Safe Driving Tips! Essay, Research Paper

Find a good driving position. Position the seat so you can just hang your wrist over the top of the steering wheel when you extend your arm. Adjust the head restraint so it’s directly behind but no touching your head. Hold the wheel symmetrically, at about 3 and 9 o’clock, so you can steer left or right quickly and precisely. If you drape your arm over the top of the wheel, the air bag can break your arm or push it into your face if it deploys. Keep up with traffic if conditions permit. A wide disparity in speeds is dangerous. Avoid clumps of cars on the highway so you’re not involved in someone else’s accident. Keep track of traffic. Look far down the road and keep your eyes moving to spot any problems before you reach them. Check your mirrors frequently. Keep thinking of possible traffic emergencies, and plan escape routes. The left lane is a passing lane, not a “fast” lane. Keep right except to pass. Don’t try to block speeders; leave the policing to the police. Signal lane changes as well as turns. When you’re stopped in traffic, waiting to turn left, keep the wheels aimed straight ahead until the way is clear. If you wait with the wheels cut to the left, someone could hit you from behind and push you into incoming traffic. If you’re in the right lane of a multilane highway, you can help entering traffic merge safely and smoothly by temporarily moving over a lane if traffic permits.

Slow down to a safe speed before you enter a turn. Hard braking in mid-corner can upset the car’s balance. If your car has an antilock brake system, the pedal’s vibration and rumbling noise could startle you the first time. Don’t wait for an emergency; on a rainy day, find a deserted, slippery road or empty parking lot and hit the brakes hard enough to actuate the ABS, so you’ll know what it feels like. A recent study found that using a car phone while driving quadruples the risk of having an accident. The risk was the same for “hands-off” phones as it was for phones people hold to their ear. Don’t stare at approaching headlights. If you’re being blinded, focus on the right shoulder of the road. Don’t drive when you’re sleepy. If your eyes tend to stay focused on one spot, that’s a danger sign. Pull over as soon as you find a safe place and nap for a few minutes.