Driving is fun. It seems easy when done by someone else, but for beginners it can be confusing and intimidating. It's one thing to have a driver's license, and it's another to be a good driver. If you have recently started driving or want to remember forgotten skills, use our tips. They will help novice drivers avoid mistakes and stress, and experienced people will refresh their memory. Surely everyone will find something useful here - we hope so.
1. Make yourself comfortable
Vehicles are built in different ways - it depends on the model, and sometimes on the country of origin. You must get to know the vehicle closely before you hit the road. Understand where each button is located and how it works, check the pedals and levers.
Get used to all this so as not to mess around while driving. Adjust to a comfortable position. The wrong position is unnerving, interferes with control and visibility, contributes to a delay in reaction and gives a lot of other troubles. Everyone knows about it, but is often ignored. Or they are simply in a hurry, forgetting to adjust the settings of the steering wheel, mirrors and driver's seat.
2. Move at a moderate pace
Before you can run, you must learn to walk. The same is with the novice "schumachers". As much as you want to push the gas pedal to the floor, first get used to driving at a low speed. This will allow you to study the behavior of your car (and other people's reactions) on the road, develop a sense of distance, increase perception, adjust the movement in accordance with weather conditions, such as fog, snow, rain. Only after perfecting your skills at low speeds can you move on to more complex exercises.
3. Use signals correctly
Light and sound signals are the only way to communicate with other road users. Every time you decide to turn, change lane, slow down, etc., inform others about the planned maneuver. The driver behind you may be an inexperienced newbie - give him the opportunity to understand exactly what you are going to do and take some action.
4. Avoid distractions
Concentration and focus is your everything. When the road is given proper attention, fewer mistakes are made. For this reason, it is advisable for a beginner not to take a talkative passenger or pets on the "flight", not to use the telephone, turn off the radio and, if possible, open the windows to circulate fresh air. Regardless of professionalism, anything that dulls the reaction should be avoided: a single unfortunate set of circumstances can have dire consequences. No driver can drive safely without looking at the road.
Distracted driving takes many forms - eating, fiddling with GPS and other electronic devices, applying makeup, messing with children, etc. - but talking on the phone is considered one of the most dangerous distractions. The driver's reaction time is reduced by 20%: for a 25-year-old, it becomes the same as for a 70-year-old pensioner.
5. Waiting out the bad weather, turn off the light
If, on purpose or not, you find yourself on the side of the road in poor visibility due to snow or fog, turn off the lights. Drivers who also struggle with poor visibility will look for other vehicles to follow. They will go to your lights and may not realize in time that you are standing still.
6. Don't snuggle too close
One of the first rules is not to follow the vehicle in front too closely. Keeping a safe distance, giving yourself plenty of time to react, is easy for experienced drivers. But for beginners it is sometimes difficult to calculate the distance on the go, and here the “rule of three seconds” comes to the rescue.
How it works? We find with our eyes a motionless object on the side of the road. When the car in front of us passes it, we start the countdown. It must take at least three seconds before our car flies past the same object. Double the recommended time - six seconds - would be reasonable in inclement weather or at night.
7. Choose a safe place
Do not stay for long periods of time close to a shore, a bridge, in high traffic areas, or on a narrow stretch of road.
8. Evaluate Your Strengths Reasonably
There are people who can drive for 14 hours, others for a maximum of 4-6 hours. Boredom and physical problems can be the main reasons for reduced driving time. You should know your limit and build on it when planning your travels.
9. Get rid of the bright sun
To avoid being blinded by the bright light, cover yourself with acrylic film. Acrylic easily attaches to the windshield thanks to static electricity and protects the eyes well from UV rays.
10. Tennis ball for easy parking
This trick is especially useful for people new to driving. A tennis ball or other soft object suspended from the garage ceiling can be used as a landmark to indicate the proximity of the wall. It will help you more easily feel the size of the car and not go further than necessary.
11. Checking the oil quality
There is an easy way to check the quality of your engine oil. Turn on the engine for 5-10 minutes, turn off the ignition, climb under the hood, drip a couple of drops of oil on a sheet of paper. Letting the sheet dry, check the result:
12. Fast vehicle ventilation
Open the door and one of the front windows. Open and close the door from the opposite side several times. This trick can help cool your car down quickly or get rid of bad odors.
13. Learn to feel where the wheels are
If you want to avoid potholes on the road and not scratch the hubcaps when parking, you need to learn to feel the location of the wheels. Take an empty plastic bottle, flatten it with your foot and place it on the road. Practice running into it with the left and right front wheels in turn. Open the window to hear the plastic crunch clearly.
14. Watch the maneuvers of tall cars
Watch not only the car in front of you, but also those who are on the side and further along the road. Drivers of tall vehicles (trucks, pickup trucks, SUVs, buses, etc.) have a clearer view of the traffic situation. If they start changing lanes, there is most likely an accident or other obstacle ahead. Get ready to change lanes too. If the car slows down in the next lane, be alert: perhaps the driver wants to let a pedestrian or animal pass, and you will need the same.
15. Do not turn the wheels in advance
It is dangerous to twist the wheels while waiting before turning. They must be kept upright. If someone pushes you from behind, you may find yourself in an adjacent lane, getting hit by other cars.
16. Control your speed
Unlike the training area, the road is a battlefield, and all seasoned soldiers know that haste kills. To protect yourself, it is recommended to merge with the traffic flow, to go no faster than others. Note also that on a straight road, the speed seems to be 2 times lower than it actually is. By the way, studies show that the probability of getting into a car accident increases by 3-4 percent with every km / h. Better to be late than not to arrive.
17. Wipe the glass before a night trip
Often on the windshield, which seemed crystal clear during the day, streaks, stripes and spots appear at night, causing glare. You can easily get rid of them with a newspaper or napkin. Mirrors must also be kept clean. Smudged fingerprints, dried droplets and dirt can cause glare, scatter light, and reshape reflected objects.
18. Prevent Drowsiness While Driving
The sleeping driver will get off the road even on a completely straight highway. Add trees, ravines, pylons, and other vehicles to the equation for a chance to avoid an accident. At speed, even a second of sleep is often fatal.
Some citrus fruits work in a similar way to coffee. As soon as you feel a little sleepy, place a slice of lemon under your tongue. No lemon - pinch your earlobe with a clothespin or pinch your fingers hard, until it hurts, several times. Or firmly squeeze the bridge of the nose between the eyes for a couple of seconds, repeat if necessary.
There are other ways to stay tense: periodically let in fresh air through the window, go out to warm up, sing loudly. But we generally do not recommend taking the wheel if you feel overwhelmed. Hand over control to someone who's definitely not going to sleep, or stop somewhere safe and take a nap.
19. Spot animals from afar
It is not difficult to avoid collisions with animals during the daytime if you exercise sufficient vigilance. But at night it becomes difficult even with all the precautions. One of the ways to make out living creatures in the darkness of the night is to catch the glint of headlights in animal eyes. You will notice a couple of tiny bright dots far ahead and have enough time to slow down or stop.
20. Keep an eye on truckers
As a rule, long-haul truck drivers are the most disciplined, adequate and knowledgeable people on the road. Of course, there are exceptions to any rule, but the pattern can be traced. Don't know the route - ask the truckers. Stay the night where they stay. Dine where they dine. These people know where it is more convenient to travel, it is safer to rest and have a snack without problems for the stomach.
In addition to the intricacies of driving, the car enthusiast should know that in the car it is better not to repair yourself, and entrust the specialists of the service station.