How To Be A Better Driver
Aug 28 '01
The Bottom Line Follow these tips and make habits out of them to drive faster and safer.
It is my opinion that most of the traffic and nearly all of the accidents today could be avoided if people were better drivers. While I do not claim to be the best driver on the road, I have never been pulled over or so much as scratched my car while driving in LA for most of my life.
For me driving (especially with a manual transmission)is something that I do without even thinking. Every action I take is pre-programmed and executed without much conscious thought. Try some of these tips, I find them to speed up my drives as well as make them safer.
Anticipate - while I know this is the cliche of driving school, its very true. Try looking down the road for red lights, cars slowing to turn or slow moving vehicles. Countless times I have seen cars parallel parking on busy streets and gotten out of the way hundreds of yard before-hand, saving myself from screeching to a halt directly behind a parking car. It also gives you a much larger reaction bubble. Also, look at other drivers. If there is a driver whose blind spot you may be in, and he/she is repeatedly looking over their shoulder, be ready to brake and honk--or better yet, back off a little and let them in.
Plan For Anything - As an engineer, I take a scientific approach to driving. Plan for any even to happen and have a solution ready when it does. Plan for the car ahead of you to stomp on their brakes, plan for the car next to you to merge directly into you, plan for switching lanes to get over to an exit. Always know where your escape options are and when you have none. This goes hand-in-hand with anticipation and in my opinion, is the key to driving efficiently and safely. You will never be surprised by something you expected.
Be Smooth - Make sure that everything you do is deliberate and smooth. Dont slam on your brakes or the gas or swerve into the next lane. When you merge, find an open spot which will not force anyone to brake. Not only are you less likely to find yourself in a position you did not expect, but other drivers will clearly see what you are doing and have more reaction time.
Check Your Mirrors Take a glance at your mirrors every now and then. Knowing where people are behind you will help you make better decisions. See someone flying up your left side? Better slow down so you dont run up the tail of the car in front of you. Also, for you speedsters, watch out for the Police approaching your rear as well as Police planes flying overhead on freeways.
Keep Lane Changing To A Minimum If you are driving on a freeway that is moving quickly, stay in the left lane! In the end, you will end up going faster than if you try to pass on the right. How often have you seen someone move right to pass only to get caught behind slower traffic then resign to a place in the left lane further back that they originally were? Only pass on the right if you have plenty of room. Also, if any of you have to drive on the 405 in Southern California when it gets busy (is it ever not, seriously?), stay in the right-most lane. I have no idea why, but you will be moving when everyone else is stopped. Try it sometime, it's really works. This is not true in Northern California, however. Up north, it is always faster to be in the left lane.
Additionally, switching lanes makes you much more visible to police planes over freeways. Many friends of mine have been ticketed in that fashion.
Try these few tips and make habits out of them--they will not fail you.
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Epinions.com ID:
ghostryder
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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About Me:
I am an engineer, feel sorry for me...I do.
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