In short
Informal term for the jerky motion caused by mis-coordinating the clutch and accelerator.
'Kangaroo petrol' is a UK driving-school phrase for the lurching, jerky motion a learner's car makes when the clutch comes up too fast or the accelerator is jabbed. So named because the car hops.
It is almost always a control fault rather than a fail — but repeated kangaroo episodes will be marked.
Related terms