Defensive Driving Tips
Watch the Traffic Signs
While driving, you should pay attention to the road signs. This will help you stay within the speed limit. Unlike most drivers, you shouldn’t do what the drivers ahead of you are doing. They may not be following the traffic rules. Make sure you don’t cross the speed limit or you may be at a higher risk of having an accident.
Keep a Distance
Keep a distance from the vehicle ahead of you. This will help you prevent a collision in case you have to apply brakes all of a sudden. If you don’t maintain enough distance, you may end up hitting the vehicle ahead of you.
If you are driving on icy roads or roads that are covered with snow, you may want to leave more room as you will take longer to stop. Vehicles tend to slip on icy surfaces when breaks are applied. So, keep this in mind.
Don’t Drive in Bad Weather
Bad weather may cause accidents. So, we suggest that you don’t drive when it’s raining or snowing. This is more important for beginners. Driving at night is more difficult so you need to be more careful. However, you can driver at night if you have an expert driver with you. They can teach you how to drive in bad weather. Once you are confident enough, you can drive at night as well. However, you should avoid driving in bad weather to be on the safe side.
Don’t Make Haste
At times, while driving you may be in a situation where you may not know whether you should pass or let the other driver pass. This can happen in a four way stop. In this type of situations, you may want to let the other person have the right of way. In the worse scenario, if you and the other drive pull out at the same time, you may have a collision. So, it’s best that you wait a few seconds before you pull out.
Save Fuel Without a Driving Limit
The simple trick to using less gas is not to drive less, but to drive smarter. And a smart driver (YOU) makes sure they are staying current with all their factory scheduled vehicle maintenance. This includes fluid changes like motor oil, coolant, windshield wiper, and power steering. But also includes services like tire balancing and rotation, brake pad inspections and replacements, cabin filter replacements, air filter replacements, comprehensive inspections, and more.
Aside from what your trusted mechanic can provide for your vehicle in terms of routine maintenance, there are many things you can do yourself to keep your ride in tip-top condition, allowing it to utilize fuel efficiently and perform for years to come.
Take initiative into your own hands with DIY car care. There are many duties you can implement on your own to continue vehicle maintenance in between regular scheduled mechanic visits. You can start by making sure your tires are always properly inflated. When they are not, your vehicle must work harder to assume the same level of performance, which uses more fuel. Also, be sure to periodically inspect the gas cap for damages. This can cause fuel to vaporize into the air.
Another way to use your fuel efficiently is to obey the speed limit and accelerate slowly. This also protects several components of your vehicle, allowing optimal performance and safety. Last, try emptying the trunk and backseat of unneeded materials. This can reduce the overall weight of your car, thus reducing the amount of gas it needs to operate.
Although there is no magical way to truly “drive more and use less“, with routine car care you can optimize your vehicle’s fuel economy, which essentially delivers the same financial gratification. Talk to your trusted automotive service technician about your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule. You may refer to your vehicle’s owners’ manual for additional information as well.
Driving With Satellite Navigation
One area that people seem to put the satellite navigation is at the top of their windscreen right in the centre, have you thought how dangerous that could be as you are limiting where you can see, if you put it anywhere on your window screen this will at some point distract you as you want to know where to go along the road.
People are unaware of where it should go legally as a lot of people think and do not read where it should go.
While driving the correct position for your satellite navigation is in the bottom right-hand corner of your windscreen, in this area you have a lot more vision of the road ahead.
Just think if you were to put it somewhere else how would this reduce your vision and would you be able to see, can you see from all angles for any hazards that could come your way.
So what would be the best place for your satellite navigation device? For me, the best place is not to have one but to plan your journey before hand. Look at the good old-fashioned map book plan a route that you will be taking but also plan other routes for any traffic problems or if you get lost on the route you are doing. If you think you are lost pull over in a safe place and look at your faithful map.
Things that have happened in the past with just relying on your satellite can be very bad, from following a satellite and not looking at your surroundings then driving your car into a lake. This person was not looking through the windscreen he was looking at the device which told him there was no lake. But this lake was made only 3 months ago and the satellite programmers had no idea it was there when the did the last update.
Beach Driving
My first advice is to ensure that your tyre pressures are adjusted correctly. By letting your tyres down you increase the surface area of the tyres and the vehicle floats on top of the sand better, rather than sinking down. Most people that get stuck don’t have their tyres down enough. For most vehicles, in between 15 and 20 PSI is the right pressure for sand driving. For the lighter weight vehicles, you can easily go down to 10 PSI without a drama. Just make sure that you don’t turn too quickly.
My second piece of advice is never spin your wheels in sand. If you stop moving and you continue to keep the wheels turning, your vehicle sinks lower, and lower until you are well and truly bogged. The moment your vehicle stops moving you should stop the wheels turning, and you can guarantee getting out is going to be 10 times easier. The most difficult recovery on a beach is when someone has dug themselves down to the chassis rails. I prefer not to shovel sand for hours, but that’s exactly what you end up doing when you allow the wheels to spin.
My last piece of advice is to ensure that you always have a way out. I always advise travelling with a second vehicle. With the use of a proper recovery kit (including a shovel) you will be able to get out very easily. If you want the simplest, quickest and safest way to recover a vehicle on sand, in the mud or in the snow, a set of sand ladders like Maxtrax are the best choice. They might not be cheap, but they will get you out time and time again.
Off-Road Driving
Off-roading is an enjoyable hobby that many people enjoy on a weekly basis. There are trails, parks and climbing areas that were specifically designed with off-roaders in mind. These trails are often located in beautiful areas that feature some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. When off-roading you should take care not to cause any unnecessary damage to the trails and leave them the way you found them. We are going to provide you with some helpful off-roading tips that can make the time you spend on the trails all the more enjoyable.
- Know What Your Vehicle Is Capable Of – Many vehicles that come straight off the lot are not off-road ready. It is important that you are always aware of the ground clearance of your vehicle when off-roading. There are a lot of rocks, trees and other objects that are commonly present on any off-roading trail. If your vehicle is not high enough trying to drive over a non-threatening rock can cause severe damage to your vehicle.
- Know Where Your Wheels Are Pointed – No matter what type of terrain you are off-roading on it is very important that you are always of aware of your wheel position. During off-road driving there are a lot of steering corrections that need to made in order to safely maneuver through a trail, during the course of driving you may become confused as to which direction your front wheels are pointing, if you are at a critical part of a climb and you are not sure if your wheels are facing the correct direction you can always lean out the window to check. This can save you from crashing into a rock or tree or becoming stuck.
- Never Go Alone – There are many things that can happen while you’re off-roading. It is highly recommended that you go off-roading with friends and have radios in each vehicle that will allow you to stay in contact in case anything should happen to your vehicle. It is also good to know that if you should become stuck or if your Jeep should break down on the trail that there is always going to be someone there to help.
Off-roading is a great way to spend the weekend, but to ensure that you remain safe you should follow the above suggestions. Never attempt any climb that you feel your vehicle cannot handle safely. There is a lot of fun to be had on off-road trails and parks, but always be alert you are not the only vehicle out there.