Even the most experienced drivers don’t always know all the subtleties or nuances that can make driving easier.
Superautosworld explains how to feel at ease when driving, learn to avoid dangerous situations, and become a confident driver.
12. Check if all your mirrors are adjusted correctly.
If your mirrors aren’t adjusted correctly, a blind spot appears. A blind spot is a part of the road that you can’t see, so you may miss a car traveling in an adjacent traffic lane. In order to eliminate blind spots, adjust your side-view mirrors so that you can’t see your car in them. To check if there is a blind spot, drive past another parked car in reverse, looking in your side-view mirror. As soon as it’s out of the picture, you should see it with your peripheral vision.
The rear-view mirror must be adjusted so that you can see the back window of your car entirely. When adjusting the mirrors, you should be in your normal driving position.
11. Learn to feel where the wheels are.
If you want to be able to avoid potholes on the road and not scratch your hubcaps when parking, you need to learn to feel where the wheels are. Take an empty plastic bottle, step on it with your foot, and put it on the road. Practice driving over it with your left and right front wheels in turn. Open the window to hear the bottle crunch.
10. Park guided by your windows and mirrors.
When perpendicular parking, stop once you see the curb under the side mirror. This way the distance between the car and the curb will be minimal, and you won’t scratch the bumper.
When parallel parking, make sure you don’t scratch the hubcaps. Stick a piece of colored duct tape to the bottom of the windshield. Stop once the mark matches the curb line. It’s better to parallel park in reverse: this way, the curb is visible in the side-view mirrors, so you won’t be too close to it.
9. Dry your brakes after driving through a puddle.
Before even the smallest of puddles, you’d better slow down and go through it smoothly without maneuvering or changing speed. If you drive quickly, there is a chance of water getting into the ignition system and making the engine stall. Besides, aquaplaning might start — that’s when a car loses traction, and you lose control of it.
After passing a big puddle, don’t cut your engine, and don’t change your speed. Dry the brakes first: pressing the gas pedal, press the brake pedal a few times. Friction causes heat, so water evaporates from the brake pads.