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

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

According to the "old hands", 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 rules of movement.

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

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

This case applies as when having to control the car to turn 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 very 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, keeping your back on will also help 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 centers. 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 parking space" easily and neatly.