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Kentucky driving lesson · Vehicle Control & Space

Starting, steering & backing

A 3-minute lesson from the Kentucky course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Vehicle Control & Space
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
39, 58

Smooth control starts with good habits: foot on the brake before you start, gentle acceleration, steady braking and a correct grip on the wheel. Backing takes extra care because you can see so little behind your vehicle.

Starting and moving off:

  • Right foot on the brake; make sure the gear selector is in park
  • Turn the ignition on; check indicator lights and gauges (fuel, ABS, air bags)
  • Shift to D (drive) while keeping your foot on the brake
  • Check ahead for a safe path and check traffic to the sides and behind; signal
  • If safe, press the accelerator gently—top of your foot on the pedal, heel on the floor
Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

To stop, check your mirrors for traffic behind, move your foot from the accelerator to the brake, and press with steady pressure until you stop.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

Always turn the steering wheel in the direction you want the vehicle to go, whether moving forward or in reverse.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Know the rule

Hold the wheel on the outside at 3 and 9 o'clock. The old 2 and 10 position is no longer recommended—it can be dangerous with air bags. Grip firmly but gently with your fingers, thumbs up along the wheel, and never steer gripping it from the inside.

Handbook p. 39 ↗

Backing up:

  • Check behind the vehicle before you get in—children and small objects can't be seen from the seat
  • Foot on the brake, shift to reverse
  • Left hand at 12 o'clock, right arm over the seat back, look directly through the rear window
  • Mirrors help, but they don't show the area immediately behind you
  • Accelerate gently and go slow; steer slightly toward where the rear should move
  • Keep looking back until you've come to a complete stop
Handbook p. 39 ↗

More backing safety:

  • Avoid backing into traffic whenever possible
  • If you can, have a person outside the car help you back
  • Passed your interstate or freeway exit? Never back up or turn around—go on to the next exit
Handbook p. 58 ↗

Put it into practice

You miss your exit on the interstate. Don't stop on the shoulder and back up, and don't try to turn around. Continue to the next exit and work your way back.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What is now the recommended hand position on the steering wheel?
  1. 3 and 9 o'clock
  2. 2 and 10 o'clock
  3. 8 and 4 o'clock
  4. 12 and 6 o'clock

Answer: 3 and 9 o'clock

The 2 and 10 o'clock position is no longer recommended because it can be dangerous with air bags; 3 and 9 o'clock is now recommended.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
Why is the 2 and 10 o'clock steering position no longer recommended?
  1. It is illegal in Kentucky
  2. It blocks your view of the gauges
  3. It can be dangerous in a vehicle equipped with air bags
  4. It makes the wheel harder to turn

Answer: It can be dangerous in a vehicle equipped with air bags

The 2 and 10 o'clock position can put your arms in the air bag's deployment path, so 3 and 9 is now recommended.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
When backing up, you should grasp the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position with which hand?
  1. Your right hand
  2. Either hand equally
  3. Your left hand
  4. Both hands at 12 o'clock

Answer: Your left hand

Grasp the wheel at the 12 o'clock position with your left hand while looking through the rear window to back up.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
Before backing up, why should you check behind your vehicle before getting in?
  1. Mirrors show the entire area behind the vehicle
  2. Small children and objects are hard to see
  3. It is required only in parking lots
  4. It is only necessary at night

Answer: Small children and objects are hard to see

You must check behind the vehicle before entering it because small children and objects are not visible from the driver's seat.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
The steering wheel should always be turned:
  1. Only when the vehicle is stopped
  2. The way you want the car to go, forward or reverse
  3. Opposite the direction you want to go when backing
  4. Toward the curb when reversing

Answer: The way you want the car to go, forward or reverse

The steering wheel is always turned in the direction you want the vehicle to move, whether forward or in reverse.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
Mirrors show the entire area immediately behind your vehicle when backing up.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Mirrors do not show the area immediately behind the vehicle, so you must also look through the rear window.

Handbook p. 39 ↗
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