11.1 Pre-Drive Procedures & the Cockpit Drill
Key Takeaways
- The Traffic Safety Education Instructor Standards list pre-drive procedures as the first topic in the 40-hour behind-the-wheel teaching methods block and as the first element of supervised practice.
- RCW 46.82.360(3) prohibits behind-the-wheel instruction unless the student holds a current and valid instruction permit or driver licence, and prohibits any instruction below age 15.
- RCW 46.20.055(3)(a) requires the permit holder to have immediate possession of the permit, so a digital image or database lookup does not satisfy the pre-drive check.
- RCW 46.82.320(3) requires the instructor's wallet-size identification card to be in the instructor's immediate possession at all times while engaged in instructing.
11.1 Pre-Drive Procedures & the Cockpit Drill
[!NOTE] Pre-drive is trained content. The Washington Traffic Safety Education Instructor Standards list "pre-drive procedures" as the first item in the 40-hour behind-the-wheel teaching methods block, and "pre-drive" as the first element of the 20-hour supervised practice block. Standard 2.4.1 expects the instructor to "identify how to prepare for a behind-the-wheel lesson."
The instructor's pre-drive checklist
Run it in the same order every time. Consistency is what makes it survive a bad day.
Legal checks
| Check | Rule |
|---|---|
| Student holds a current, valid instruction permit or driver licence, in physical possession | RCW 46.82.360(3); RCW 46.20.055(3)(a) |
| Student is at least 15 | RCW 46.82.360(3); WAC 308-108-020(15) |
| Restriction codes on the credential are read, and any corrective lens restriction is complied with | Face of the document |
| Permit number recorded in the student file | RCW 46.82.360(8)(a) |
| The instructor's wallet-size identification card is on the instructor's person | RCW 46.82.320(3) |
Vehicle checks
| Check | Rule |
|---|---|
| Student driver sign displayed and legible | RCW 46.82.360(2)(c)(v) |
| Dual brake full travel, firm, brake lamps illuminate; dual clutch on a manual | RCW 46.82.360(2)(a) |
| Instructor's rear view mirror adjusted to your seated eye position | RCW 46.82.360(2)(b) |
| Twenty-piece first aid kit, secured and fully charged extinguisher, and strobe, triangle or two 18-inch cones | WAC 308-108-110(1)(a) |
| Tyres, lights, glass, wipers, fluids | Instructor Standard 2.2.2 |
Occupant and environment checks
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Devices silenced and stowed - student's and instructor's | RCW 46.20.055(3)(b); WAC 308-108-165(1) |
| Observer briefed on their role for this drive | Instructor Standard 2.4.4 |
| Weather, light and traffic assessed against the lesson objective | Standard 2.3.1 |
| Route selected and matched to the student's demonstrated level | Standard 3.4.1 |
If any legal check fails, the drive does not happen. There is no parental waiver, supervisor override or database lookup that cures a missing permit.
The cockpit drill
The cockpit drill is the student's own routine, performed by the student every time, in a fixed order. Teach it as a sequence with a reason attached to each step; students discard rituals they cannot justify.
Outside the vehicle
- Approach with awareness - walk around the vehicle, checking tyres, fluid on the ground, and anything behind or under it. Children and pets are behind vehicles more often than anywhere else.
- Enter from the traffic side safely - check for approaching traffic and cyclists before opening the door. Use the far hand to open the door so the body rotates toward oncoming traffic.
Inside, in order
| Step | Detail | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Doors | All closed and latched | A partly latched door can open under cornering load |
| 2. Seat | Fore and aft so the right foot can fully depress the brake with a slight knee bend; height so the eyes are well above the wheel; backrest upright enough that the wrist rests on top of the wheel with the shoulders on the seat | Reach determines braking force available; seeing over the bonnet determines forward reference |
| 3. Head restraint | Top of the restraint level with the top of the head, as close to the head as comfortable | This is a safety device, not a headrest |
| 4. Steering wheel | Tilt and reach so the top of the wheel is not obscuring the instrument display; hands at 9 and 3 | 9 and 3 gives maximum leverage and keeps hands clear of airbag deployment |
| 5. Belt | Lap belt low across the hips, shoulder belt across the collarbone, no slack, no twists | Belt geometry determines whether it works |
| 6. Mirrors | Interior first, then left, then right | Set after the seat, never before |
| 7. Instruments | Warning lamps illuminate at key-on and extinguish after start; fuel; temperature | Detect a fault before moving |
| 8. Brake test | Firm pedal before releasing the parking brake | Confirms the system before the vehicle can move |
The seat step is the one novices rush, and it is the one that determines everything after it. A student seated too far back cannot apply full brake force; a student seated too low cannot see the road surface close to the vehicle and loses every forward reference point.
Setting mirrors
The interior mirror frames the entire rear window with minimal head movement.
For the side mirrors, two methods are worth teaching:
- Conventional setting - a sliver of the vehicle's own flank is visible at the inside edge. It gives a reassuring reference but produces a large blind spot, because the mirror duplicates what the interior mirror already shows.
- Blind-spot-minimising setting - lean the head against the driver's window and set the left mirror so the flank just disappears; lean to the vehicle centreline and set the right mirror the same way. This nearly eliminates the blind zone, so a vehicle leaving the interior mirror appears in the side mirror before entering peripheral vision.
Teach the blind-spot-minimising method as the preferred setting and keep the shoulder check regardless. RCW 46.61.140(1) requires the driver to have "ascertained that such movement can be made with safety" before leaving a lane, and no mirror setting satisfies that on its own.
The lesson brief
A drive without a stated objective is a chauffeured tour. Before moving, state three things aloud:
- The objective - "today we are working on intersection scanning and gap judgement at unprotected lefts."
- The success criterion - "by the end I want you to make three unprotected left turns with a full scan and no prompting."
- The intervention protocol - "if I say brake, brake immediately and ask afterwards. If I take the wheel, let go and let me have it."
The third item is a safety agreement and must be rehearsed verbally before the first drive of every student. A student who has never been told what to do when the instructor intervenes will resist the intervention, which is precisely the wrong response at the wrong moment.
Also brief the observer. Under the Instructor Standards' "back seat involvement" expectation and standard 2.4.4, an observer has a job: a specific focus for each segment, a count or judgement to report at the next stop, and a contribution to the debrief.
[!WARNING] Exam traps in this section
- No permit in hand, no drive - and no instruction at all below age 15.
- The instructor's own wallet card must be on the instructor while instructing.
- Seat before mirrors, always.
- Head restraint top level with the top of the head.
- The intervention protocol is briefed before the first drive, not explained during one.
In what order should a student perform the seat and mirror steps of the cockpit drill, and why?
Which item must be in the instructor's own immediate possession at all times while engaged in instructing?
When should the intervention protocol be explained to a student?