Tips for safer driving

[kulluminati777]

Courtesy of Wazza at Teameunos.com

The basics taught at a defensive driving course; but remember this is only the theory- putting it into practise can be a whole different story.

1. Seat Position
Too many people sit too far from the wheel, whilst some sit tragically close! The correct position to maintain full control is to have the backrest of the seat upright, not reclined- you are not in your loungeroom watching telly. OK, with the backrest upright place your hand (either one) on top of the steering wheel at the 12o'clock position. Your wrist should be touching the wheel, not your palm or fingers- your wrist! And that's with your shoulder still against the seat.
That's where I sit when racing. Unfortunately due to the ergonomics of my ute, my knees hit the steering column getting in & out which as a delivery driver I can do up to 50 or 60 times in one day, so I slide the seat back one notch from the ideal position for knee-room. (or is it two??)

2. Braking
The most fundamental thing about driving and very rarely does anyone get taught how to do it properly. Ever had to hit the anchors real hard? The typical panic-stop. Mash the pedal & come to a screaching halt somewhere hopefully still on the road in a cloud of white smoke. So, so wrong! Anyone with ABS can simply mash the pedal down and rely on the computer do modulate the braking. For the rest of us, we have to rely on our right foot & our reflexes.
In all instances, SQUEEZE the pedal, don't hammer it through the floor Freddy Flintstone style. Sqeeze it, but sqeeze it hard, until the front wheels lock, or at least one of them does. At that instant just EASE the pressure on the pedal enough to allow the locked wheel to roll again, then squeeze the pedal just a fraction harder. It takes a lot of getting used to, which is why it's best to enrol in a course where you can practise the technique with supervision and guidance under controlled conditions.
But the basics to remember: SQEEZE-EASE-SQUEEZE-EASE.
If you've hammered the brakes with ABS you'll know the sensation that you feel through the brake pedal as the wheels lock & unlock. This is what you're trying to simulate.

3. Keep 3 seconds gap between yourself & the vehicle in front. 3sec allows enough reaction time for most people who DO know how to use the brake pedal effectively to stop in time if the car in front stops suddenly. 3 seconds! That's "Mississippi one, Mississippi two, Mississippi three." That's how much time should elapse between when the back end of the vehicle in front of you passes a stationary object and whe you reach that same object, regardless of speed- 3 seconds. Watch how many cars follow half a second behind the one in front on the freeway. There's how multiple-car pile-ups occur.

4. Be Aware
Watch as far up the road ahead as you can physically see.

5. When you've lost control
For Christ's sake admit it to yourself and BRAKE!! Stop the ride. If you are going to hit something, hit it gently! Don't look at the semi-trailer or the mother with the pram & little kiddy on one hand, or the big oak tree at the side of the road because funny enough due to a phenomenon commonly known as "Target Fixation" YOU WILL HIT IT!!
If you must crash, Minimize Damage. If you are sliding out of control, look for a big gap like a driveway or something soft rather than something solid that won't move. Even though you won't realise you're doing it, you will somehow manage to steer towards whatever it is you're focussing on.

6. Debris on the road
Say you'r driving on a multi-lane road following a big truck or tour bus or such-like and out from underneath it smack in the middle of the lane there's some nasty bit of truck retread or a besser block or lump of wood, etc., and you've got no way around it because you're flanked on both sides and of course the dude behind you doesn't know about the 3 second rule, nor most likely how to use the brakes properly anyway.
Here's what you do: this comes down to minimizing damage again.
Brake HARD, wash off as much speed as possible and stick it in the appropriate gear that will give you rapid acceleration, 'coz you're about to need it! Staying on the brakes until just before the object disappears from view (assuming you're definitely going to hit it anyway) floor the throttle! The sudden hard acceleration after the hard braking will unload the front suspension big-time and give you as much clearance as you can physically muster from your car.
Continue up the road a bit and pull over as soon as it is safe to do so to check for damage. There'll probably be a pile-up behind you but hey, they should learn to drive properly & be more aware of what's going on on the road around them. At least your damage will be minimal & you'll most likely be able to drive on.
This has worked for me! Also a good way to approach big potholes if you can't get around them.

[kyser182]

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