TIPS FOR DRIVING SAFELYAND EFFECTIVELY

No matter how much experience you have behind the wheel, driving can be an absolute rollercoaster experience if you don’t use common sense and follow the rules of the road.

So before going anywhere with your car, it’s best to prepare yourself for what lies ahead, be it traffic, potential accidents or even unexpected car problems.

Here are some driving tips to keep you safe within the confines of your vehicle – and get you to your venue without a hitch.

Plan your route

Always include a route that allows for travel on secondary roads should there be massive trafficbuildup on the paths you normally use.

The MMDA has a Twitter account that broadcasts traffic conditions every 10 minutes.

For further traffic updates, AM radio stations DZMM (630 khz on your car’s AM band) and DZBB (594 khz on the AM band) in particular have traffic updates every hour atop the hour.

(Image: www.mmda.gov.ph)

Do your pre-flight check

Always check your engine’s internal fluids before leaving. You can easily tell if a certain part has trouble due to the droplets on the asphalt or garage floor that your car leaves when it’s parked.

A black liquid (often shiny during rainy conditions) means that your car’s engine is leaking oil. A green or rusty brown liquid means that your car’s radiator is leaking coolant, and may overheat.

Also check your tires before leaving, both for tread wear and tire pressure.

Follow your car’s recommended tire pressure and always keep a tire pressure gauge handy in the car.

As for tread wear, stick a 25-centavo coin in the tire tread. If the tread doesn’t halfway cover the “Republika ng Pilipinas” phrase on the coin, the tires need to be replaced.

Always practice safety

The risk of blunt force trauma – due to your body hitting the dashboard or windshield – is reduced when you and your passengers wear their seatbelts. Plus, it’s the law!

If you drive with children, always place them at the rear seats, whether they’re in a child safety seat or not. Kids sitting in the front seat are at risk of severe head injury or death if the airbag deploys.

Keep a distance of one car length between you and the vehicle in front, two to three car lengths if you’re on an expressway.

If you cannot see the silhouette of the rear tires of the vehicle in front of you, you’re too close.

Also, don’t use your mobile phone while driving It gives you a longer reaction time, particularly during braking and traffic signal alertness.

It also impairs your ability to stay in the proper lane, and shortens the distance between you and the vehicle in front.

Adjust the driver’s seat

Make sure that the driver’s seat is adjusted in a way that you can turn the wheel at full tilt left or full tilt right. To do this, imagine the steering wheel as a clock face.

Put both arms forward at the steering wheel’s 12 o’clock location, and adjust the seat so that your wrists are atop the steering wheel’s 12 o’clock.

Once the driver’s seat position is set, place your left hand at the ten o’clock side and your right hand at the two o’clock side of the steering wheel.

That way, it is easy to turn the wheel without crossing your arms.

This position is a massive help if you’re driving at speed (60 kph or more) and something or someone suddenly gets in front of the car, or if your brakes and/or tires fail.

Maintain proper steering position

When turning the steering wheel, don’t cross your arms. For example, on a right hand 90 degree turn, use your hand at the ten o’clock side of the wheel to “push” the wheel’s rim and the front end of the car in the direction of the turn.

Simultaneously use your hand at the two o’ clock side of the wheel to “pull” the wheel’s rim and stabilize the car.

If you deem that just one full turn is lacking, rapidly put your hands at the ten o’clock and two o’clock sides of the wheel, and repeat the process.

Never use one hand to maneuver the steering wheel.

Should someone or something get in front of the car, you won’t be able to easily maneuver away from the potential prang.

Mind the clutch

If you are driving a manual transmission (m/t) vehicle, do not ride the clutch – meaning, don’t rest your left foot on the leftmost pedal or clutch pedal every time you accelerate.

It wicks away the clutch lining, which serves as a heat insulator coming from the engine to the m/t, and makes shifting difficult.

Also, do not rest your wrist or arm on the m/t stick. Doing so will destroy the rubber bushings that keep the stick in place every time you push a gear into a slot.

If you are driving an automatic transmission (a/t) vehicle in stop-go traffic, do not place the a/t stick on “(D)rive” and step on the brake pedal if you are not moving or won’t be moving for some time.

Instead, place the a/t stick on “(N)eutral”. You preserve the a/t’s clutch lining by putting the a/t stick on “N” when your car is in a standstill.

(Image: www.catalogauto.com)

Wear proper footwear

Don’t wear flip-flops (read: tsinelas) or high-heeled shoes when you drive.

Flip-flops can get wedged under the gas pedal or the brake pedal, and may either get the gas pedal stuck or prevent the car from stopping.

The extended heels, on the other hand, can catch your car’s floormats or carpeting, and may either wedge your shoes to any of the pedals (gas, brake or clutch).

Inappropriate driving footwear can also lump your vehicle’s floormats in such a manner that they become a hindrance to brake pedal travel.

Wear flats or go barefoot instead.

(Image: www.amazon.com)

Don’t drink and drive

Even just drinking two bottles of beer in two hours or a shot of hard drinks brings your blood/alcohol content or BAC level to 0.04 which means your reaction time, peripheral vision, vision depth, and ability to do two tasks simultaneously (such as hand-eye coordination) is severely hampered.

It also gives you a sense of overconfidence, and makes you take greater risks.

If you feel sleepy – be it due to alcohol, exhaustion, driving monotony, or medical drowsiness – go to the nearest gas station or rest stop and get some sleep, preferably a 15 minute nap.

Do not stop on the road shoulder, and remember that a nap is only a stop-gap solution, not a cure-all for driving drowsiness.

Also, don’t get behind the wheel in an angry or stressed condition. It messes up your concentration and may lead to accidents or, worse, incidents of road rage.