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Drive in the left most lane if you want to drive slowly
Clogged roads, countless red lights, never-ending traffic snarls and then the constant threat of bad driving can make a drive more than frustrating. Be that as it may, patience is still a virtue. After all if there is indeed a jam on your side of the road then moving on to the wrong side will not make you move any quicker. You’ll only help clog traffic some more. Not to mention you’re putting yourself and others in harm’s way as you block the path of oncoming traffic. Stopping in the middle of the road or slowing down is another common avoidable error. We bring you ten such.
The right most lane of the road is the fast lane, and is meant for overtaking. If you have lots of time and want to take it easy, move to the left lane (slow lane). Don't hold up faster traffic.
People are and will always be curious. Naturally, they want to know why there's a crowd by the side of the road near an accident site andhow badly people might be injured. But trust us, such rubbernecking often tends to lead to more accidents as the driver shifts his eyes away from the road in front to see what's happened by the side of the road. It is the police's duty and responsibility to attend to road accidents. If you can't resist the urge to help too then pull over and do so.
The horn in your car is meant to let you attract the attention of other road users who may not have seen you. As such the horn is meant to help you avoid an accident. It is not an instrument that gives you right of way. If there is a traffic jam in front then no amount of honking is going to make you move faster. Continuous and insistent honking also creates stress in others and is a sign of the driver succumbing to road rage. Honk only if you need to let other road users know of your presence. And do so with a short honk rather than one long blast of the horn.
Driving is entirely dependent on how far ahead you can see. For it is on this alone that all judgement sare based. Naturally, driving in the dark, therefore, is a tricky affair. While headlamps have gotten better and better, especially with the invention of HID lamps and halogens, they are still a long way from reaching daylight illumination levels. On dark roads make sure you are driving such that you can stop within the distance illuminated by your headlamps, for that is the distance you will get between the car and the hazard.
You need to turn left and the car ahead is not moving fast enough. Reason enough to overtake, cut across its front and take the left turn? Not quite. By doing so you will put your car and yourself at risk of collision as you force the other driver to brake hard to avoid hitting you as you cut across his front. The simple, and of course safe, solution would be to wait a little while behind the other car and then turn in as you reach fork in the road.
Riding the clutch is when the car is driven with the clutch partially engaged. When you drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal rather than on the fl oor or the dead pedal the clutch is unable to fully engage with the flywheel, leading to premature wearing out of the disc and flywheel. This, in turn, results in reduced clutch life. Move your foot away from the clutch as soon as you've shifted gears.
While signalling before a turn is a good idea, it is equally important not to signal when there is no need to. Having the indicator switched on when you're driving straight is confusing for other drivers and leads to errors in their judgement and hence, accidents. Although all cars have indicators that cancel out automatically after the turn has been executed it's best to check once that they've switched off. Also, remember never to drive with the hazards on as this too can confuse other drivers.
If the car behind you has pulled out to execute an overtaking manouevre it is not a gesture of aggression. It simply means that he may have spotted a gap that you have not or is in more of a hurry. Do not accelerate as he tries to overtake. In doing so, you will be altering the factors on which he has based his overtaking manouevre, thus creating an environment where an error in judgement can occur easily. This, in turn, leaves you and the other car open to a potential accident, especially if there are other vehicles ahead. Instead, you might even lift off a little to help him overtake safely.
If the other side of the intersection is clogged then you will be stuck in the middle of the junction should you enter the crossing. This will only help you clog the intersection even further as you block the other lanes with your stationary vehicle. Enter the junction only when you're sure you can cross it completely without needing to stop in the middle. While this means you might miss a green signal, it does ensure that the intersection remains free. It also gives time for the other end to clear up.
Apart from being an obvious distraction playing loud music also acts like an insulation layer and isolates the driver from the road outside. As a result the driver may fail to hear a warning honk or notice other warning signs on the road. Not to mention, loud music also lends to aggressive behaviour in drivers, which again creates a whole new set of problems. Play music by all means when you're on that long drive. But just be sure to keep the volume to a level where it neither distracts you nor cuts you off from the world around you.
