[Music] A common question new drivers ask
who are learning to drive a manual car is when do I need to press the clutch? To keep it simple, I'm not going to get all
technical as there's lots of other videos on this, but you need to fully press the clutch down
whenever you want to stop the car completely and when changing gear. To drive slowly below 5 miles per hour
you'll also need to use clutch control which I'll demonstrate later. Let me show you when to press
the clutch. When stopping, you should press the clutch down about
two car lengths before stopping the car. If you don't, then the car will stall. If you're driving slowly,
roughly below 10 miles per hour, then press the clutch first so that the
car doesn't stall and then brake to stop. Driving faster than roughly 10 miles
per hour, brake to slow down and then press the clutch about two car lengths
before stopping to prevent stalling. Some new drivers think they should
press the clutch every time they brake, but if you're slowing down for a bend
for example then there isn't any need. If you press the clutch unnecessarily or too
early then you'll make the car coast or freewheel. This reduces the amount of control you have
of the car and you could increase speed. If you're driving between
nought to five miles per hour, then you can use the clutch to
control the car at very slow speeds. This is where you can raise the clutch to the
biting point to make the car move forward slowly or slightly lower the clutch about the
thickness of a pound coin to slow down. You can use clutch control anytime you want to
drive very slowly and when you want to drive faster than roughly five miles per hour, smoothly
raise the clutch all the way with a little gas. Have a look at our other video on clutch
control for more information on this. I'm turning left and I won't need to press the
clutch as I'm not stopping or changing gear. To stop on the left I'll brake to slow down, then clutch down about two car lengths before
stopping so that the car doesn't stall. The other time to fully press the clutch
is whenever you want to change gear. Off gas, clutch down, change gear, release the
clutch pedal smoothly and back on the gas. If you're unsure when to change gear, then have
a look at our other video as it might help. I'm turning right and I need to stop for oncoming. Brake and clutch down as I'm
stopping and changing gear. It's hard to see to the right of
this roundabout, so I need to brake and press the clutch as I'm
stopping and need to change gear. Safe to go. Gas, biting point, smoothly
raise the clutch with more gas. This time I'm braking to slow down but I'm
not going to drive below 5 miles per hour or change gear so I shouldn't press the clutch. [Music] For more driving tips have a look at
our learning to drive modules on our website. There's videos on clutch control and how to
change gear. Best of all, it's completely free. Thanks a lot for watching. Please give it a
thumbs up if it did help and subscribing really helps us make more videos like this one. In the
meantime keep safe on the road and bye for now. [Music]
