Should You Press the Clutch When Decelerating in Driving Test Phase 3?
1 Answers
Decelerating with the clutch depends on the vehicle speed. If the car is in 3rd gear or higher and moving at a relatively high speed, the student driver does not need to press the clutch. Instead, they can use the "pump braking" method—lightly pressing and releasing the brake pedal repeatedly. However, if the speed has significantly decreased to 2nd or 1st gear and the engine starts to struggle, pressing the brake without the clutch may stall the engine. In such cases, both the brake and clutch should be pressed simultaneously. The correct method for decelerating in Phase 3 is as follows: 1. On flat roads with light traffic, when the speed is above 30km/h and only brief braking is needed, gently tap the brake pedal without pressing the clutch. 2. When passing bus stops, school zones, waiting at traffic lights, in traffic jams, or coming to a complete stop, shift to a lower gear and press both the clutch and brake pedals.