Driving Tips

There are some things which I feel rather strongly for and thats the good thing about having a blog to rant about it. Today's topic: Driving tips.

Since I've been sitting shotgun for quite a few rides recently, I've had the pleasure of 'noticing' how other people drive. While most people believe they are above average drivers, the fact is, that can't be true! Anyways, heres some tips which I hope can help my fellow drivers.

1. A good road driver is one who drives smoothly, and driving is a carefree motion.

Think about it. A smooth ride is much more enjoyable than a rushed, jerky ride (unless rush for time, then the cause of the problem is something else) Many times I have seen drivers who see the red light in front by about 200m, and still continue to accelerate till 50m to the red. That, my friends, is bad driving. Unnecessary acceleration wastes petrol, for no real gain in work done. You just managed to reach the red light quicker.

Similarly, some people enjoy tailgating. Maybe they like to scare the drivers in front. Ok. But more often than not, the passengers in the car would be more afraid. People are more afraid of things out of their control, so while it may feel alright to the driver, it may not to the passenger. Tailgating = lots of braking and accelerating. you are just wasting expensive fuel, and adding on the global warming, again for no gain bar a minor ego boost (which no one really cares)

2. Learn the macro, but master the micro.

Macro is pretty much the route map to take. Knowing the route, the quickest, smoothest, least traffic, least lights, etc. These are not mutually exclusive. Many times, the shortest distance is the most packed. It's always better to go on main roads as the traffic lights are in your favour. Some times it's a game of percentages, other times it's luck. And after driving the same route often, you will realise which lights are in sync. Usually it is timed to the main roads.

Learning the macro comes with experience, especially knowing all the short cuts to somewhere else.

But more importantly, master the micro. Defined as the near space within the car. ie front back left right. Know the environment. It will help so much to attain smoothness of driving which is tip 1. Know the car lengths and widths well. If in doubt, ask your passenger to get down and check for you (esp when doing blind reverses, or areas where you can't see) Put your pride aside. Learn how to park properly, within 1 adjustment. As a passenger, one is able to tell within 5 mins of a ride whether the driver is a good driver or not. If you enjoy the ride, he/she is pretty much a good driver.

Don't forget, you aren't the only person in the car. You are also responsible for their safety, so do not take unnecessary risks, esp when driving others around. There was once I drove quickly into a rather narrow section as a truck was taking up part of my lane. To me its quite routine because I know the car's width quite well, but it shocked the hell out of the gf. haha. It kinda frightened her, so I guess it could be nasty if I drove some old fogeys around. So yeah.

3. Overtaking. The key is anticipation.

Overtaking is something we all do often, but somehow not quite good enough. Everyone, including me, can improve much more on this area. But the 1 tip I would encourage people is to ..... Focus on the front, and not so much on the side.

Remember, you are travelling FORWARD. even if you wish to cut right, the main motion is FORWARD. the immediate space in front of you (most likely within metres to another car, you impatient fella), harbours the most danger. Only when you can safely presume the front car wouldn't do a e-brake, then you can start focusing on the left/right.

So many times have I noticed drivers looking left/right once they catch up with a car and wants to overtake, or just to switch lanes. And when the front car brakes slightly, the brake lights lit up so brightly in front, and now you are the one doing a e-brake, even more so than the car in front. This happens to me too, and I'm still trying to correct it somewhat.

The key is anticipation. Know your micro-environment. I personally view the mirrors every 5-10s, depending on mood. haha. But it gives you a clear picture of whether any cars are zooming into the lanes on the side, or any bikes coming along. So in the case you need to make a quick lane switch, it is done with absolute smoothness. Signal, check blind spot, and bear left/right. (Note: don't bear too drastically, as if you were turning! Its jerky and uncomfortable, though it could be fun for you....) As long as you keep track of the micro-environment, lane switching is really an easy matter.

Like a racer, you should always be more concerned with the car in front, than the car to your side. Always remember that. In any case, if you veer right, the car on the right can horn at you, but the car in front can't! you're always worse off being the rear car in accidents.

Find a gap while you are cruising. when the gap comes, signal, move into the lane slightly 1st, blind spot, and go. shouldnt take more than 3 seconds. If you master the micro, you can do 3 lane changes in say 400m , easily. Remember smoothness is key.

4. While smoothness is key, be alert when the need arises.

When it's time to be kancheong, or more alert, sit up. Especially rainy days, or red light cameras. Decide on a path and go ahead. Think about it, a summon sometimes is a much cheaper price to pay than an accident. In any case, I would recommend always having a CD of songs that really get your heart pumping, just to wake u up sometimes during a long/boring drive. AC/DC usually works for me, but to each his own.

Remember too, always always take note of bikers and m-cyclists. It's very dangerous for them, and don't make it even more so with reckless driving.

Haha. Obviously I did feel quite strongly about the driving thing. Do you think my recommendations are valid?

Aside: more ERPs! 85% of motorists will have smoother rides. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Does that mean that 85% of all my drives will be supposedly smoother, or does the 15% just belong to those who drive from 1am-6am? I'm rather wary of these so-called projections. Maybe these jams will make people more inclined to ride motorcycles/bikes, which traditionally have higher %s of incidents compared to 4-wheels. This is not a desirable effect. Maybe I will think of alternative solutions and post them at a later time.