How to move off in a car

Preparation

With the clutch fully depressed and first gear selected (maybe second gear if you're on a steep hill), apply the accelerator - usually to the thickness of a £1 coin - so the engine starts to rev slightly. If you have a rev counter, it should read just over 1 to 1 and a half on the rev counter for most cars.

Now bring the clutch up slowly to its biting point - the point where you'll feel a slight tug at the front of the car. At this point, you should hold your left foot on the clutch and your right foot on the accelerator still.

Now the car is ready to move off, but you still have your handbrake on, locking the two back wheels.

Observation

You should perform a 360 check, also known as a 6-point check, starting from the left hand side and ending at your right shoulder if moving away from the left hand side of the road. The check should start from the right to the left shoulder check if parked on the right hand side of the road.

Once you have performed the relevant shoulder check, and you're sure it's safe to move off, you should release the handbrake.

Manoeuvre

Once the handbrake has been released, you'll need to gradually increase the accelerator, slowly bringing up the clutch at the same time. It's important that these pedals are co-ordinated together.

Assuming you're parked on the left hand side of the road, as the car begins to move forwards, you'll need to steer slightly right to move away from the kerb. You'll need to move right until the gap between the white lines and your car are equal on both sides. Use your door mirrors to gauge this.

Keep stalling?

This is usually a result of your clutch control. If you're in a petrol car, you'll require more acceleration to the point you can hear the car's engine revving before finding the biting point. If you try to find the biting point before applying the accelerator, you increase your chances of stalling. The accelerator should always be set first.

Often as the car just starts to move, learners release the clutch fully too quickly, resulting in a stall. Just as the car begins to move, ease up the clutch pedal slowly over three seconds, and don't forget to set the accelerator.