Steps on How to Drive a Standard Car

Many people who are new to driving aren't aware of the steps on how to drive a standard car. It can seem like a pretty daunting task at first. Coordinating your hands and feet while still steering the car in the right direction can be a bit overwhelming for the novice. But by breaking up the process into individual tasks, the steps on how to drive a standard car are actually quite straightforward and simple. With a little patience and practice, you will be cruising around town in no time flat. This article will walk you through everything you need to do to get up and running with your manual transmission car.

Thoroughly read through all of these steps before you attempt to try them. It might also help to print out a copy of this article to take it in the car with you. You obviously won't want to read it while trying to drive, but before you start the car you could read over the steps and make sure you have a feel for what you need to do before you start.

1. Find an Open Space – The first thing you want to do when learning to drive a standard car is to find a place without distractions. You need to get comfortable with the physical act of shifting before you try out your skills in real traffic scenarios. This is very important, as you could cause an accident if you try to drive on the streets before you are ready. Find a parking lot or very remote road for this task. Make sure the road or parking lot is flat.

1. Take a Friend With You – Ideally, this person will be someone who knows how to drive a standard car so they can give you tips as you learn. You will also need someone to drive your car to the remote location where you will practice.

1. Get Familiar With the Clutch and Shifter – Before you start the car for the first time, get used to the clutch and shifter. With the car off and the emergency break on, press the clutch all the way to the floor. The clutch is the pedal on the left, and the break is on the right. If you can't easily press the clutch to the floor, adjust your seat so you can. With the clutch in, practice shifting through the gears. First gear is the top left position, second is directly below it, third is up and to the right from second gear, and fourth is directly below third. If your car has a fifth gear, it will be up and to the right from fourth gear, and most cars have reverse directly below fifth gear. Shift through the gears a bit so you have a good feel for how the gearbox is laid out.

1. Starting Off in First – The trickiest part of driving a standard car is starting off in first gear. The main thing you need to convince yourself of when learning to do this is that you can't hurt the car. You might grind the gears a bit until you get it right, but your car will be OK. Getting over that anxiety helps people to relax and focus on the task at hand. Release the emergency brake, put the car in first gear, and with the clutch all the way in, start the car. Remember to keep the clutch all the way in! When you are ready to start moving, give the car a little bit of gas while you slowly let the clutch out. You will feel it when the clutch starts to release and the car starts to move. This is truly a feel thing that you just have to get used to. It can only be learned with practice, and all standard cars feel a little different.

1. Accept That This Part Will Take Awhile – Unless you are extraordinarily gifted, you will probably stall the car several times before you get this right. If you don't give the car enough gas, it will stall out and jerk itself to a stop. If you give it too much gas and let the clutch out too fast you will peel out. You obviously want somewhere in between these two extremes, and the only way to figure that out is to keep trying. Remember, your car will survive.

1. Try For Second – Once you get moving in first, you'll need to shift into second. This is a feel thing as well, but it is much easier than starting off in first. When the car's RPM's get up around three or four thousand (or when it just feels like it's time to shift) let your foot off the gas, push the clutch to the floor, and shift into second. Slowly release the clutch as you gently press down on the gas again. You will get used to this the more you practice.

1. Keep Moving Through the Gearbox – Once you get it into second, it's on to third and fourth and finally fifth. These higher gears get easier and easier to shift into, and the process is the exact same for all of them.

1. Slowing Down – When you need to slow down, press the clutch to the floor and apply the break. If you slow all the way to a stop, you will need to move the shifter back to first gear so you can start again. If you slowed down but didn't stop, you'll need to move the car to another gear (probably second or third depending on how fast you're going) so you can keep moving. Again, all this will become second nature with practice.

Now you know the basic steps on how to drive a standard car. The next thing to do is to start practicing. Everyone struggles with this for a while, but once you get the feel for it, it is actually quite simple..

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