The System of Car Control, to quote the definition, is a system or drill, each feature of which is considered in sequence by the driver on the approach to a hazard.  If you feel like switching off at this point, don’t because if you can get this sorted out in your head then you will be well on the way to reaching a stage of realisation that will completely capture your imagination, and will certainly help you get the most from driving your car on the road.

What The System does is to give us a simple and repetitive method of carrying out all those necessary operations within the cockpit of the car that are required to drive the car on the road, whilst cutting out the unnecessary procedures.  It is about being economical with the amount of physical effort applied to the actual task of operating the driving controls, focussing only on what is really necessary.

Take a hazard, for example.  We talk a lot about hazards here, but what do we mean?  A hazard, to put it in simple terms, and without quoting another definition, is anything that contains an element of actual or potential danger, and requires some form of action or extra consideration to be made by the driver that will be anything other than travelling at a constant speed and in a straight line.

The parked car at the side of the road, the mud on the road, a bend, the presence or actions of another road user, a junction, a pedestrian crossing, the list is almost endless, but by using The System we can deal with every single one of them in exactly the same way, each and every time, all the time.

The System of Car Control consists of 5 features, these being,

• Information - Identify the hazard ahead and check all mirrors to establish your situation
• Position - Where there is benefit, change road position to improve visibility, or to protect your personal space
• Speed - Make necessary changes in speed by use of brakes or deceleration
• Gear - Having now completed all of the above, directly select the gear that will provide the best response
• Acceleration - Apply power to drive the car out of the hazard and into safety

As the definition says, each feature is considered by the driver, which doesn’t say that they all will be completed, but as long as we have thought about them all, and in their usual sequence, we should never have a problem.  However, it’s all very well talking about what it is, but it is far more interesting to describe the practical application in relation to a familiar road-going scenario, like negotiating a bend for example.

Driving from a straight section of road into a substantial bend will commonly require certain actions to be taken.  There will be a reduction in speed, which itself can be achieved either through braking or deceleration on a closed throttle, the selection of a lower gear and the steering input that is going to bring about the required change in direction.  There is nothing strange in that, but it’s when you do these things that is important, and in what order.  By use of The System you may well find the sequence of activities will be different to what you are used to.  If we apply The System to the bend scenario, we need to get as many of those cockpit tasks completed as we can before we get into the bend itself, so that when we do get into the bend we are well prepared by having the car set up to deal with the direction change, and to do so under full control.

When you have set the appropriate speed, and selected the appropriate gear, take up the appropriate hand position on the wheel ready for the turn.  Just before you enter the bend apply a neutral throttle setting, then the steering and drive the car through the bend at a constant speed, which keeps it nicely balanced. (A neutral throttle setting is where the engine is powering the car along, but not causing an increase in speed).

What you have done here is to set your speed, your gear, your hand position on the wheel and your throttle setting before you have started to steer, so that all that is left to do when you reach the start of the curve is to drive through it under complete control, with the car completely balanced and responding sweetly.  Once the bend starts to open out you can gently squeeze in more power, applying full power when the car has fully straightened up.

The same procedure is applied for the next scenario, which is negotiating a roundabout controlled junction. Knowing that you are approaching the roundabout, and identified where it is, as soon as possible you need to look for clues as to whether you are going to have to stop and give way, or if you can flow through the junction as one continuous action.  Apply the system here in exactly the same way by first checking the rear view mirrors, consider the giving of a direction signal, adjusting your road position according to your intended direction of exit from the roundabout and begin to reduce speed, either by deceleration, braking or both, but without making any gear changes – yet.

Many drivers feel is necessary to move through every gear sequentially up and down the gearbox to reach the one that they end up actually using to drive the car with.  If you are approaching a roundabout in fourth gear, and end up driving onto it in first, perhaps because you have had to stop and give way to other traffic, if you changed through your gears sequentially and in numerical order, what did you use third and second gears for?  This method of driving dates back to the early 1930’s, a time when the driving test was first introduced and car brakes actually didn’t work too well, so it was beneficial to assist the brakes with the deceleration of the engine coupled to a low gear ratio.  However, technology has moved on since those days and it is no longer necessary to do this, as brakes are now very efficient.  Also, it might pay to look at it this way.  Which component parts, out of the following that are fitted to your car, are the cheapest to replace, brake pads or clutches and gearboxes?  Let’s wear the brakes out first shall we?

We will encourage you to only take a gear at the point of commitment to a given situation, so in the case of our roundabout we are saying that you select your gear, as in the diagram, when you know that you can commit to that roundabout.  If you are going to have to stop then stop in your original approach gear, and then pick up a first gear to move off.  Similarly, for the bend, when you know you have slowed to the speed at which you are going to enter and drive through the bend, that is the time to go directly to the gear that you will use to drive through the bend.

If you think about it logically all that has been described here does make sense, and once you get used to it you will see that it is simplicity itself.  It is a very efficient way to drive, because everything that you are doing, every function you perform, is a necessary function, taking a lot of the work out of the act of actually driving the car.  It maintains the level of stability and control to the maximum, because you are doing all your braking, gear changing etc. before you get to deal with the hazard itself, and when you do deal with the hazard you are doing so with both you and the car set up to the maximum level of efficiency, as well as being fully prepared.