In the never ending story of how GPS has allowed drivers and travelers alike to get to their destinations faster and easier, another addition to the saga of the errant GPS and their likewise errant drivers. As in previous posts regarding GPS and their ability to go wrong (extremely wrong) and give wrong directions drivers in the UK have had their common sense so to speak driven out of them as they drive into bridge overhangs and other structures which were not taken into consideration by the GPS mapping systems. The article came to my attention from Gadzooki which has a post dated on the 18th of April which shows hilarious yet serious statistics of drivers running into bridges like the ones shown in Mr. Bean cartoons and movies. These drivers trust their high-tech GPS navigation devices so much they forget to keep their eyes on the road and mind structures their vehicles may encounter. GPS has indeed made driving a pleasure by giving the right directions and even telling us when and where to go but it would also be a good idea to consider and include real-time traffic and positional data (not forgetting to take into consideration the location of low lying bridges and structures that may not accommodate the various types of vehicles that are on the road) which is already in some advanced high-price units.
The UK is a growing market for GPS and various gizmos and gadgets are coming to the public being sold as aides to UK drivers. The advantage is that the tons of camera’s in and around major cities allows UK traffic authorities to provide up to date traffic information where the driver can select alternate routes. The growing number of vehicles on the roads of Britain are becoming more and more of a problem which results in gridlock and traffic exclusion schemes to select areas that have provided some relief.
The Uk has also been able to produce one of the most powerful computers on earth named Hector which could be used to process vast amounts of data including traffic management and other tasks for the British Government. As technology progresses and heads into the future, we would be amazed at how far it has gone in the span of our lifetimes. We would also be assured of constant laughter when technology plus humans equals less common sense which makes the drive worth taking. Watch out for that BRIDGE!!!!!!!
Got a request from one of our readers regarding how to drive over steep inclines especially when stuck in traffic. This is kinda’ tricky but with practice you can conquer these inclines with relative ease. First, try to get to know the vehicle you are driving; are the brakes in good condition, does the handbrake function properly? I ask this for they would come in handy with a nice trick that can save you from rolling down as you are stuck in traffic later.
Try to gauge the steepness of the incline that you are going to drive through. Anything more than 10 degrees can send you rolling backwards uncontrollably without fast reflexes. Try to test the effectiveness of the brakes by going up a few meters, stepping on the pedals and see if the car still rolls backwards ( Keep your hand on the handbrake so you can stop if you do end up rolling backwards). If you are climbing without any traffic problem, it would be relatively easy for the car’s momentum will tend to get you over (try shifting to lower gears so you get more traction. If you are stuck in traffic going up, here’s a nifty trick you can try.
As you stop and press the brakes, engage the handbrake (I’ll advise you to keep your foot on the pedal so if the handbrake gives, your foot on the brake pedal prevents you from crashing into the vehicle behind you.). When traffic starts to move, give the vehicle in front of you a few meters clearance, depress the clutch and set the stick into first gear. Try getting the exact instance between the clutch engaging and releasing so you are set to roll as you release the handbrake. As you slowly release the clutch you would hear the engine straining a bit from the clutch engaging. As the engine tries to propel the car forward (which would be quite impossible for the handbrake is still engaged) release the handbrake slowly as you depress the gas pedal to get more power to the wheels(not too fast or you end up rear-ending the car in front). You should then begin to lurch forward allowing you to resume driving up.
The steeper the incline, the harder it would be to do this driving technique. Going down the same incline, use the engine for additional braking power (the process is aptly called engine braking which is quite complicated but necessary for economic engine operation) by selecting lower gears (1st and 2nd ) which has lower gear ratios that stops the vehicle aiding the brakes in the stopping of your vehicle. Others tend to use the clutch as a method of preventing the car from going backwards, which is not only dangerous for you can stall the engine suddenly sending you into trouble (it is also a sure way to burn out your clutch sending you for costly repairs to the clutch system and even the transmission).
Note: If you think the angle of the climb is greater than what your brakes can handle; do not continue driving up for you might not have enough braking power to stop in the hanging position sending you crashing into the vehicle behind you. Stay at the bottom till there is enough distance for the engine to get enough power over the top. Keep your hands on the handbrake so you can get additional braking power in case you do stall. Still not convinced if you can do the routine, try it on a steep driveway or somewhere traffic isn’t so hard like the bridge in the park away from traffic.
You’re driving down the road and as you come upon a corner you sudenly realize the brakes aren’t doing any good and the vehicle continues going forward, what do you do?
This is a real-world scenario that causes many accidents year after year and as with many other car troubles, totally avoidable (most of the time that is, there is the 1% in the 99% reliability of your brakes that it can fail without any apparent reason). The key is maintenance, for if there has been sufficient maintenance on the vehicle meaning all safety and vital systems are inspected on a regular basis, there should not be any problems like this. Maintenance gives owners a chance to find problems as they begin as with brakes, yoi can see fluid from the brake system on the pavement or on the wheel rims. Hoses might be cracked or for the unfortunate few, that rock or piece of steel you ran over might have severed a brake line (actually hose) and your car is bleeding vital brake fluid needed to stop safely. Enough of the sermon and back to the point, What do you do?
First, any sign of trouble whe in a car, hit the flasher lights to tell everybody that something is wrong. Check the area in front of you if there are any vehicles in the way, if there are then you have to find spot to go to without hurting anybody else. If you are on open road like the interstate or highway, you can try pumping the brake which might give you some stopping power and use the hand brakes intermittently till you get to a full stop, ideally off the road on the shoulder. Using the handbrake is effective, but do it slowly for pulling hard can cause the rear tires to lock and spin you in many ways than one.
The point is, to keep you calm for panic causes you to loose your objectivity. Most modern cars have dual brake systems where the front driver’s side wheel and the rear pasenger’s side wheel are connected and so are the opposite two. You can brake (but you might have to push a bit harder on the pedal) even with one system down and use the handbrake to augment them. For some more important information check out the NSC fro more details
Keep safe, drive carefully and get home safe.
Many people hit the road without knowing the basics. They go to driving school to learn, pass the test, get their license and go on driving. Many do not realize the danger that driving without the proper knowledge is crazy and irresponsible. We see it all over the news, a poor driver with a stalled vehicle, on the side of the road, struck by oncoming traffic because of the mere fact the other driver can’t see the broken down vehicle. Sad indeed, most of these tragedies end in fatalities that can be avoided if they knew that the two pieces of reflectorized triangles at the back of your car were placed there to save your life and possibly the life of the driver who can run you over.
For those who didn’t know they have two colors, one yellow and one red, why, well the yellow one is supposed to be placed about twenty feet farther than the red one which is supposed to be placed at least ten feet from the stalled vehicle. The yellow one attracts drivers of on-coming traffic that there is something wrong. just in case they don’t see the yellow one, the red one comes into view which means, “MY CAR’S BROKEN DOWN, GET OUT OF THE WAY!” They are now made of plastic which also serves a purpose, when on-coming traffic does not see them and runs them over, it will catch their attention and alert them that something is wrong ( I assure you that they would notice it) and hopefully get them to steer away from your car in time. Hopefully even if they run over the plastic triangles it catches their attention enough for them to get them to avoid hitting your stalled vehicle and injuring you both in the process.
Here’s an article from ehow.com on how to drive a car with manual transmission.
* STEP 1: Look at the floorboard; you’ll see three pedals. From left to right, they are: clutch, brake, gas.
* STEP 2: Study the simple diagram on the top of the gearshift, which will show you where the gears are. In most new cars, this will look like a three-legged H. First, third and fifth gears are at the tops of the legs; second, fourth and reverse gears are at the bottoms. The crossbar of the H is neutral.
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In the never ending story of how GPS has allowed drivers and travelers alike to get to their destinations faster and easier, another addition to the saga of the errant GPS and their likewise errant drivers. As in previous posts regarding GPS and their ability to go wrong (extremely wrong) and give wrong directions drivers in the UK have had their common sense so to speak driven out of them as they drive into bridge overhangs and other structures which were not taken into consideration by the GPS mapping systems. The article came to my attention from Gadzooki which has a post dated on the 18th of April which shows hilarious yet serious statistics of drivers running into bridges like the ones shown in Mr. Bean cartoons and movies. These drivers trust their high-tech GPS navigation devices so much they forget to keep their eyes on the road and mind structures their vehicles may encounter. GPS has indeed made driving a pleasure by giving the right directions and even telling us when and where to go but it would also be a good idea to consider and include real-time traffic and positional data (not forgetting to take into consideration the location of low lying bridges and structures that may not accommodate the various types of vehicles that are on the road) which is already in some advanced high-price units.
