California DMV Vehicle Controls and Preparation

Approach the vehicle while looking for problems that could affect the trip: a child, animal, bicycle, low object, fluid leak, damaged tire, open door, broken glass, or obstacle near the wheels. Check the direction the front wheels are pointing. In a shared or unfamiliar vehicle, confirm that the license plate and vehicle match what you intend to use. A walk-around is especially important before backing because objects below the windows may disappear completely from view after you enter.

Secure loose objects. A bottle can roll under a pedal, and a phone on the seat can tempt the driver to reach. Place cargo where it will not shift, block mirrors, or strike an occupant. Make sure doors, hood, trunk, or liftgate are fully closed. All occupants should have a proper seating position and restraint. Children require the correct child-restraint system; that subject is covered in the vehicle-safety lesson. Pets should not move around the driver’s controls.

Before starting, identify whether the vehicle uses a key, start button, conventional gear selector, electronic selector, or parking-brake switch. Confirm the transmission is in Park or the proper starting position and press the required pedal. Start only after warning-light self-checks appear normally. If a critical warning remains on, consult the owner’s manual rather than assuming it is harmless. Preparation prevents the driver from discovering basic controls while already moving.

Adjust the seat before the mirrors. Sit upright with hips against the seatback and enough distance to operate pedals through their full travel without stretching or locking the knee. You should be able to hold the steering wheel with slightly bent arms while keeping the shoulders supported. A position that is too far away weakens emergency control; one that is too close can interfere with steering and increase air-bag injury risk. Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s spacing guidance.

Set seat height so the road and instruments are visible without placing the head near the roof. Adjust the steering wheel, if equipped, so it does not block important gauges and is directed appropriately toward the driver rather than the face. Lock every adjustment. Set the head restraint so it supports the back of the head at an effective height, not the neck. Never recline excessively while driving; the belt and air bag are designed around a proper seating posture.

Fasten the lap-and-shoulder belt flat and snug, with the lap portion low across the hips and the shoulder portion across the chest. Do not route it behind the back or under an arm. Confirm passengers are secured. Put on any corrective lenses required by the license. From this position, verify that you can press the brake firmly, reach signals and wipers, shift correctly, and turn your head for traffic checks without losing control.

Set the inside mirror to frame the rear window as fully as practical. Adjust outside mirrors to cover the areas beside and behind the vehicle with minimal unnecessary overlap. Mirror setup varies with vehicle design, and convex mirrors make objects appear farther away. Learn the view while parked. Clean mirrors, windows, lights, and camera lenses; dirt and moisture can distort distance or hide a small road user.

A mirror is a sampling tool, not a complete view. Pillars, head restraints, passengers, cargo, vehicle shape, and mirror geometry create blind areas. Before changing lanes, combine an early signal, mirror checks, and a brief shoulder check into the relevant blind spot. Return your eyes forward quickly. Do not stare backward while traveling forward. If physical movement is limited, obtain appropriate evaluation and authorized equipment rather than simply omitting the check.

Rear cameras and blind-spot warnings are aids. A camera may have a wide-angle distortion, dirty lens, delay, poor night image, or an area outside its field. A warning lamp may fail to identify a fast bicycle, motorcycle, pedestrian, or object. Never treat the absence of an alert as proof that space is clear. Direct observation and a slow, controlled movement remain the driver’s responsibility.

Locate the accelerator and service brake by feel while stationary, but look to confirm unfamiliar controls before starting. Use the right foot for both pedals in a conventional automatic passenger vehicle unless specialized training or equipment requires otherwise. Resting a foot on the brake can illuminate brake lamps and overheat brakes. Resting pressure on the accelerator can produce unintended movement. Keep the heel positioned to pivot accurately and wear footwear that permits reliable pedal control.

Identify Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive and confirm the selected range on the instrument display. Electronic selectors may return to a center position, and some vehicles apply Park automatically, but never assume. Hold the brake while selecting a direction and verify the path before releasing it. Use the parking brake whenever parking as instructed by the manufacturer; do not rely solely on the transmission’s parking mechanism.

Find turn signals, hazard flashers, headlights, high beams, windshield wipers and washers, defoggers, horn, climate controls, and window controls. Practice while parked so their operation does not become a visual search in traffic. Know what major red and amber warnings mean. Fuel or charge level, tire-pressure warning, brake warning, temperature, and visibility equipment can change whether a trip should begin. The owner’s manual is part of learning the vehicle, not an emergency-only document.

California DMV describes hand-to-hand steering, also called push-pull, beginning with the hands around 9 and 3 o’clock or 8 and 4 o’clock. One hand pushes the wheel while the other slides and pulls, limiting unnecessary crossing over the center. This supports precise ordinary turns and keeps the arms in a more controlled position around the air bag. Keep both hands on the wheel whenever possible and use a relaxed grip; stiffness encourages abrupt corrections.

Hand-over-hand steering is useful for low-speed turns, parking, or recovering from a skid when greater wheel movement is required. Reach across, pull, release with the other hand, and repeat without grabbing inside the rim. Do not allow the wheel to spin freely through the fingers after a turn. Guide it back while maintaining control and looking toward the path you want the vehicle to follow.

DMV identifies limited situations that may require one-hand steering: turning while backing to see behind, with the hand at about 12 o’clock, or briefly operating a necessary control. One-hand steering is not permission to hold a phone, eat, or rest an arm while attention drifts. Steering input should be early and smooth. Looking far enough ahead reduces weaving because the driver responds to the intended path instead of chasing the lane line directly in front of the hood.

Smooth acceleration gives other road users time to understand your movement and preserves traction. With the brake held, select the correct direction, scan, release the brake gradually, and apply gentle accelerator pressure as needed. In many automatic vehicles, idle power can move the car without accelerator input. Never press the accelerator simply because the vehicle did not move immediately; confirm the gear and check for an obstacle.

Brake progressively. Look ahead, release the accelerator early, apply steady pressure, and increase it as required. Ease pressure slightly near a normal stop to reduce the final jolt while still holding the vehicle securely. Leave space so the tires and lower rear portion of the vehicle ahead remain visible when practical. On a hill, use the brake or approved hold system; do not balance the vehicle by pressing the accelerator against rollback.

Abrupt acceleration, braking, or steering transfers weight and can reduce traction. Perform most slowing before a curve, then maintain an appropriate controlled speed through it. Anti-lock brakes help preserve steering during hard braking, but they do not cancel speed, surface, or distance. If emergency braking is required in an ABS-equipped vehicle, press firmly and maintain pressure while steering toward a safe path; do not pump the pedal merely because pulsation is felt. Consult the manual for the actual system.

Avoid unnecessary backing by choosing a space and position that allow a forward departure. When backing is required, inspect the area before entering, then check again immediately before movement. Look for children, pedestrians, shopping carts, posts, curbs, low walls, vehicles approaching from the sides, and changes since the walk-around. Sound the horn only when it will provide a useful warning; it does not create right-of-way.

Turn your body and head to look through the rear window when the vehicle design and your physical ability allow. California DMV describes placing one hand near 12 o’clock while turning to observe behind. Scan mirrors and the rear camera as supplements, then repeatedly recheck the direction of travel and both front corners because the front of the vehicle swings opposite the rear. Back at walking speed or slower, covering the brake so you can stop immediately.

If the view is blocked, stop. A spotter can help, but agree on signals and keep the person visible; stop immediately if visual contact is lost. Lowering a window may improve communication. Never back farther than necessary and never depend on a beep alone. When leaving a driveway, stop before crossing a sidewalk and yield to pedestrians and other traffic. A driveway camera cannot show every sidewalk approach.

A consistent routine reduces omission. Before moving: surround check, seat, mirrors, restraint, required eyewear, doors, controls, gear, parking brake, signal, and final all-around check. The exact order can adapt to the vehicle, but the safety functions must remain. Set navigation and climate controls before departure. Silence and store the phone. If something requires extended attention, remain parked or stop legally.

Communicate before changing speed or direction. Signal early enough to be useful, but not so early that others think you intend an earlier turn. Cancel the signal if it does not self-cancel. Use headlights when required and whenever visibility calls for them; daytime running lights may not illuminate the rear. Use the horn to warn of danger, not express anger. Keep windows and defoggers adjusted so visibility does not deteriorate during the trip.

Imagine borrowing a vehicle with an electronic selector and unfamiliar driver-assistance system. The safe driver does not learn by trial at the first intersection. They remain parked, adjust the position, read the essential manual sections, locate the controls, understand alerts, and make a slow test in an appropriate area. Mastery means the driver can devote attention to the road because control operation has become accurate and deliberate—not because technology is making decisions for them.