On your driving test, your examiner will ask you, at least once, to “pull up on the left in a safe, convenient and legal place to park your car.”
The abbreviation for this is SCALP.
When the examiner asks you to do this, you will need to find a safe place to pull up on the left and stop your car.
Obviously, the best place to stop your car is on a nice straight road with no junctions nearby or parked cars opposite you. However, it is unlikely that the examiner is going to ask you to do SCALP on a really quiet road. That would be far too easy!
On your driving test day
The examiner isn’t trying to trick you, but they do want to assess your ability to decide what is a safe place to stop and what isn’t a safe place. Therefore, you might experience the examiner asking you to “pull up on the left in a safe, convenient and legal place” in areas where there are parked cars and a few junctions but also with opportunities to perform the manoeuvre and stop safely.
Things to avoid
- Avoid parking on bends
- Avoid double parking
- Avoid double yellow and red lines
- Avoid parking too close to or opposite junctions
Top Test Tip
The examiner won’t ask you to perform the SCALP manoeuvre in a location where there are no opportunities. Also, remember that the examiner is not asking you to immediately pull up on the left. Take your time and only pull up where you are confident it is safe, legal and convenient.
