SPEED  HTBABD: p.48-51 & ‘Braking’ p52

Obviously, varying your speed can be achieved with either the accelerator or brake pedal but whichever is used it should be progressive in order to produce the most stable and comfortable ride.  Therefore both these pedals have to be used in exactly the same way.  FEELING in - FIRMING on - FEATHERING off.  Whichever, your speed at this final stage should be the speed that you intend to enter that particular turn without any further adjustment!

GEAR                    HTBABD: p.44-47

If you have chosen to brush off the speed with brakes - once the appropriate speed has been achieved your foot should come off the brake pedal and go straight onto the accelerator, so that you can raise the engine speed whilst at the same time selecting the most appropriate gear for that speed.  We describe this by the term 'sustained gear changing' i.e. sustaining the engine revs.

STEERING          HTBABD: p.38-43

Steering should come into play ONLY AFTER the previous 2 phases have been completed.  If it is done correctly you should find that both speed and gear have been ‘sorted out’ and that your hands back on the steering wheel about 5 metres before the intended turn.

However:

·           If you find yourself still braking whilst you are also changing gear  (known as 'overlapping') then you have left your speed stage too late in the approach to the hazard and need to try again!

·           If you find yourself still changing gear after you reach the steering stage then you have also left your speed stage too late in the approach.  Get the correct speed earlier in the approach to the hazard.

·           If, having got these all sorted out, you then find that you have to brake again before or during the steering stage then you also left your speed stage too late in the hazard and you must strive again to separate them.

Adjusting to the correct speed is the key in this triplet stage of the System.  If you get the correct speed just at the right moment then there will be plenty of time left for everything else to follow in a smooth, systematic and methodical way.

Mixing any combination of adjusting speed, changing gear, or steering is known as overlapping and the Examiner’s maxim is “Overlapping has no place in advanced driving”.

So; get the speed for the hazard - then get the gear for the speed - then steer”.    GKB 2013