Correct understanding of the saying 'forward hold the back, backward hold the belly' when driving

The slogan "forward, hold on to the back, backward, hold on to the belly" is summarized by experienced drivers and passed on to new drivers. These are considered extremely useful "bloody" lessons when driving on narrow bends, on steep mountain passes, parking in tight spaces, etc.

According to the "old masters", if we compare a curve to the human body, the wider curve is like the back, and the narrower curve is like the belly. Accordingly, when moving forward and backward on curves, we must apply opposite movement rules.

"Move forward, hold on to the back, move back, hold on to the belly" is the motto that "old drivers" have summarized and passed on to new drivers. Illustration photo: Hoang Hiep

"Moving forward" means that when going forward on a curve, if you don't want the rear wheel to "cut the curb", you must widen the turn so that the front of the car is close to the back of the road.

This case applies as when driving into a narrow gate, we have to widen the corner and aim the front of the car at the far gate pillar (back grip). If entering a narrow gate and aiming at the near pillar (belly grip), it is easy to get into the situation of "the head goes well but the tail does not go through", the body of the car can be scraped against the pillar.

On steep mountain passes with many sharp turns, holding on to the back also helps the driver avoid "crossing the line" to the opposite side of the road or "slipping" the rear wheel to the edge of the road, especially for long vehicles.

For long vehicles, when turning, you must always widen the turning circle. Illustration photo

On the contrary, "backing up" means that when backing up, you need to stick the rear tire close to the small curve (belly) to create a larger backing angle for the front of the car, helping the front wheel not to be pushed out of the road.

This situation is quite common when we have to back up the car into parking spaces in apartments or shopping malls. When backing up and turning the steering wheel to one side, the driver tries to align the rear edge of the car close to the car next to it or the painted line on that side so that the car can "enter the garage" easily and neatly.