have to be passed. But then, on a real road, it will be possible to safely reverse into any lane.

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