DRIVING TECHNIQUES AND SAFETY

Keys to Safe Driving

1.Good vision, look with your eyes but see with your mind.
2.Obeying traffic rules and regulations.
3.Proper care of your car.
4.Be courteous to other road users.
5.Proper signaling. Failure to signal is dangerous and inconsiderate.
6.Physical fitness. Let someone else take the wheel if you are not physically and mentally alert.

Proper Use of Brakes

A good driver uses his brakes. An experienced driver is able to make without using his brakes a great deal and yet be perfectly safe, as compared to the less experienced one who keeps on banging at his brakes every now and then. Skidding is cause by sudden hard and violent braking as the weight of the vehicle is thrown forward and downward thereby subjecting the front suspension to a force greatly in excess of what is normal. Steering therefore becomes unwieldy and because the weight at the back is suddenly transferred to the front, road holding by the rear tires is greatly reduced – hence sliding and skidding. A good driver should therefore be able to anticipate stops by intelligently reading the road and be able to apply progressive light braking and have control of the vehicle at all times, smoothly stopping before any potential hazard with ease.

Steering

In order to be able to have control of the car, the driver must be sitting in the correct comfortable position in relation to his size.

• When turning, hand in the direction you are going should pull down; the other hand allowing the wheel to pass through it, if necessary, the other hand can help by pushing the wheel upward.
• When transferring from one lane to another, or when pulling in after overtaking, the turn should be gradual and never a sudden swerve which may result in skidding.
• A firm, not a tight, grip on the wheel is all that is needed. Never grip tightly on a greasy road.
• Do not move the wheel to and from while driving; a firm straight steer is better.
• Both elbows should be free from obstruction. Never rest eh left elbow on the window frame while driving.
• Never drive off without first having made sure that the seat, mirror, doors windows, etc., are properly adjusted.

Gear Changing

Avoid over-reviving in lower gears- a direct cause of over-hearing, engine wear and high fuel consumption. Do not put unnecessary load on your engine by not changing to lower gear when necessary. Change gear before a potential hazard.

Stopping

A driver should have the ability to judge how much time and space you need to stop your vehicle. The amount of time it takes for you to see when to stop until you step on the brakes is called REACTION TIME.

A driver of a motor vehicle, is considered stopped when passengers and cargoes were loaded and unloaded for about ten (10) minutes or more.

There is no simple way on how long will it take one stop at a certain speed. Signs, signals and traffic rules tell us to stop.
http://www.lto.gov.ph/tips.html