DAILY SPRINGS: Valuable Safe Driving Tips

By Emmanuel Chiedu SB |

On my way back from work I was entertained with a little drama, two drivers almost came to punches because of the carelessness of one of them.

The truth is while majority of the fault dwells on driver one who hit emergency break, driver two could have avoided all of it if he knew some of the driving tips I will share with you today. I believe that safe driving behaviors breed safer drivers.

It is always good to be prepared for the unexpected when driving. The driver in front of you might be the problem, but you must be prepared to avoid or overcome it. Follow these driving tips by racv.com and you’ll help reduce your risk of being involved in a crash as well as improve your personal safety as a motorist.

POWER CHECK
When checking your vehicle, the POWER check is the easiest to remember. This stands for Petrol, Oils, Water, Electric, and Rubbers. Everything under each heading should be visually checked at least once per week.

TWO-SECOND GAP
At all times maintain a two-second gap from the vehicle ahead, no matter what speed you are travelling. When it is raining, a foggy night, or any combination of these, the gap should be doubled to four seconds.

SAFETY GAP BETWEEN VEHICLES
When you stop behind another vehicle in a line of traffic, always ensure you are able to clearly see the bottom of the vehicle's rear tyres. This ensures you are not too close to the other vehicle. Also, as you commence to move your two-second gap will already be in place.

INDICATE EARLY
Where practical, use your indicators for at least 30 metres before commencing to turn or change lanes, to tell other road users what you will do.

DRIVE WITH ANTICIPATION
Expect the unexpected and be aware that we all make mistakes sometimes. The other driver may forget to indicate, or to look to see if you are near by. If you have anticipated this may happen, it will not be a surprise.
We should be driving as a team, not as individuals, be prepared to let the other driver in, rather than blocking them out.

STOP AT LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS
When you stop at the lights or at a stop sign, your car should be behind the thick stop line. There are some intersections, where if you stop over the stop line and a truck or bus turns into the street that you are leaving; it will collide with your vehicle.

PLAN AHEAD
Always plan well ahead. Your line of sight should travel parallel to the road, not down onto it. This makes it easier for you to prepare for anything that may happen long before you get there.

OVERTAKING
Overtaking is probably one of the most dangerous manoeuvres a driver can perform, especially on a two-way carriageway. Quite often the vehicle you overtake is only travelling slightly slower than you are. Make sure that you have enough room to go well past the overtaken vehicle before you move back to the left. Don't cut them off.

NEGOTIATING A CURVE
When you are negotiating a curve in the road, try to flatten the curve out as much as you can. This will give you a better view around the curve, a smoother path and it will decrease the potential of the car commencing to skid. For a left curve, approach as near as is safe to the right of your lane, when you can see where the road straightens out ahead, gently move across to the left of the lane and finish back in the middle of your lane. Use the opposite sequence for a right curve.

NIGHT DRIVING
Night driving can be quite difficult. Oncoming vehicles' headlights can dazzle you and you must keep alert to the lights and reflectives of cyclists and motorcyclists. Pedestrians can be impossible to see. Traffic lights can appear to blend in with advertising signs.

Leave yourself more space from the car in front, as this will create more time for you to be able to see what is ahead and prepare for anything that may happen.

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