THE PRACTICE GUIDE
Your first drive,
one step at a time.
A guide to using Leftside’s virtual roads, controls and lessons.
Start with a short free drive
Open the simulator and select Start driving. Your car is automatic, so you can focus on steering and pedals. Use light taps to correct your lane position and slow down before turns. Settings let you reduce traffic density or choose performance mode if the scene feels busy or runs slowly.
Keyboard and touch controls
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| W / ↑ | Accelerate |
| S / ↓ | Brake to a stop; keep holding briefly to reverse |
| A / D or ← / → | Steer; release to centre the steering |
| Space | Handbrake |
| Q / E | Left / right indicator |
| C | Cycle follow, in-car, bonnet and aerial cameras |
| Hold Z / X | Look left / right in cockpit or bonnet view |
| M | Open map and practice-area selection |
| R | Reset to a lane or restart the current lesson |
| P / Escape | Pause or resume |
On phones and tablets, hold the on-screen steering and pedal controls. Landscape orientation gives the road more space. The simulator pauses when it loses focus. Audio is optional and can be enabled in the simulator.
A suggested practice sequence
- Lane position: try Find your left side and stay in the left lane for 300 metres.
- Junctions: try Read the junction and practise the red-light stop and green-light restart.
- Roundabouts: try Around the right way to explore the clockwise route and left exit signal.
- One-way roads: follow the arrows in One way. More confidence.
- Motorways: practise the left lane in Find your motorway rhythm, then explore the slip roads in free drive.
Make the view work for you
The in-car camera places you in a right-hand-drive cockpit. The follow and aerial cameras make the car’s position in the road easier to see, while the bonnet view puts the road ahead in focus. Switch views with C, or use the camera buttons. Speed can be displayed in mph or km/h through Settings.
Keep virtual practice in perspective
Seabrook is a fictional environment with simplified traffic. It does not include every road layout, hazard or local rule. Lessons are practice objectives, not a driving assessment. Consult the official Highway Code for UK driving and current local guidance elsewhere.
Start driving ↗