Driving

Common failure points

  • narrow roads where vehicles need to scrape by
  • entering and exiting parking
  • merging into and out of highways
  • passing cars
  • stalled vehicles or building vehicle jams (need sudden decrease in speed)

Safety

Passenger safety

  • Seat belts
  • headrest adjustment to prevent whiplash

Anticipate dangers

  • Scan surroundings using mirrors often. Emergency conditions requiring quick response may arise.
  • Look at tires making the turn, don’t trust the driver’s signals.

Maintain alertness

  • switch lanes, even if unnecessary.
  • Scan the radio.
  • Travel with copilots.
  • Schedule regular stops.

Burglary of contents

Reduce attractiveness, increase difficulty

Hide things. Never leave plastic bags etc.. in plain sight - Thieves can think that it contains something precious.

Park the car in well lit areas, visible from windows of apartments, with high pedestrian traffic. Do not park next to the dumpster etc.., where the view is obstructed etc..

Minimize damage in case of break-in

Hide precious things. Hide tools near the spare tyre, below the trunk floor.

Prosecuting the thief

Maintain a record of the serial numbers of the items you store in the car: just photograph it, for example. Thieves try to sell these things in a pawn shop; and they run these serial numbers by the police.

Be comfortable

  • Reason
    • Under discomfort, mind wanders, stupidity occurs.
  • Keep head warm: beware striking wind
    • Stress–physical or otherwise–tenses the muscles in your neck, and you get stiff neck.
  • Water
  • Reduce sound from wind
  • Cruise control
    • Avoid foot ankle pain.

Obey traffic rules

हेतु-स्मरणम्

increases chances of survival, avoids unnecessary agitation of the mind.

Pay tolls

Use toll tag or cash. Alternative (mailed fines) is costly in time and money

Positioning

Use reference points- ideally >2

  • Lane markers on either side
  • Silehoutte of the car ahead

Speed control

  • Maintain 3 to 5 second distance to next car.
  • Drive at traffic speed: not too slow or too fast. Especially entering a highway.

Lower in error spots

Reduce speed and be careful at points of frequent mistakes.

Adjust to weather conditions

Dry brakes with slight pressure

Change lanes, passing

Passing vehicles - dangerous recurrent activity.

Rejoin only when you can see the wheels of the passed vehicle in the rear view mirror.

Don’t pass more than one car at a time.

Don’t change lanes too close to a curve - Can’t view/ be viewed by traffic in the other lane

Be wary of stopped and turning cars

attuned to the expectation of moving cars, you may change lanes and collide with the car.

Emergency

Emergency vehicles

Drivers in either direction must stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping kids. Same with emergency vehicles.

Personal

Stop safely.

  • blowout or stalling
    • stay level-headed, don’t apply brake or take foot off gas pedal; slowly coast to the side of the road.
  • brake failure
    • Use emergency brake, with button pressed in order to avoid locked wheels;
    • try shifting to lower gear
    • look for something to rub (not crash) against.

Signal

  • In case of breakdown: Raise hood, tie white cloth to door handle or antenna, start emergency flashers, setup warning signs.

Stay in the car or in a safe spot.

Roadside assistance program

  • AAA or ARP

Text to speech GPS

Carry destination’s phone number. Remember reason - Small businesses move often

Parking

Goals

  • Parallel parking: Within 1 foot of the curb.
  • When opening the door, ensure that other vehicles going along the road are not obstructed.
  • No obstruction to other cars, driveways, fire extinguishers etc..
  • If there are cars in adjacent slots, don’t use the lines on the ground for guidance. Instead, aim to have your car body parallel to the adjacent car. Ensure that you have enough space to open the door.

Location

Also see the section on burglary avoidance, for choosing a secure parking location.

Remember the location of the car in the parking lot.

  • Try to park on the same side and the same row every time, if possible.
  • After you park, deliberately state and memorize its location.

Angular Parking

Approach positioning

Realize that rear of the car follows a smaller arc during sharp pivot-like turns. Just because the front part of the car did not hit a pillar does not necessarily mean that the rear of the car will do the same. Align the car with the parking spot properly before moving in.