Clutch control is without doubt the hardest thing you need to master when learning to drive.
Clutch control is a method of making your car creep at very slow speed. The aim is to move so slowly that the speedo won’t even be reading 1mph but your car is still moving forwards. This makes it possible for you to see better at junctions, drive around parked cars, creep in heavy traffic and much more.
Everything to do with driving comes back to clutch control. If you get this wrong then everything will go wrong.
It’s best explained by watching the videos below.
Clutch control practice
The video below shows Lucy trying clutch control on a driving lesson in Birmingham. It’s not an easy skill to master but it’s quite simple to understand the basics of what you should be doing.
You’ll have already learnt moving off before doing this topic and should have an understanding of what a clutch is and what is happening inside the engine.
Try picturing the image you’ll have seen on the moving off lesson and think about the two plates in the engine coming together.
Imagine two discs which are spinning around inside the engine opposite each other. You’re trying to bring those discs together so that they just allow enough energy to pass through to allow the car to creep forwards.
It’s a lot like how you only open a tap a little but to let some water through. You don’t want to turn a tap on fully just to fill a small cup with water.
Gas then clutch or clutch then gas?
Without doubt this is the most commonly misunderstood and mistaught element of clutch control.
There are many people online who claim to be experts but simply don’t know what they’re talking about. They mean well but they’re not qualified driving instructors; they’re just people who think they’re experts because they’ve been driving for a few weeks or years.
Having said that, It’s incredible how many driving instructors get it wrong! This is down to sloppy, lazy driving and bad habits which the instructor passed on to the pupil.
I deal with facts, not opinions. If you want to see the definite and indisputable answer to this question then visit my page on gas then clutch or clutch then gas? for some videos and facts that nobody can argue with.
More clutch control videos
You can see more of my videos about clutch control in the playlist below. Click the top right menu button in the video box to select the video.
Click here to go to my YouTube channel and see even more driving lesson videos.