7 Main Tips For New Drivers From Professionals
If you are new to driving you must be looking for some advice on how to keep yourself and others safe on the road. There are so many trips and tricks that you can follow and these tips will keep you alert even when you have got your license.
Here are 7 main tips for new drivers from professionals to allow you to be more careful when you are steering the wheels of your vehicle.
Let’s begin with some of the easier stuff that you probably take for granted.
- Adjusting your seat
What is the first thing you do when you get in your car? You might be thinking about adjusting your mirrors and a few other things. But the most important thing that you must do when you first get into your car is to adjust your seat. Of course, when you adjust your seat properly, only then you can make adjustments to your mirrors according to your line of sight.
You have to make sure that your seat is adequately adjusted according to your body and comfort. It will make your driving experience less exhausting no matter how long or short your trip is. Adjust the height of your seat so that you can see the dash panel as well as the road clearly without stretching your head.
You can always use a cushion on your seat to make your position in a way that you can see the panel and the road easily. You can also make adjustments to your seat’s incline for this. The inclination angle of your seat needs to be around 100 to 110 degrees.
The headrest should be in a position so that your head can be right in the middle of it. It will allow you to prevent any head injury and of course you can be more comfortable during your ride.
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- Adjusting your mirrors
Now that you have adjusted your seat, it’s time to turn your attention towards the mirrors according to your line of sight.
Lean left and get yourself close to the side window (as close as possible). Now, adjust the window until you can see your vehicle’s rear fender.
For adjusting the right-side mirror, you will have to lean towards your right so far that your head is right in the middle of your vehicle. And adjust the right mirror so that you can see the rear fender here too.
For the rearview mirror, you have to keep it in a position where you can see the road behind you smack in the center of it. You should be comfortably seated and don’t lean yourself to either side to make adjustments to the rearview mirror.
- Hand positioning
We can’t emphasize this more than you need to position your hands on the steering wheel all the time. You shouldn’t have your hands’ busy texting, or on the radio to skip songs. There is nothing more important than your safety.
While you have your hands on the steering wheel, make sure that you can see all the instruments on your dash panel. Also, make sure that you have at least a gap of 1 foot between the panel and your body.
Keep your hands slightly lower than your shoulders and place them on your steering wheel at “9” and “3” positions according to the steering wheel clock analogy. You can imagine your steering wheel like an analog clock and place your left hand at 9 and right hand at 3.
Some people also prefer “8” and “4” and that is good too. But don’t go for “10” and “2” because it can send your hands into your face due to airbags in case of an accident.
Now, let’s talk about parking, the Achilles’ Heel for most of the new drivers out there. We’ll talk about the 45-degree parking before the parallel parking, the most confusing one of them all.
- 45-degree parking
When you go to an aisle and you see the cars parked in a slanted position this is 45-degree parking. The spots need to be slanted towards you and not away from you. When you go the other way, prepare yourself for an embarrassing struggle.
Now, move to your left as far as you can and keep moving until your right mirror is lined with the left tail lamp of the vehicle that is on your right-hand side. Then turn your wheels to the right and pull into your parking spot. If you have a long vehicle you might have to straighten it out a bit for a perfect fit.
- 90-degree parking
90-degree parking or perpendicular parking where the cars are parked in a straight line. And again, you can start by going as far as you can on your left. Try to be on your left as far as you can and watch out for other vehicles passing by.
You have to align your right-side mirror with the right-side line of your parking spot. Now, cut the wheel to your right and pull into the spot. Again, if you have a longer vehicle, you might have to straighten your vehicle slightly by turning to the left.
- Backing up into a parking spot
Some people pull right into a parking spot and others back in. you might have to do both based on the circumstances.
First, you have to locate the spot where you are going to get back in your vehicle. You have to make sure that other drivers around you know what you are going to do. You can do this by turning your flippers on and watching out for the vehicles on your front and back.
Check your mirrors that you have adjusted correctly earlier on. Now, throw in reverse gear and turn your vehicle slightly to the right and give a little bit of acceleration backward. Carry on moving back and then start to straighten your steering wheel as soon as your rear wheels are directly in line with your parking spot.
Keeping checking your side mirrors so you don’t bump into any cars near you. Once you are aligning with your parking spot, straighten your steering wheel and continue going back until the front of your car lines up with other vehicles. Park it and you are done.
- Parallel parking
It’s time to talk about the fear of most drivers and the type of parking that they prefer to avoid the most, parallel parking.
First of all, you need to find a spot where your car will fit right in. make sure that the space available is at least one and a half times the land of your vehicle. Drive-up next to the car that is in front of you once you are done. Now look over your right shoulder through your back window. Start driving backward straight.
When you can see the left corner of the car in front of you start turning the wheels towards the right. Now, look into your left side mirror and see the full front of the car that will be behind you once you are parked. Straight the steering wheel and slowly back up your car.
Using your right mirror, when you see the tail lamp of the car in front of you, start turning your wheels left and you will start moving into the parking spot.
Park the car parallel to the curve and give yourself enough room between the car in front of you and the back. If you have a larger vehicle then you will have to drive up to the car in front of you a little further.
There are a few more driving tips that you can learn and further improve your driving skills by watching this video:
Final Thoughts
Driving can be nerve-wracking but if you follow these simple tips, you can drive comfortably and of course, get your license in no time. Some people even find it difficult after they have got the license. But if you continue to follow these tips and practice more you will be up and running in no time.
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