Did you know most car accidents aren’t truly accidents? This is because they occur due to a driving error, lack of responsibility or inattention.
If you consider yourself a good driver, never been a part of an accident, never been pulled by the police, it doesn’t mean you should keep driving like this. It’s always a good idea to improve driving and learn how to stay sharp on the road. If you want to buy Dubai cars, check out the CarSwitch website.
Stick to the basics
Do you remember the rules you had to memorize for your driving test? Most of us usually ignore or forget these rules which is bad because some of them are the law. So, return to the basics. For instance, if you’re doing a left turn, go to the left lane on the street you turn to. Similarly, every time you change lanes, signal. While turning right, make the full turn instead of cutting the corner.
Adjust the mirrors
Majority of drivers adjust the side mirrors in order to see the edge of the car. But the edge is already visible by the rear-view mirror. So, the driver should place their head against the window and set the mirror.
As for passengers, they should tilt their heads over the center console and adjust the mirror to see the side of the car. If the mirrors are given these positions, blind spots can be significantly minimized.
S-turn manoeuvre
While turning left, many drivers pull into the left-turn intersection and turn the wheels to the left. This should be avoided. The wheels should be directed straight for safety purposes.
What should be done instead is while entering an intersection from the left-turn lane, go far to the left, about 9 inches. Afterwards, straighten out and direct the wheels in a straight direction. Doing this will offer you a clear view of oncoming traffic. However, this is only possible if there’s another offset lane at the other side.
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No still eyes
If you’re one of those mainstream drivers who stare at a single thing for long, whether the vehicle in front or the road, you need to change this habit. This can develop into target fixation and it can stop you from realizing that you’re moving closer to the front vehicle.
Therefore, check your rearview mirror after each 5 seconds and observe all the other cars on the road instead of only looking forward.
Extra space
The general rule of thumb is to keep the distance of 2 cars between their car and the one in front. But it’s better to have a minimum of 4 seconds distance. According to experts, most drivers leave only 0.8 seconds of space which is insufficient. In 0.8 seconds, you can’t stop the car if the vehicle at front abruptly applies brakes.
If you’re thinking it’s impossible to leave 4 seconds of space in rush hour or that you will reach late or that other cars will sneak in that space, you’re wrong. Not only is it possible but it’ll reduce the braking too.
Training
Majority of drivers take only one driving course at a young age and then almost never again. However, the laws of the road and driving keep changing with the passage of time. Moreover, most senior drivers have formed bad driving habits that are harmful to their safety.
Therefore, it is advised to take a driving refresher course after every 10 years in order to sharpen the skills. It is also important to have more driving tests. For instance, bus and truck drivers should have their driving tested after every 10 years. As for the rest of the vehicles, 10 years is fine.
Safety features
Most of the drivers do not realize the limitations of safety features. Do you think an anti-lock braking system will reduce the braking distance? It won’t. Do you think braking assist will help if there is no attention? It’s anything but foolproof.
Rearview cameras have lots of blind spots but lots of drivers depend on them too much while others don’t learn how to utilize them.
Vision test
Even if you don’t notice, vision gets bad with age. Especially, if a driver wears glasses, they should check their eyesight once every 3 years and after reaching 60 years of age, annually.
Even the drivers who do not wear glasses should check their eyesight frequently.
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