The Cockpit Drill: DVSA Skill 3 — DSSSM Explained
The cockpit drill is one of the first things you will learn in a driving lesson and one of the last things many drivers still do properly years after passing. DSSSM — Doors, Seat, Steering, Seatbelt, Mirrors — is a five-point pre-drive routine that takes less than 90 seconds and eliminates a surprising number of accident risk factors before the car has moved a metre. DVSA Skill 3 makes it explicit: you should complete this drill every single time you get into a car.
What Examiners Look For
The examiner will observe your cockpit drill at the very start of the test, before you move the car. They are watching for a systematic, unhurried approach — not a rushed performance for their benefit.
The most important single element for the examiner is mirror adjustment. Mirrors set incorrectly before driving create blind spots that persist for the entire drive. An examiner who sees door mirrors that are pointing at the sky, or an interior mirror angled towards the headlining, knows that your mirror checks throughout the test are providing incomplete information. This creates a compounding safety problem that affects every subsequent junction, lane change, and manoeuvre.
Seatbelt compliance is also directly assessed. If you fail to fasten your seatbelt before moving, this is a serious fault — automatic failure. An examiner who sees a seatbelt unfastened will stop the test. For passengers (such as the examiner themselves), you are not legally responsible for their belt, but not checking before driving reflects poorly on your awareness.
Seat position matters more than many learners appreciate. A driver whose seat is too far back reaches for the wheel with straight arms, reducing steering control. A driver too close to the wheel has restricted movement and is at higher risk from the airbag in a collision. The examiner is not measuring your seat position with a ruler, but they will notice if your driving position looks uncomfortable, cramped, or stretched.
The 5 DVSA Levels for the Cockpit Drill
Level 1: Introduced
You are aware of the cockpit drill as a concept but do not yet complete it systematically — you may adjust some elements but miss others or do them in a random order.
Level 2: Helped
Your instructor needs to guide you through each step and remind you which elements you have skipped or done in the wrong sequence.
Level 3: Prompted
You complete most of the drill but occasionally need a prompt — for example, a reminder to check the door mirrors as well as the interior mirror, or to check passengers’ seatbelts as well as your own.
Level 4: Independent
You complete the full DSSSM drill every time you get into the car, in the correct order, without any prompting. You do this even when practising with family members rather than your instructor.
Level 5: Reflection
You are at test-ready standard. The cockpit drill is automatic — you do it without thinking about it, in the same order, every time. You can explain why each step matters and the specific consequence of skipping it.
DSSSM in Detail
D — Doors: Check all doors are properly closed. In some vehicles, a partially open rear door is not visible from the driver’s seat without specifically checking. Look for the door open warning light on the dashboard. Do not move the car if any door is ajar.
S — Seat: Your driving position has a direct impact on your control and your safety in a collision. Sit with your back against the seat back (not leaning forward). Set the seat height if adjustable — you should have a clear view of the road ahead and the instruments. Fore/aft position: with your heel on the floor and the clutch fully depressed, your left leg should have a slight bend at the knee. Straight legs mean you are too far away; a cramped position means too close.
S — Steering: Many modern cars have an adjustable steering column that moves both up/down (tilt) and in/out (reach). Set these before you drive and lock the column in position. The steering wheel should not obscure your speedometer or other essential instruments. Your arms should be relaxed — not reaching or cramped.
S — Seatbelt: Click your seatbelt before doing anything else driving-related (starting the engine, checking mirrors). Then turn to confirm all passengers are belted. For children, confirm child seats are correctly installed and fastened. In the UK, the law requires all front seat occupants and rear seat occupants to wear a seatbelt where one is fitted. The driver is personally responsible for passengers under 14.
M — Mirrors: This is the most technically precise element of the drill. The interior mirror should frame the entire rear window with the road visible at the bottom. You should not need to tilt your head to see it — if you do, adjust the mirror.
For the door mirrors, the standard guidance is: roughly two-thirds sky, one-third road, with the rear of your car just visible at the inner edge. More precisely, the bottom of each door mirror should show the rear tyre appearing to touch the road. This specific positioning helps you judge gaps and proximity accurately when manoeuvring.
Adjust all three mirrors with the engine off. Mirror adjustments after starting the engine or — worse — while moving, mean you have been driving with incorrectly set mirrors. This is assessable.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | Why It Happens | The Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusting mirrors after starting the engine | Rushing to get moving | Add mirrors to your pre-engine checklist — DSSSM not DSSMS |
| Not checking passengers have seatbelts | Assuming they have sorted themselves | Physically check every time, even with people you drive regularly |
| Setting seat too far back for comfort | Comfort preference over correct position | Correct position is bent arms and bent knees — practise it until it feels natural |
| Skipping the door check | Seeming unnecessary | A door flying open at speed is a serious incident — 10 seconds to check |
| Not adjusting mirrors for different drivers | Sharing a car with family | Get in the habit of checking all three mirrors every time, regardless of who drove last |
Practice Tips
Do the drill in the same order every time. The value of DSSSM is that it is a complete, systematic sequence. If you skip a step or change the order, you are more likely to miss something. D, S, S, S, M. Say it aloud if it helps.
Practise in an unfamiliar car. The training vehicle you use for lessons has controls you know. Getting into a different car (a parent’s, a hire car later in life) and still completing a proper cockpit drill is the real test of whether it is genuinely habitual.
Get your instructor to check your mirror settings. Ask them specifically: “Are my mirrors set correctly?” after you complete the drill. This gives you calibrated feedback rather than you guessing whether you have done it right.
Time yourself. A proper cockpit drill should take between 60 and 90 seconds. If you are doing it in 15 seconds, you are rushing. If it takes 3 minutes, you may be overthinking it. Timed practice builds appropriate pacing.
Note the difference between a properly and poorly set interior mirror. Ask your instructor to slightly mis-set your interior mirror before a lesson and see if you notice immediately — then adjust it correctly. Training your eye to spot an off-centre mirror is a practical skill.
Track Your Progress
The cockpit drill is one of those skills where Level 4 is achievable relatively early in training — but many drivers plateau at Level 3 for longer than necessary because they only do it “properly” when the instructor is watching. The goal is Level 4 consistency: the same thorough drill whether your instructor, an examiner, a parent, or nobody is watching.
Related Skills
- Car Safety Checks: DVSA Skill 2 — external checks before the cockpit drill ensure the vehicle itself is safe to drive
- Vehicle Security: DVSA Skill 4 — the complementary process for leaving and securing the vehicle