Stopping & Parking (Stages, Hills)

The Two Stages of Stopping Distance

Your total stopping distance isn't one thing — it's two separate stages added together, and they're affected by completely different factors. Understanding the difference matters, because a driver who only thinks about braking is ignoring the stage they actually have some control over improving.

Stage 1 — Thinking distance. The distance your vehicle travels after you decide to brake, but before your foot actually applies the brake. This is affected by your speed, your fatigue, and distractions — which means it's the stage most directly under your control as a driver. A tired or distracted driver has a longer thinking distance at the exact same speed as an alert one.

Stage 2 — Braking distance. The distance your vehicle travels between the brake being applied and the vehicle actually coming to a stop. This stage increases with speed, with poor road conditions (wet or icy surfaces), and with the vehicle's own condition — worn tyres, poor brakes, or an overloaded vehicle all extend it.

Stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance. Both stages grow as speed increases, which is exactly why the earlier lessons in this module treat speed limits as a maximum to adapt downward from, not a target — every extra bit of speed costs you distance in both stages, not just one.

The 4-second rule — your practical tool for following distance:

Rather than trying to calculate exact stopping distances in the moment, use this instead: when the vehicle ahead of you passes a fixed landmark (a sign, a bridge, a tree), start counting — "one thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three, one thousand and four." If you reach that same landmark before you finish counting, you're following too closely and need to increase your distance. This rule is specifically meant for adverse conditions like rain or fog, where both stages of your stopping distance are already extended.

Quick check: Q: Which stage of stopping distance is most directly affected by driver fatigue and distraction? A: Thinking distance.

Q: You're using the 4-second rule and reach the landmark after a count of "one thousand and two." What should you do? A: Nothing — you're following at a safe distance or further back. (You'd only need to act if you passed the landmark before finishing the count.)

The Official Procedure for Stopping the Vehicle

This is the exact sequence, step by step:

1. Check your rear-view mirror to confirm it's safe to stop.
2. Signal properly to alert other road users.
3. Remove your foot from the accelerator.
4. Apply the foot brake, maintaining pressure as necessary.
5. Depress the clutch pedal as the car comes to rest, maintaining pressure.
6. Set the handbrake to the ON position.
7. Put the gear lever into 1st gear.
8. Switch off the engine.
9. Remove your foot from the clutch pedal, then the brake pedal.

Notice the order: brake first, clutch second — you slow the car with the brake before disengaging the engine with the clutch, not the other way around.

The Official Procedure for Starting Off

To start the engine:

1. Fully depress the clutch pedal and wait three seconds.
2. Set the handbrake to ON.
3. Turn the ignition switch ON, then the motor switch ON.
4. Turn the ignition key to start the motor, releasing it once the engine starts.
5. Step lightly on the accelerator to warm the engine.

To move off:

1. Check your rear-view mirrors.
2. Give the proper signal before moving.
3. Select the appropriate gear.
4. Increase engine speed using the accelerator.
5. Move the handbrake to OFF.
6. Let the clutch pedal rise until engine speed decreases slightly under the load — and hold your feet in that position, balanced between the clutch and accelerator.

That last step is the foundation of a smooth hill start, which is exactly why it matters for this lesson — see below.

Driving and Parking on Hills

Gear selection changes depending on direction, and for different reasons each way:

• Driving downhill: switch to a lower gear so the engine itself controls some of the braking. This protects your brakes from excessive wear, since gravity is already working to accelerate you and your brakes alone would otherwise take the full load. Because it takes longer for the vehicle to stop, you need a greater stopping distance than you would on flat ground.
• Driving uphill: switch to a lower gear to maintain your speed against gravity working against you.

Visibility also works differently depending on direction: going downhill you generally have a clearer view ahead; going uphill you see less of what's coming, since the road itself is blocking your sightline over the crest. Anticipate accordingly — a hidden hazard is more likely to surprise you on the way up than on the way down.

Parking on a slope — turning your wheels correctly is what stops your car rolling into traffic if the handbrake ever fails. The principle is universal: leave your wheels turned so that, if the car did roll, it would roll into the kerb rather than out into the road. What changes depending on which side of the road you're parked on is which direction that actually is:

• Facing uphill: turn your wheels away from the kerb — steer to the right, so the wheels point back toward the road. If the car rolled backward down the slope, the front wheels would guide it into the kerb rather than out into traffic.
• Facing downhill: turn your wheels towards the kerb — steer to the left, so the wheels point into the kerb. If the car rolled forward, the front wheels would guide it directly into the kerb.

Quick check: Q: You're parked facing uphill on a slope. Which way should your front wheels be turned? A: Away from the kerb — steer right, so the wheels point back toward the road, guiding the car into the kerb if it rolls backward.

Q: Why do you switch to a lower gear when driving downhill, if you're not trying to speed up? A: To let the engine help control your speed and share the braking load, protecting your brakes from excessive wear — and because your stopping distance is longer going downhill.

Where You're Legally Allowed to Stop and Park

The default rule follows the same logic as everything else in this module: you may only stop or park on the left-hand side of the road. This isn't a separate rule to memorise — it's the same "keep left" principle from Lesson 1.2 applied to parking specifically.

The exception: on a one-way street, you may park on the right-hand side, since there's no oncoming-traffic conflict to manage there.

General principle: stopping and parking should always happen as far from the middle of the road as possible — minimising how much of the carriageway you're occupying, and therefore how much of a hazard you present to passing traffic.

Where you may never stop at all, as established in Lesson 1.5: roundabouts, junctions, the centre of the road, and anywhere marked with a no-stopping sign.

Quick check: Q: On a standard two-way road, which side are you permitted to park on? What's the exception? A: The left-hand side by default; the exception is a one-way street, where parking on the right is permitted.

The Official Kerb-Parking Procedure

1. Check your rear-view mirror to know what's around you. If there's nothing behind you, you may slow down for a clearer picture of your surroundings.
2. Locate a safe and convenient parking position.
3. Use your indicator to signal your intention to slow down and park.
4. Slow the vehicle by covering the brake and the clutch.
5. Gradually move to a suitable distance from the kerb.
6. Apply the brake gently — around 5 metres from your intended stopping point, press the clutch to avoid stalling.
7. Come to a full stop. Apply the handbrake and select neutral, cancelling the indicator.
8. Remove your feet from the pedals.