Category: Tips

Tips for new drivers

Driving with a foot out the window

This picture was sent to me by a loyal subscriber, and I thought I’d share with you.  Any thoughts?

I’m going to go ahead and say I think this is a bad idea.  The driver definitely cannot use that side mirror, which they may need seeing as they are travelling on a multi-lane road.  I think there is a possibility that this passenger could easily snag this limb on something passing by.  And can I just mention airbags?  I think in the event of an accident if that passenger side airbag deploys, this person will have serious problems.  I am thinking you can go ahead an visualize just what the consequences might be.  I know it’s summer, and we like windows down, and we want to be comfortable.  There is no way this will be comfortable if any of the above mentioned things were to happen.  Think people, think.  I’m guessing this may also be a distraction to passers-by, worried about this person and the future of their limbs.  Thanks for your consideration, and please keep hands and feet inside the ride at all times.

Slow in, fast out

Students often ask me, “I’ve been sitting in the backseat of cars watching other people drive for the last 16 years.  Why do I have to sit in the back of yours?”  Well, you have to because the state says to, and it’s part of our graduated licensing program which is a series of steps between you being a non-driver and a fully privileged driver.  I can say that one of the best things that comes from the experience though, is seeing that everyone makes the same mistakes, and that I give everyone the same advice, (in the same tone of voice.)  The advice I give most often is definitely, “Slow in, fast out.”

Lots of students have a hard time with the new steering technique, having not seen people do it very often and learned without even knowing it to copy their parents and friends.   They get very caught up in what to do with the hands, where they should be on the wheel and how to be smooth and quick and still accurate.  They all think I’m crazy when I tell them that most of their issue is actually with their right foot.  Smooth speed control in the turn is usually the real problem.

Most new drivers carry too much speed into a turn.  They need to slow down much more than they think they do before the corner.  The sharper the turn, the more they need to exaggerate this.  I tell them often that you can always speed back up again if it is too slow, but if it is too fast, you have no recourse.  Too much speed will carry the car wide in a turn.  It makes it hard to stay on your own side of the road and feel in control.  They can tell half-way through that it doesn’t feel right, and then they abruptly take their foot off the pedal, which makes the car jerk.  They think that they have made a mistake with the hands to cause the jerk, but really it’s that foot.  They need to be nice and slow going in, ease through the middle of a turn, and not accelerate until they have the car pointed the way they want it to end up.  As they come out and gently accelerate, then they can allow the wheel to slide through the fingers and return to center all on it’s own.  Once the speed is in the right place, the hands will be much easier to work with.  Parents and students alike can tell that a turn doesn’t feel right, and if everything in the car is falling over to one side, and the driver is having a hard time staying in their own lane, this is definitely the answer.

I’ll leave it there, so you can think the same thing about this article.  It started slow, and it’s fast out.

Tailgaters

Lots of people complain about tailgating, and I have found in my career that new drivers are often extra paranoid about cars behind them. They have grown up listening to their parents complain about slow cars, and they are very worried about holding up people behind them or getting rear-ended. I usually tell my new drivers that if you can still see both headlights of the car behind you, they are further back than you think.

The right way to keep what we call a good following distance and not become a tailgater, is to follow the three-second rule. If you are travelling down the road behind another car you always want at least three seconds between cars. Now I know some of us, (ehem, older folks,) learned some strange thing about having ten feet for every ten miles per hour of speed, which is not a bad way to judge if you posses some idea of math and spacial awareness. I’m not that good at figuring out how far I am especially at high speeds. An easier way to tell is to watch the car in front of you. When they pass a stationary object like a shadow, line on the road or mailbox, start your counting. When your car gets to that same point, you stop counting. Make sure you are counting actual seconds, so count Mississippi’s or hippopotamus’ or something to ensure actual seconds pass. You want to have reached at least three seconds by the time you get to that same shadow, line or mailbox. More is good, less is bad. I found this great video clip to demonstrate how and why:

 

We’ll chat another time about the concept of why on earth anyone would tailgate a drivers ed car.  Thanks!

Head Check

If you are going to change lanes, pull out from the curb, or make any other lateral, (sideways,) move, you are going to need to look over your shoulder.  This is called a Head Check.  Mirrors are great, and they will help a good bit, but there is this pesky thing called a blind spot where a whole car can hide.  Even if you adjust all of your mirrors properly, there is still a spot right off the rear quarter panel that you cannot see.  It’s about where your gas cap is.

If you are the blue car, the dark red triangle behind you indicates what you can see in your rear-view mirror.  The light red shows what you can see in your side mirrors.  The red car to your right in not in either of those areas, which means you cannot see it in any of your mirrors.  The only way to see this red car to your side is to actually turn around and look.

Keep both hands on the wheel.  Sometimes it helps to pull down on the wheel with both hands a little bit.  Even weight in both hands will help you keep from turning the steering wheel while you turn around.  Pick up your shoulders off the seat by leaning forward  a bit.  Whichever direction you are going to go, look over that shoulder.  For example if you are changing lanes to the left,  you will begin by turning your chin to your left shoulder.  You will be  looking between the head rest and the pillar that holds up your seat belt, where your door closes.  You need to look all the way over that shoulder, just a glance to your left will not work.  If you are looking to the right, you will be looking over that right shoulder between the seats, through the back window.

Make sure you give yourself long enough to really see what is back there, and be thinking about what you are looking for.  Include motorcycles, pedestrians, and other vehicles.  Then look back to what is in front of the car.  I know we do not like the idea of looking behind us while we are driving forward, but it is critical.  The whole thing should only have your eyes off of the road for a total of about one second, so as long as you have ample room in front of you before you begin this maneuver, you will be fine.  It will take some practice to keep your speed and lane position consistent while doing your head check.  Practice while you are at a stop light or in your driveway to get the feel for where you want to look and how to move your head without moving the rest of your body.  Beginners often swerve with the whole car as they look over their shoulder.  We tend to drive wherever we are looking, so be sure to stay calm and only move your head, keeping your arms still.

A little practice will have you doing head checks like a pro.  This is not something you are just doing as a beginner, or something you will outgrow.  Every driver should do this every time they move over.  Convex mirrors will also help with the blind spot.  The are rounded out so they help you see further out next to your car.  They are a useful after-market tool.  They are not expensive, and easy to apply to a side mirror.  But, I still believe that even with a convex mirror, the safest way to make a lateral move is to actually look over your shoulder.

 

Sharing the Road with Pedestrians

 

In my home town, there have been a number of people lately posting, (read complaining,) about pedestrians.  I love that I have such an active, healthy town where lots of people like to spend time outdoors walking with friends, walking dogs, pushing strollers, and jogging both alone and in groups.  I often wish I could be one of them as I roll on by in the driver’s ed car. There are a few safety concerns though.

Rules for pedestrians:   

  • Always walk facing traffic, that means the left side of the road.  This way you can see cars coming and move over if you need to.
  • Be visible.  My nice police officer friend likes to say, “High Conspicuity.”  It’s really fun to say, go ahead, try it. It means to be conspicuous, stand out.  Wear bright clothes, reflective gear, head lamps that make you look like a coal miner, or carry a light if you’re out early or late.  
  • Don’t take up the whole road.  It’s OK to walk two people next to each other, but no more.  Be aware of your surroundings, and if there is not a sidewalk or wide shoulder, maybe choose to walk single file especially when you see or hear cars coming.

Rules for drivers:

  • If a pedestrian is on your side of the road, they are your problem.  You cannot just swerve around them into oncoming traffic and hope other cars will get out of your way.  You should slow down, wait for traffic to clear, then safely go out and around your pedestrians. Please be careful.
  • If a pedestrian is in a crosswalk with a walk/do not walk signal, they should be waiting until the light tells them to go.  If there is no signal, a pedestrian in a crosswalk just plain has the right-of-way, and you need to stop for them. You should be actively looking for pedestrians as a driver when approaching a crosswalk.  
  • If you are on a road with more than one lane, be thinking about crosswalks. If you see a car in the lane next to you stopping, have a thought in your head if there could be a pedestrian you cannot see through that other car who might be stepping out.  Be ready.

 

Let’s be courteous to each other out there both as drivers and pedestrians.  Be safe!

Top 3 Beginner Driver Mistakes

 Easy Fixes for the Top 3 Beginner Driver Mistakes

 

  1. 10 and 2

    Yeah, we don’t do that anymore.  With the advent of airbags, having your hands in front of the steering wheel becomes very dangerous.  In the event of an accident involving the airbag, you would punch yourself in the face breaking your nose and wrist.  The hand-over-hand steering parents learned is a thing of the past. Now, we use the pull-push method. Hands should be at the 9 and 3 positions if the wheel were a clock.  Hands will never go above that position or be in the top half of the imaginary clock at all. Instead of using one hand to push the wheel up and over the top of the wheel, the opposite hand will pull down to the imaginary 6 o’clock position, to be met with the other hand which will pull the rest of the way back up to the original 9 or 3, and the first hand also returns to it’s original position.  Repeat as necessary to navigate the turn. This is a much smaller, more controlled motion. With practice you can do this just as quickly and smoothly as the old way parents learned. Be open minded to it, and don’t over-think. Video link. (The video would have you position your hands higher than recommended, but the motion is correct.)

 

  1.    Difficulty making smooth starts and stops

Video games and golf cart driving have convinced teenagers that they should really step hard on the pedal to make a car move.  Instead, they should first try just taking a foot off the pedal to see how much it will move without the gas at all, and then bring it back to a smooth stop by keeping their right heel on the floor and squeezing gently with their toes.  Yes, we only drive with one foot, the right foot, (unless you are among the few, the brave, to try driving a standard transmission car!) Once they can do this smoothly, try a gentle acceleration using that same method of squeezing with the toes to get a feel for how much pressure to put on the pedal to make the car respond.  This is called threshold braking (works for the gas pedal too,) and it will also help minimize the differences between one car and another. Each car has a different feel, and it takes a minute to adjust. A good driver is a smooth driver.

 

  1. Driving too close to the right side of the road

When you are new to driving it feels like there is not enough room for everyone on the road, and oncoming traffic looks scary.  It makes sense that new drivers will hug the right side of the road. Time and experience will teach them that there really is enough space for everyone, and other cars do not want to hit you either.  We also, as drivers tend to drift where we are looking. Look up and out as far down the road as you can see, and it will be much easier to stay in your lane. Parents – remember too that you are not used to sitting in the passenger seat, and sometimes you drive just as close to the mailboxes without realizing it.  Perspective is everything! Hang in there and this one will clear up with just a little practice. Video link.