Driving Skills
Master the practical driving skills you need — from parking and merging to night driving and slippery roads.
Driving skills cover the practical techniques you need to drive safely and confidently — from the correct basic posture and properly executing a parking manoeuvre to controlling your car on slippery roads and in the dark.
Merging onto the motorway correctly requires preparation: use the full slip road to match your speed, signal early and merge when there is a gap — without forcing motorway traffic to brake. Motorway traffic has priority but must facilitate merging where possible.
Parking is a challenge for many drivers. When parallel parking drive past the parking space, steer backwards at a 45° angle and straighten up parallel. Keep a minimum of 30 cm from the kerb. On slippery roads stopping distances can be up to ten times longer than normal — brake early and gradually, keep a large following distance and accelerate gently in a higher gear.
When driving at night your visibility distance is limited to your headlight range. Always adjust your speed so you can stop for everything you can see. Increase your following distance at night and dip your lights for oncoming and following traffic.
What will you learn here?
- ✓Use the full slip road and match your speed before merging onto the motorway
- ✓Parallel parking: drive past, reverse 45°, straighten up — minimum 30 cm from the kerb
- ✓Night driving: adjust speed to headlight range and increase following distance
- ✓Slippery roads: stopping distance up to 10× longer — brake early and gradually
- ✓Rear slide: steer in the direction of the slide and release the accelerator
Topics
Merging on the motorway
5 key rules
Parking
5 key rules
Night driving
5 key rules
Driving on slippery roads
6 key rules
Practice this topic
Test your knowledge with targeted practice questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I merge correctly onto the motorway?
Use the full slip road to match the speed of motorway traffic. Signal early, find a suitable gap and merge without forcing motorway traffic to brake. Never stop at the end of the slip road unless absolutely unavoidable.
How do I parallel park?
Drive past the parking space and stop next to the car in front. Steer backwards at approximately 45° until you can see the rear bumper of the car behind in the side window. Then straighten up to drive parallel and keep a minimum of 30 cm from the kerb.
What do I do when dazzled by oncoming traffic?
Look at the right edge of the road — the road markings or the edge of the carriageway. Never look at the light of the oncoming vehicle. Reduce your speed so you maintain visibility. You may also signal to the oncoming driver with your lights.
How do I drive safely on slippery roads?
Brake early and gradually — never hard and suddenly. Keep a following distance of at least 5-6 seconds. Accelerate gently in a higher gear to prevent wheel spin. If the rear slides steer in the direction of the slide. Be extra alert at temperatures around 0°C — black ice is invisible.