Easy Fixes for the Top 3 Beginner Driver Mistakes
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.