Trust no one.
Mar 04 '02
The Bottom Line ------------------------------------------------------------
Hi :)
I've been driving for the last 2 years, and I feel that I have some information to pass on to you all. By no means am I a fantastic driver,but I do my best to play it safe, and I know the rules of the road.
If you're a new driver, I URGE you to take a few lessons with a driving school. Even if your parents are teaching you how to drive, book an extra couple of lessons with a school. You never know, but if you don't make use of the lessons, you might pick up bad habits from your folks without knowing it.
1. Know your limits, and don't push them
a) If you know that you're not comfortable in the car past a certain speed, don't exceed it. If, for some reason you're tailgated (by so called 'bumper inspectors'!), you have some options. When it's safe, pull over once in awhile to let speedier drivers pass you. If you're on a road with only two lanes (traffic coming towards you in the other lane),try to give the speed-demon some room by shifting your car a little bit t o the right. If this compromises your safety, then of course don't do it, but if you can see that the person behind you is getting aggravated, don't play dumb and do nothing. Even if you can only give them a partial view of the oncoming traffic (or lack thereof),give them the option of passing. Some of you may disagree with giving them the option to pass in a very dangerous manner, but what other choices do you have? Let's see
*You could do nothing, and really aggravate the other driver. This might prompt him/her to swerve into oncoming traffic (with little knowledge of the oncoming cars), which is obviously extremely dangerous.
*You could speed up, and by doing so compromise your safety. In addition, if a cop were trapping, YOU would be pulled over for creating the 'flow' of speeding cars (if that were the case).
*you could slow down, and the car behind you would probably try to merge with your car ,creating a splendid piece of artwork by combining two cars into one...you get the idea-it's not a pretty picture
b) So...you're driving along and all of a sudden you arrive at your destination-a supermarket in this case (If you do decide to park in a supermarket area, be SURE to position your car as far away as possible from the shopping carts!!!). What the heck, you say to yourself-I just learnt how to reverse-stall park, why don't I practice between those two SUVs?
UH-UH! NOT a good idea. Until you're really confident that you can park in a certain manner, don't give yourself the opportunity to screw up (and in doing so bump into another vehicle). It's important that you know how wide and lengthy your car is-I'm not talking about the actual dimensions, but rather your perception of them. If you think that your pickup truck has 10 more inches in the front than it actually has, that just might be the cause of an accident.
If you need to practice parking in any way, shape or form, I suggest that you go to an abandoned parking lot and test yourself there. With practice, you'll get better. After each time you've parked, analyze what you've done right, and what went wrong and soon you'll be parking like a champion.
New drivers should make a point of parking away from other vehicles to start off with, and then as they improve, they can gradually inch closer. When leaving your car for an extended period of time, make sure it's locked securely (a car alarm might be a smart investment depending on where you live). Ensure that the hand brake is raised as much as possible and remember that if you're parking uphill, leave the car in first gear, but if you're parking downhill, leave it in reverse. One more thing-remember this trick and you'll have the knowledge for life! You can tell which way to turn your wheels when parking uphill or downhill with this expression:
"Parking uphill WITH a curb, turn your wheels LEFT, in all other situations, turn the wheels right." Personally, I just remember the letters UCL-uphill w/a curve = left
2. Obey road signs and traffic signals.
In the area where I live, there's a real problem with people disobeying the traffic lights. While driving, it's rare that I'll see an accident at the side of the road, but I don't know how some of the risky drivers avoid them. Here, people are constantly going through orange lights and those that have just turned red. People think that when they see a traffic light change from green to orange, that means that they must speed up to advance before red, even if they're nowhere near the 'point of no return' (they would be well behind it before speeding up). Further, if you see a stop sign, STOP! It's not okay to just slow down and proceed with caution-that might sound alright, but it's not safe.
3. Use your mirrors & other stuff.
Once you've started your car, and you're ready to start your journey towards your destination, make sure to check around your car for any obstacles (people, pets, things). You must shoulder-check to see that you don't miss your blind spots at the same time. When parking, be sure to use your side-mirrors to judge how well you're parked. If you can't see the lines of the parking space, well...that's not a good sign. Whenever you want to change the position of your car while on the road, be sure to follow this procedure:
"(Front) Mirror-Signal-Shoulder Check". That is, look in your rear-view mirror, and if it looks safe to change lanes or to turn, signal. Before you make your turn/shift the car, you MUST shoulder check-you never know when a car will be positioned perfect into one of your rear blind spots.
4.Be Aware
KNOW that without turning your head & body when turning or shifting your vehicle you're not seeing everything. YES, blind spots do exist-they're not just urban legends and if you ignore them, sooner or later they'll come back to haunt you. A good way to familiarize yourself with the blind spots is to sit in a stationary vehicle, and have your family member/friend/cousin (whoever) walk around your car. Use all 3 of your mirrors, and make sure to look straight ahead while they walk around. Yell something out to them when they go out of view(where you can't see them in any of the mirrors). At this point, they'll be in one of your blind spots. Take note of where the blind spots are, and be extra careful when on the road to keep track of any cars in them.
5. Be careful.
If you're stopped behind a traffic light and it changes from red to green, use caution. You never know when someone will come careening through the red light, smashing into the side of your vehicle at the intersection. So, before you move across, make sure to look left, center and right as a precautionary measure. Your car will thank you for it.
6. Don't take Unnecessary chances
I'm sure you've all heard stories of what some people have done while they're behind the wheel. I've heard it all-people brushing their teeth, people getting dressed, people smoking, people talking on cell-phones (disturbingly, this is happening more often nowadays), eating etc. When you're driving, you should be DRIVING. If you have to do any of the above, pull over! Show your fellow drivers that you're responsible, and that you're not going to put their safety at risk.
When parking your car, ensure that it's secure. Make sure all the windows are closed, that all the doors are locked, and that the car isn't sticking out of the parking space (if you can help it-larger vehicles sometimes don't fit, and that's okay.) If you're parking in front of a garage overnight, I would advise you to park as close as you can-for you never know if a drunken driver will cruise along your street and swerve into your driveway by accident. This way, they'd have to really go out of their way to hit your car.
Speaking of drunken drivers, NEVER drink and drive. You're not only putting yourself at risk, you're also putting all the other drivers on the road in a dangerous situation. Respect the road rules! Never drive after doing drugs (you shouldn't be taking drugs in the first place). If you're taking medication, read the instructions carefully. If the instructions are not clear, consult your doctor...it is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not drive if you might become dizzy, sleepy, etc.
7. Check your car often.
It's amazing how many cars in this area have defective/smashed/missing headlights. Every few weeks, it's a good idea to make sure your brake lights and headlights are working, as well as your right/left-turn signal lights are in proper order. Make certain that you know the hand signals to use in case of an emergency! Have your airbags, brakes checked periodically, and have your car serviced now and then to ensure that it's in ship shape. Don't let rust build up or you'll regret it. That's not a warning, that's a fact!
8. Keep your head on straight
I believe that everyone should keep some snack bars in their car(s). If you're like me, you might get in a bad mood when you're hungry, and if that happens your driving will suffer. As the Snickers commercial says, [When driving,]"Don't let hunger happen to you". If you find yourself getting really angry, take a time-out. Don't just keep going and assume that you'll drive it off...chances are you won't. On that note, keep a drink (I recommend water) in your car too. It's important that you're properly hydrated when driving.
9. If in doubt, yield!
'Nuff said.
10. Know the Rules of the Road
When you're driving, it's very important that you keep your eyes moving. It's a good idea to look at least one block ahead of you, to ensure that you can take action if something is amiss. Check your mirrors every few seconds (most importantly your rear-view mirror) so you can account for bumper-inspectors, or whatever the traffic is like behind you. Be sure to give extra room to cyclists or motorbikes, and be cautious of people getting out of their cars!!! At all times, keep in mind that Pedestrians are GODS. Even if they're in the wrong, if you hit a pedestrian, you will pay for it(in terms of $,as well as having your car license revoked). A few last minute
hinters :
*Always wear your safety-belt. It doesn't matter if your journey is 2 minutes or 20 hours.
*Get your airbags (if you car has them) checked once in awhile. They could save your life one-day.
*When driving in snow/icy conditions, be extra careful-go much slower than normal, and be EXTRA careful when turning. You're most likely to skid when you're turning-so go much slower than normal, and DO NOT BRAKE WHILE TURNING(I've learned from experience-the car wasn't damaged, and no one was injured, but I learned my lesson).
*Always keep a following distance of at least 2 seconds between your car and the one in front of you. You can measure this by seeing the car in front pass by an object...once that's taken place, count "one-one thousand, two-one thousand", and if you reach the object at that time, then you're exactly two seconds behind. In bad weather or on highways, or if you're following a motorcycle, it's a better idea to change that to 3 or 4 seconds (or more if appropriate).
*When turning, don't cut corners or steer wide, avoid braking during your turn.
*Don't "coast" with your foot on the clutch. It's okay if you're almost stopped, but if you suddenly need to take evasive action, it'll be more difficult.
*When stopped at a traffic light or pedestrian crossing, leave a space between your car and the one stopped in front of you. Usually one car's length away is sufficient, but in bad weather increase that to two. This is to ensure that you can get out of a dangerous situation if you see that the car behind you cannot stop in time (so it would smack into the back of your car if you couldn't do anything). If that situation takes place, with the space that you've left yourself, you now have options-you might be able to change lanes, drive onto the sidewalk (if safe), or drive onto a median if there is one. At least this way, you won't take the full impact and carry on the chain-reaction effect like a domino (plowing into the car ahead of you)
*Always look in your rear-view mirror when slowing down/stopping. You never know when a car behind you won't see what's happening up ahead, so leave yourself alternatives to get out of the sticky situations that might occur.
*Whenever possible, play your journey ahead of time (what route you'll take, etc.). Leave a few minutes early to ensure that you get to your destination on time. Keep yourself updated with any road work taking place, and account for it if need be.
*Last but not least,NEVER assume anything about the cars around you. NEVER assume that they know what they're doing. You might think that they've got everything under control,while really they're sipping on a coffee,talking on a cellphone and don't even have a hand on the steering wheel. If you're not sure who should go first in an intersection, yield! Always leave a safe gap,take precautions and you'll be fine.
I'm sorry I've gone on for so long, but I feel that I've made some good points, and if you follow what I've written here, you should be okay.
Drive safely,
Cozmo.
Thanks for reading!
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Member: Cozmo Kramer
Location: North of the equator
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