Moving off
How to move off safely
Moving Off Safely From the Side of the Road – The POM/POSM Routine
Moving off from the side of the road is one of the first things you'll learn during your driving lessons, and although it might appear simple, there's much more to it than putting the car into gear and driving away. You need to prepare the car, make effective observations, decide whether it's safe and then move away under control.
A simple routine we use to teach this is POM, or POSM:
P – Preparation
O – Observation
S – Signal
M – Move
The important thing isn't simply remembering four letters. You need to understand why you're doing each part and why you're doing it in that order. Ultimately, the whole routine is about safety.
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Preparation – Get the Car Ready
Preparation – Get the Car Ready
The first stage is to prepare the car to move.
In a manual car, this normally means selecting first gear and preparing the clutch by finding the bite point. This allows you to be ready to move when it is safe rather than trying to find the biting point at the last moment and rushing.
If you're driving an automatic, preparation will be slightly different. With your foot on the brake, select Drive and prepare the car to move.
Taking your time with preparation is particularly important for new drivers. One of the mistakes we regularly see in a manual car is a pupil rushing the process and stalling.
There's generally no need to rush. Prepare the car properly first so that when you decide it's safe, you can move away smoothly and under control.
Observation – Don't Just Look, Assess
Observation – Don't Just Look, Assess
Once the car is prepared, it's time for your observations.
A basic observation routine when moving away from the left-hand side of the road is:
Centre mirror → right mirror → right blind spot
But there's an important distinction here.
You're not checking mirrors and blind spots simply because your driving instructor has told you to. You're looking for something.
Look - Assess - Decide
You need to look for other road users and assess whether it is safe to move. That could include: Cars
Motorcycles
Bicycles
E-bikes
E-scooters
Pedestrians
Modern roads present an additional challenge because not every road user can easily be heard approaching. An electric vehicle, bicycle, e-bike or e-scooter can be relatively quiet, which makes proper visual observation particularly important.
Take your time to look, assess and decide. What's approaching?
How quickly is it approaching? Is there enough space for you to move away without affecting them?
Why Is the Blind-Spot Check So Important?
Why Is the Blind-Spot Check So Important?
The right blind spot is particularly important because another road user could be positioned somewhere that isn't visible in your mirrors.
This is one of the most common mistakes we see with learner drivers. They check their mirrors but forget the final blind-spot check before moving.
Think about a cyclist travelling alongside you. If they're positioned outside the area covered by your mirrors, you could potentially begin moving away without knowing they're there.
That's why the blind-spot check shouldn't become a theatrical head movement performed to satisfy a driving instructor or examiner.
You're checking because there could genuinely be something there.
Signal – Should You Always Signal When Moving Off?
Signal – Should You Always Signal When Moving Off?
When teaching a new driver, we generally encourage them to signal every time they move away.
This helps establish a consistent routine:
Prepare → Observe → Signal → Move
As drivers become more experienced, they'll develop a greater understanding of when a signal is actually necessary. If there's nobody around who would benefit from your signal, it may not be necessary.
However, that's a more advanced level of judgement.
For somebody learning to drive, establishing a reliable routine is important, so signalling each time can help develop that habit.
There will also be occasions when the road is extremely busy. You might wait until a suitable gap is developing before signalling, or you may signal your intention and another road user may choose to give you sufficient space.
The signal, however, doesn't give you priority.
You still need to make sure it's safe before moving.
Move – Smoothly and Under Control
Move – Smoothly and Under Control
Once you've prepared the car, made your observations and signalled, you can move away when it's safe.
Try not to rush.
In a manual car, rushing the clutch can lead to a stall. Instead, use the preparation you've already completed and move away smoothly.
As you leave the side of the road, maintain proper control of the steering and gradually establish your normal driving position.
Remember that finding a gap isn't enough. You need to judge the gap correctly. One of the occasional problems we see is a learner making all the correct observations but misjudging the speed or distance of an approaching vehicle.
There's a big difference between looking and actually understanding what you've seen.
The Most Common Moving-Off Mistakes
The Most Common Moving-Off Mistakes
The most common problem we see is straightforward: forgetting the blind spot. Other mistakes include:
Rushing the preparation
Stalling a manual car
Looking without properly assessing what's approaching
Misjudging the size of a gap
Moving away when another road user is too close
This is why POM/POSM shouldn't simply be memorised as a sequence of letters. Each stage has a purpose.
If you're struggling with moving off, slow the whole process down.
Prepare the car. Look properly. Assess what you see. Signal. Then move when it's safe.
POM/POSM Is Ultimately About Safety
Learning routines is useful when you're learning to drive because they give you a structured way of dealing with situations. But the letters themselves aren't what keep you safe.
Understanding the reasoning behind them does.
Preparation means the car is ready.
Observation tells you what's happening around you.
Signal communicates your intentions.
Move happens only once you've decided it's safe.
So next time you're practicing moving away from the side of the road, don't simply think: P – O – S – M.
Think: Prepare → Look → Assess → Communicate → Move safely.
Once you understand that, moving off stops being a routine you're trying to remember and starts becoming part of safe, independent driving.
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