1. Ensure that all the Doors are securely shut!

The last thing you want is to turn a corner and one of the doors fly open.

Not only could you lose one of your passengers, the door swinging open could hit a pedestrian, cyclist or another vehicle.

If its not fully closed but on the latch mechanism it could just rattle all the time and would become very annoying at the least.

2. You need to ensure that you slide the base of your seat forward or backwards so that when your left foot is fully pressing the clutch to the floor, you can reach the pedal without stretching and there is no more travel available in the pedal and that there is a slight bend at your knee.

3. Once the base of the seat is set you can set the upright part of the seat so that if you extend your arms straight, towards the top of the steering wheel, your wrists should sit on on the very top of it whilst your shoulders are firmly placed in the seat back.

If your wrists cannot reach the steering wheel without leaning forward,the the upright part of your seat needs adjusting otherwise you will be driving with your arms at full stretch and your arms and your elbows will ache after a short time of driving (too far way).

Your wrists also should not overhang the top of the steering wheel otherwise you will find that you are too close to the steering wheel and when you then hold the steering wheel in the correct holding position (9 O'clock and 3 O'clock or 10 O'clock and 2 O'clock) you will probably find that you don't have a very good free movement of your arms, and your elbows will possibly be digging into your stomach.

If you have Rake and Reach steering facility on your steering column then use this to be able to get the most comfortable position you can. You are trying to achieve a nice relaxed position for driving that won't make you too tired whilst driving, and that your back is against the back of the seat without leaning forward to drive.

4. Once the base and upright of the seat are correctly set, now is the time to adjust your head rest.

The Head rest should be raised or lowered so that your eyeline is roughly in the centre of the head rest.

Some instructors will say that by putting your hand on your head and it being level with the top of the head rest is adequate.

Ideally you are trying to achieve the Head rest being as close to the back of your head as you can.

The Head rest is there to reduce the risk of Whiplash in the event of an accident.

It's not there just to make the car look pretty or for you to fall asleep on.

5. It is a legal requirement that EVERYONE wears a seatbelt!

The only exception to this rule is by someone who carries a medical exemption certificate.

It is also your legal responsibility to ensure that anyone Under the age of 14 is wearing one and depending on the age and size of the child, that they are in the correct child restraint seat. please refer to the Governments website for current legislation.

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law

The Seatbelt should not be twisted (in the event of an accident, there is a greater chance of more serious injury where a seatbelt is twisted than one that lays flat across your body), ensure any excess belt is pulled back into the mechanism so there is less chance of movement in the event of an accident.
Always ensure that the seatbelt has engaged into it holder by pulling on it once inserted.

Also ensure there are no splits or fraying in it as it may fail when needed the most

(also this is deemed as an MOT failure.)

6. Finally, set up both exterior door mirrors using the vehicle controls if fitted and the internal rear view mirror.

Achieve this by sitting in your normal driving position so that the least amount of head movement is required to look at any of the mirrors.

The interior rear view mirror should be adjust so that you can see as much as you possibly can out of the rear window.

The side mirrors should be set so that you can only just see the side of you vehicle and that split horizontally into thirds, the top third sees the sky and the horizon and the lower two thirds are on the road. This will give you the maximum amount of visibility that you will probably get from them.

Remember! The external mirrors are convex in shape and therefore things may appear further away than they actually are.

You are now ready to start the car!