MSPSL Routine

One of the second or third routines you may have learned is the MSPSL routine. This routine is used nearly all the time, and is the basis on everything we do when driving. Follow this guide to help you remember.

Just like the POM routine, you may remember that a routine is a way of keeping things in order, like following a recipe when baking a cake, you don't put the flour and eggs in the oven before mixing them together!!

This routine is used when we turn left or right and can be utilised for all junctions. The routine is MSPSL or:

  • Mirror
  • Signal
  • Position
  • Speed
  • Look

The first thing we do is check the Mirror or more correctly Mirrors. This involves:

1. Checking both the centre mirror and door mirror in the direction we are going.

For example, if we are turning left, we will check the left mirror.

We first check the centre mirror to see how close the vehicle is behind us.

We then check the door mirror to see if anything is trying to overtake us.

We then move onto the next part of the routine, which is Signal.

1. Fairly self-explanatary we apply the signal in the direction we are going.

The next part of the routine is Positon.

After following the above steps, and we have made sure it is safe, we need to move the car into the correct position.

To turn left, keep steering straight ahead. Don't get to close to the kerb and don't move to the right

To turn right, move to wards the centre line, but keep just left of the line

The next part of the routine is Speed

About two car lengths away from the junction, we need the car to be at walking speed and we can then select second gear

Too quick on approach and we won't have time to follow the next part of the routine.

Too slow on approach and we will be in danger of holding the cars behind us up!

The next part of the routine is Look

Finally we need to look into the junction we are about to turn into, and make sure it is safe.

We are looking for pedestrians of cyclists, that might we crossing the road in front of us.

For further information and help with the reversing manoeuvres follow this link.

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