They say that you will never face a better test of your driving skills until you have to drive in winter. While the season is almost over, we do know that the global climate changes have made things a little crazy in this department. There are still cities and states which are experiencing an extended period of bad weather. As most of us face the tail end of the winter, here are some of the best winter driving tips that you can bear in mind.
Don’t drive in bad weather.
That’s the best tip of all, actually. If you hear about a snowstorm on the radio or on TV, the smartest thing to do would be to stay put and wait it out. And once the storm is over, do not be in a hurry to get out and drive. Make sure the plows have done their job and that there is no ice on the road.
Take your foot off the accelerator.
If you cannot stay put and you find yourself driving on icy roads, your best bet would be to go against your need for speed. That accelerator is also meant to be stepped on lightly, you know. Decrease your speed, brake gently.
Never use cruise control.
While cruise control is FUN, it will not do you any good to use it on bad roads. Driving in bad weather requires all your attention and focus. It’s best for you to pay attention and not leave things up to cruise control.
We’ve all heard the bad rap biofuels has gotten with the increased pollution and macro-economic impact it has on society but you’ve gotta’ give credit for these engineers who have managed to come up with alternatives to our increasingly oil dependent economies in so short a time. The problem wasn’t with the fuel itself for it fulfilled all pre-set criteria for a fuel that burned with less emissions than oil-based fuel products. As it turns out, it takes more energy to produce a liter of biofuel that off-sets the gains of the said alternative. The foray of engineers into the hybrid arena was merely to fill in the gap till fully electric systems became more feasible.
Fuel cell technology today, has resulted in some of the coolest cars around. From electric compacts that run on hydrogen or compressed natural gas that has similar abilities as bio fuels used in conjunction with better fuel cell technologies and reactors they all make for a better transition from an oil-based economy to a hydrogen or LNG-based one. The benefits of these alternative fueled cars is so much that research has been pushed to the extent of breakthroughs being put into prototypes as soon as they are discovered making for some really cool cars. With some manufacturers fielding test fleets to iron out the kinks in the system, they should have a working infrastructure by 2010 when most manufacturers schedule the release of their versions of the electric vehicles to take up the slack where bio-fueled vehicles left off.
For most drivers today, getting a ticket for allegedly erratic or reckless driving can be a pain. Outside that of having a mark on your driver’s license, it can also be a pain as far as trying to retain a clean slate in instances where you have to pay for tickets and fines for irresponsible driving.
So how does one avoid the tickets? Well for one, go back to the driving basics and avoid the risks if you already know you will get into trouble. Speeding, beating the red light, swerving or the simple busted tail lights are normally the main causes of being given a ticket. With that in mind, you just have to wonder if drivers either ignored them when they were taking up driving lessons or plainly don’t care.
Do not take these violations personally. They are mean to protect and save anyone from accidents and the pedestrians as well. They were not placed for other reasons and this is something that both old and new drivers should carefully ponder on. They may not seem important for now but they are main factors in responsible driving today.
Do not be daring nor dare to cross the lines of being adventurous. These are normally the issues that have to be addressed and most drivers learn only after they have done it. Curiosity killed the cat as they say and the same curiosity may kill the person behind the wheel if he is not careful.
Much of the accidents happening in the road today come from defying defensive driving. Just how do you drive defensively anyway? Well for one, distance yourself from the big trucks and trailers to avoid being swerved upon. This aside from the fact that truckers care less of being a responsible driver can lead to your demise, a figure that we see based on news and reports regarding road accidents involving small vehicles and large trucks.
Especially in highways, these large vehicles drive at top speed. While they are given warnings to put emphasis on road safety, sadly it is not the case for majority of them. They are on delivery schedules and once they encounter some delays along the way, expect some fast driving even though they feel that they are driving a large vehicle that is going slow.
Add to the fact that some of them have to drive even if they lack sleep. This is a common case we see in other countries since no truck driver wants to risk losing his job due to untimely deliveries. Some of them try hard to stay awake behind the wheel but at times, dozing off cannot be avoided.
But this is not to generalize. There are drivers who are indeed law abiding but at times, you cannot help but avoid running into the unruly ones. Arguing with them will not help once accidents happen. So if you want to know how to drive defensively against them, avoiding them is the best recourse you can do.
One of the things that anyone would hate is being caught in traffic. Apparently not all drivers have the patience when they are caught in bumper to bumper situations especially when it comes to distance in between cars.
So why is distance important? Well for one, you never know if you are the cars in front or behind you are unaware that a slight movement of their vehicle may cause a sudden minor collision in between cars. Drivers for that matter do not take such collisions lightly. In fact, you may even find yourself in the middle of an argument and before you know it, you are causing a major jam as well once the traffic is supposedly free flowing.
So what is the proper distance in between vehicles? While no driver is expected to follow a certain distance in between cars, it remains that they already know how far they should be. There is the proper distance that you can project and in most cases, metric measurements don’t really matter.
Common sense will tell you if you are too close for comfort. Even in regular driving speeds, there is an observed distance in between cars so that in cases like a sudden stop, you can avoid accidents or road mishaps that can normally be charged at your expense. Driving too close will not be something to you advantage and is actually a form of defensive driving.
Keep your distance, you have more to gain than to lose.
Here is a good tip for people who have to worry about the level of their gas these days. Apparently, it is now rare that we see people filling up their cars to the hilt, considering that the current oil price and economic crisis have become totally outrageous. Normally, people can manage the by the gallon fuel for their car but today, the price per gallon is no longer comfortable as before.
At times, you may even forget to fill up your car with gas and while many wait until they use up all the fuel of their car to the max, when your car flashes that gas pump light, chances are you will be panicking and looking for the nearest gas station to fill ‘er up.
While you gauge may be on the borderline E of your driver panel, don’t worry about it. There are occasions wherein gas stations may not be within sight. Usually, when you car fuel gauge is on the E line, you still have around 4 kilometers to spare. But rather than risk it, it would be best to try and do some adjustments just in case the next gas station is still far:
1. Avoid stepping longer on the accelerator and go with the flow.
2. Turn of air-conditioning for the meantime.
3. Try to drive at a conservative space. No sense in wasting gas if you are running low.
Just don’t panic when you see that blinking light on your dashboard. It is merely telling you that you forgot to put gas in your car!
For most people, the logic of driving normally calls for you to stay in your lane at all times. Standard roads normally call for you to drive on the right lane, although some countries like Hongkong and London use the left line for right of lane privileges.
But when you find yourself in the long stretches such as freeways and the highway, the temptation to change lanes will always be there. But before you do change lanes, make sure you do it the right way by looking for vehicles at the back using your rear view mirror and again a glimpse when you are about to change lanes. Use the signal lights or hand signals so that vehicles behind you will know that you will be changing your lane.
The frequency of changing lanes should be properly done though. There are some drivers who always feel that they should be always first. To do so, overtaking cars means a big thing even if they would normally reach their point of destination at any rate.
A word of caution to people who drive frantically though. If you recklessly drive like a lunatic, chances are you may be apprehended for reckless driving or even encounter accidents. High speed accidents are no joke and if you are not careful, you may find yourself in a life threatening predicament.
A driver can drive as fast as they want. Just make sure you follow the right driving ethics and keep your concentration and eyes on the road. The manner of driving is entirely up to you.
In a nutshell, shying away from cars would normally mean lesser people interested in driving. One of the main points for consideration here is the fact that why drive if you cannot afford to have a car of your own?
Aside from not being able to afford a car, there are other factors to consider. The instability of the oil prices and fuel shortage have become another notable aspect that has to be included. With all problems facing the world today, a person can commute or perhaps hitch a ride with no worries for car maintenance and money for fuel to get to the destination that they want to be. So where does this leave the driving schools who make a living from enrolled students who hope to drive someday?
For sure, these commissioned driving schools will feel the brunt of the economic meltdown just like any other business branch we know of in the world today. While it seems apparent that it is something that people can learn without paying, their existence may reach becoming pointless.
Driving schools are a big help. Especially for people who want to learn how to drive. But considering the factors hitting our economy today, they may as well be affected as well.
The economic sector is indeed walking on pins and needles these days. On what may happen tomorrow or the day after is anybody’s guess. Hopefully though some bright light comes out of it all before businesses are shot down one by one.
A certain percentage of accidents these days stem from beating the red light. But how do you classify beating the red light? For one, if you are about to reach an intersection with the traffic light already in yellow, be civil enough to note that you are on the verge of actually trying to beat the red light. So what can possibly happen?
1. You can be caught and ticketed for “Beating the Red Light” by traffic enforcers
2. The degree of being hit or incurring an accident is high.
3. Possibly hitting pedestrians to which you will be meted a lot of charges outside that of traffic violations
If you enumerate these bullets, there is no positive thing to look forward to as far as they are concerned. They all clearly show that you are bound for trouble with the authorities and other than the discomfort of being caught, raising the degree of charges against you is a given factor.
There is nothing to prove if you beat a red light. If you are in a hurry you just have to face the fact that prior adjustments to reaching your destination or meeting must be made with time to spare. A car is not a solution to get you places fast and safe.
Your car can indeed get you to your point of destination quickly but it depends on the degree of driving you are undertaking. Try not to be like the fast-driving people in movies. They are scripted. If you should do that in the modern roads of today, accidents are waiting to happen to which you may not even see yourself driving anymore due to mishaps and mental impact of incurring such problems.
As far as the set age on when to issue a drivers license, there have been qualms on increasing the age to 17 rather than the usual 16. Apparently this is because as far as being responsible drivers is concerned, a lot of debate has been said on the actual responsibility that most new drivers (a lot in their teens) of understanding the dangers of driving on the road at such an immature age.
The convenience of driving your own car is surely there but it is about being a conservative and responsible driver that is really the issue here. Also, the safety precautions as well on the drivers that are released today are showing significant numbers as far as accidents and deaths of younger drivers which have become a prime reason on re-evaluating the set age.
One thing you will not see when studying driving is how that person would really drive in the real world. Once issued a drivers license, they are practically free to drive and do what they want. Apparently, this is something that is lacking but is beyond the control of license issuers. Unless they actually meet an untoward accident that can place them back in their senses, chances are they will not even care on how they drive and where they drive.
Teens are up against a host of distractions, from cell phones to text messages to traffic congestion and aggressive driving. Driving instructor Robert Dicks says raising the driving age might be a good idea.
“Sixteen is very much not experienced,” said Dicks. “They’re very young, they don’t know how to handle one of these things.”
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