Behind the wheel
Competent driving technique also depends on the correct seating of the driver. Casual, relaxed fit (in particular, when the driver sticks his left elbow out the window or leans his body on the left door, and holds the steering wheel with one hand) does not ensure the constant readiness of the driver for quick and clear actions in the event of a sudden change in the situation on the road. Proper landing - the driver leans quite tightly on the back of the seat, the legs are not fully extended when the pedals are fully depressed, and both arms, slightly bent at the elbow joints, are located on the steering wheel. The position of the body should be stable, but not tense - this prevents rapid fatigue.
Sit at the wheel at ease, holding the steering wheel lightly. Do not squeeze it, like a vice, until the fingers turn white - excessive effort and nervous tension only tire the body. Make it a rule when driving on straight sections of road to keep the steering wheel in the range from ten minutes to two to fifteen minutes to three, corresponding to the position of the hour hands. This makes it possible to drive the car without any effort and instantly respond to changes in the situation on the road.
The clarity of the driver's action in driving a car largely depends on the form of clothing, especially in winter. Clothing should be light, loose and comfortable. It is not recommended to use ski or climbing boots, felt boots, high fur boots. Their bulkiness makes it difficult to quickly control the pedals. Difficult to control the pedals and any shoes with high heels.
Preparing the car for movement
Before leaving the garage or parking place, check the technical condition of the car. The 8-10 minutes spent on this can more than compensate for all the time lost on troubleshooting along the way and increase your safety. For this:
1. Check and adjust the air pressure in the tires. Tire pressure difference is only 0.2–0.3 kgf/cm2 impairs the controllability of the car, and when braking can lead to its skidding.
2. Check the oil level in the engine crankcase and top up if necessary.
3. Check the levels of coolant, brake and washer fluids and top up if necessary. Tanks with these liquids are made of translucent plastic, which allows visual control of the level.
4. Check the serviceability of signaling devices and lamps of external lighting devices.
5. Check the operation of the windshield wipers and washers, parking brake.
6. Inspect the parking lot. The presence of traces of oils and operating fluids under the car indicates the leakage of its components and assemblies. In this case, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the cause of their appearance.
7. When moving from a parking lot, check the serviceability of the service brakes.
Driving tactics
The tactics of driving a car is the ability to choose the right mode of movement, where the main indicator is speed. It is the wrong speed limit that is the most common cause of traffic accidents. The complexity of the correct choice of the speed of movement lies in the fact that it requires the simultaneous consideration of various factors or, in other words, a comprehensive assessment of the conditions in which the movement occurs. The ability of the driver to fully cover the entire set of moving and stationary objects that are important from the point of view of traffic safety, and at the same time exclude from his attention all objects that are not related to the movement that fall into his field of vision (e.g. billboards, buildings set back from the road, etc.), are the main condition for the correct tactics of driving a car. For the same purpose, it is not recommended to hang or fix amulets, souvenirs, etc. in the areas of the windshield and rear windows and on the instrument panel, which reduce the driver’s view and additionally distract not only his attention, but also the attention of other road users. It should be remembered that with increasing speed, the driver's field of view decreases. So, at rest, the field of view is 120°, at a speed of 30 km/h - 100°, and at a speed of 100 km/h - 40° ("tunnel vision").
In no case can speed be determined by whether you or your passengers are in a hurry. It is necessary to firmly grasp this and, even in the most urgent cases, choose the speed only in accordance with the situation. In this regard, a very important quality of the driver is restraint, which allows him to remain calm and not succumb to someone's wishes to go faster, regardless of the specific situation.
After a long break from driving (winter period, illness, business trip, etc.) it takes some time to restore skills. In this regard, perform several training trips to sections of roads with a minimum traffic load.
Be a good psychologist and be critical of your mistakes while driving.
Only self-criticism and introspection will help you avoid repeating such mistakes in the future.
Overcoming puddles
When driving through puddles, you need to be extremely careful, as they can hide pits and bumps on which wheel disks or suspension parts can be damaged. In the event that you are moving along an unfamiliar road, it is better to let another vehicle pass ahead, and by the way it overcomes the puddle, it will be possible to judge the condition of the road. If this is not possible, get out of the car and use any object (stick, rod, etc.) measure the puddle along the intended trajectory of movement. Move through the puddle at the lowest possible speed. The dashing overcoming of puddles, as a rule, ends with the ingress of moisture on the elements of the ignition system and the engine stops.
Driving in rainy weather
Moisture can get into the ignition system components and stop the engine when driving on the road during heavy rain. A good and reliable way to prevent dampening of the elements of the ignition system is their pre-treatment with water-repellent preparations such as "Unisma" or "Auto-lubrication VTV-1" in aerosol packaging or their foreign counterparts.
Pay special attention and caution in the first minutes after the onset of rain, as moistened dust on the road surface forms a soapy film that sharply reduces the grip of tires on the road.
Regularly while driving, lightly brake the car to dry the brakes, as the effectiveness of damp brakes drops sharply.
When overtaking, turn on the windshield wiper to the maximum mode - this will help to avoid loss of visibility due to the possible release of water from under the wheel of the vehicle being overtaken. It is advisable to apply such precautions even if you are overtaken.
Do not overtake in rainy weather if the water cloud from under the wheels of the vehicle in front completely blocks the view of the overtaking zone.
In order not to move in the water plume from the vehicles in front, increase the distance and reduce the speed of movement.
When driving along sidewalks during or after rain, when driving through puddles, slow down so that spray from under the wheels of your car does not fall on pedestrians.
Driving at night
At dusk, turn on your headlights. If your car is painted in a dark tone, turn on the dipped beam a little earlier, since your car is invisible against the background of dark asphalt and its appearance for oncoming drivers becomes unexpected.
When driving at night, the driver sees only a limited section of the road and requires increased attention to drive safely. It has been noted that with age, a person needs more illumination to recognize an object. For people over 20, it doubles every 13 years. Consequently, a driver at the age of 60 sees almost 8 times worse at night than at the age of 20. In accordance with this, the speed of movement at night should decrease in proportion to the age of the driver.
If you are blinded by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, slow down or better stop without changing lanes and turn on your hazard warning lights. Beware of blind driving - it is very dangerous! Keep in mind that it may take up to 10 seconds to restore the ability to see after being blinded.
If you follow a vehicle ahead at night and do not intend to overtake it, switch to low beam and keep a distance from it so that you do not disturb its driver with your headlights.
Movement in winter
Be very careful on wet or slippery roads - do not allow sudden braking with the risk of blocking the wheels, which will inevitably lead to a skid. To this end, drive the car smoothly, without sharp turns. Slow down only by gradually shifting to lower gears with partial braking with service brakes. If, despite everything, the car begins to skid, turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid, do not touch the clutch and brake pedals, and remain calm.
In places where roads cross, ice often occurs due to wheel slip when starting off. Therefore, when approaching such places in a dry area, start slowing down in advance.
In winter, it can be difficult to start on a slippery surface. To do this, turn on the second or third gear and, slowly releasing the clutch pedal, gradually increase the engine speed. If you need to make a turn, after the car has started moving, shift into first gear and go through the turn with the engine running "tightness", without slipping the drive wheels.
In mountainous area
When driving uphill, switch to lower gears in a timely manner, without allowing the engine to run "into tightness" and jerking of the car.
On long descents, use the engine in braking mode with partial use of the service brakes. Do not descend with the clutch disengaged and using only the service brakes, as this will cause the brakes to heat up and the brake fluid to boil. Keep in mind that as altitude increases, the boiling point of brake fluid decreases. Boiling brake fluid in the wheel cylinders means a complete failure of the service brakes - the brake pedal fails.
If in the mountains you want to stop at a parking lot near viewing platforms or a recreation area, then after a long climb, do not immediately stop the engine to avoid boiling of the coolant and fuel in the carburetor, but let the engine run for 1–2 minutes at minimum idle speed. This will make it easier to start the engine later.
As nowhere else, in mountainous areas, keep to the right side of the road. The smaller width of the road and the complex profile of the track require more attention and caution. At turns give sound and light signals. When stopping on an uphill or downhill, turn the steering wheel all the way out so that in the event of a spontaneous start of the vehicle’s movement, it rests on a curb or other obstacle.
On a slippery road, do not start driving up a steep hill until the vehicle in front has reached the top of the hill.
Using the brakes
Learn to brake smoothly without locking up the wheels. It is even better to use smooth braking with service brakes while shifting to lower gears. This technique ensures vehicle directional stability even on slippery road sections and, in addition, contributes to fuel economy, increases the life of tires and brake linings.
Experienced drivers, regardless of the presence of additional brake lights, anticipating the possibility of applying service brakes, first touch the brake pedal several times before the brake lights come on, in order to draw the attention of drivers following him, to be ready to slow down.
The braking distance depends on the reliability of the braking system itself, the state of the tire tread, the vehicle load, the road profile, the type and condition of the road surface, and the speed of the vehicle. The braking distance increases in proportion to the square of the speed, i.e. if the speed doubles, the braking distance increases fourfold.
If, with serviceable suspensions, adjusted front wheel alignment angles and normal air pressure in the tires, when braking, the car pulls to the side and you need to turn the steering wheel to maintain the direction of movement, it is necessary to revise the service brakes.
Getting behind the wheel of another car for the first time, check the operation of the brakes on a free section of the road at speeds of 40, 60 and 80 km / h, which is necessary to assess the condition of the brakes and acquire the first skill.
To avoid "sticking" brake pads to the drums, do not park the car for a long time with the parking brake on.
To prevent brake pads from freezing to the drums after driving on wet roads with sudden temperature fluctuations, do not leave the car in an open area with the parking brake applied without drying the brakes by gently braking when driving to the parking lot.
Tires
Sharp accelerations and decelerations, insufficient or high air pressure, neglect of wheel alignment, imbalance, driving at high speeds on rough roads, incorrectly set front wheel angles significantly reduce tire life. On worn tires, driving becomes dangerous, because during rain the tread at a certain speed does not have time to let water through, the tire runs into a water wedge that drives ahead of itself, and loss of traction occurs (hydroplaning effect).
Driving a car equipped with an automatic transmission
When driving a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, pay attention to the following points.
When the vehicle is accelerating, the engine will run at a higher RPM, which is normal and typical of an automatic transmission.
To quickly increase the speed of movement, it is necessary to press the accelerator pedal to the stop and hold it in this position for a while. Increasing the engine speed and lowering the gear ratio in the gearbox will quickly increase the speed of the car.
If the pressure on the accelerator pedal is reduced, the engine speed will decrease regardless of the vehicle speed. This is normal and will result in significant fuel savings.
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