10 most bad habits of inexperienced drivers

There is no shame in being a novice driver - even Yuri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong took driving courses at some point and got used to the car. The only problem is that some mistakes that are made due to inexperience can become a lifelong habit.

Here are the 10 most common mistakes. Consider how to get rid of them.

Correct landing

In the past, driving instructors had to spend a lot of time teaching students how to sit properly in a car. This is a rarity these days - and for good reason, because in the event of an incorrect landing, the driver puts himself at great risk.

He will get tired faster, which will decrease his attentiveness. In addition, with an improper landing, it is not so convenient to operate the machine that it will play a cruel joke in an emergency.

What does it mean to sit correctly?

First, adjust the seat so that you have good visibility in all directions. At the same time, you should calmly reach for the pedals. The legs should be at an angle of about 120 degrees - otherwise your legs will get tired too quickly. When the brake pedal is depressed, the knee should remain slightly bent.

Hands should rest on the steering wheel at position 9:15, that is, at its two most lateral points. The elbows should be bent. Many people adjust the seat and steering wheel so that they ride with straightened arms. This not only slows down their reaction, but also carries a higher risk of collision fractures in a head-on collision.

Your back should be straight and not tilted back almost 45 degrees, as some people like to drive.

Phone in the cabin

Writing and reading messages while driving is the worst thing any driver can think of. Probably everyone did this at least once in their driver career. But the risk this habit carries is too great.

Phone calls are also not harmless - in fact, they slow down the reaction rate by 20-25%. Every modern smartphone has a speaker - at least use it if you don't have a speakerphone.

Another problem - the driver puts the phone in the glove compartment or on the panel. In the process of movement, the communication device may fall, which distracts the driver from controlling the machine. Even worse, when the phone is in an inaccessible place (put in the glove compartment, so as not to distract) and starts to ring. Often, instead of stopping, the driver slightly reduces the speed of the car, and begins to search for his phone.

To prevent such a situation from distracting from driving, keep the phone in a place where it will not fall even with a strong maneuver. Some experienced motorists in this case use a pocket in the door, a special niche near the gear lever.

Seat belts

In addition to the penalty, an unfastened seat belt greatly increases the risk of injury in an accident. And this applies not only to front passengers, but also to passengers in the back seat - if they are not fastened, even in a moderate impact, they can be thrown forward with a force of several tons.

Driver in business suit fastens his seat himself automobile seat belt

When a taxi driver tells you “you don’t have to wear a seat belt,” he actually calls you to put your life in meaningless risk. Yes, the mount restricts the movement of the passenger and driver. But this is a good habit.

Rebuilding

For novice drivers, any maneuver is difficult, and the lane change through several lanes to the intersection is extremely stressful. It is advisable to avoid them at least at first, until you get used to the machine, and its management will not cause stress.

GPS navigation can also make life easier for beginners, even if they know where they are going. For example, she may tell you in advance where to rebuild so that you do not have to perform maneuvers at the last moment.

Left Lane

This item applies to everyone, not just beginners. Its essence is to choose the lane with the mind. Sometimes there are even such instructors who explain to their students that they can travel around the city where they want. The rules really do not oblige you to move exclusively in the right lane, but the recommendation is this: stay as right as possible, except in cases where you need to turn left, or take the lead.

If you are not being rebuilt to turn left, try to drive in the right lane as far as possible and do not disturb those who drive faster than you. Some are trying to "help" the reckless people stick to the high-speed mode, moving along the left lane according to the rules of the high-speed mode in the city. Only police officers are allowed to monitor who is moving at what speed.

Many of the accidents in the city are due to someone blocking the left lane and someone trying to outrun him at all costs, even to the right, and then explains to him what he thinks of him. When the left lane is unloaded as much as possible, this makes it easier for ambulance, fire engine or police car drivers to get to the place of call as quickly as possible.

Parking brake

Its function is to secure the car when it is parked. But more and more young drivers think that a parking brake is not needed. Some even heard the hints of the instructor that the brake can “freeze”, “stick together”, etc., if it is activated for a long time.

In severe winters, there is indeed a danger of freezing in older cars. But under any other circumstances, you need guidance. Not always enough to prevent the speed of the parked car to prevent arbitrary movement.

Fatigue behind the wheel

Professional drivers are well aware that the only way to deal with drowsiness is to take a nap. No coffee, no open window, no loud music helps.

But newcomers are often tempted to try these “ways” to be able to finish their journey earlier. Often in this case, it does not end exactly the way they wanted.

In view of the serious danger of getting into an accident, always be prepared to take a break for half an hour if you feel that your eyelids are becoming heavy. If possible, avoid driving too long. The risk of an accident after 12 hours driving is 9 times higher than after 6 hours.

Engine warming up

Some young drivers may have heard that in winter the engine must first warm up before undergoing heavy loads. But in fact, this is true for all seasons.

However, the first time after a downtime for a motor, it is necessary that all its elements are sufficiently lubricated before a heavy load is exerted on them. Instead of just standing and waiting for the fan to work, start a slow and calm movement a minute after starting until the operating temperature reaches the optimum degrees.

At this moment, active driving is harmful to the motor. Suddenly depressing the gas pedal while the engine is still cold significantly reduces engine life.

Loud music

The driver should forget about high volume while driving. Not only because a song with dubious content coming from your windows will immediately cause dislike of others. And not only because loud music has a bad effect on concentration and reaction speed.

The main harm of maximizing the sound is that it prevents you from hearing other sounds, such as your car's alarms, the approach of other vehicles, or even the sirens of an ambulance or fire department.

Researchers at Stanford University have also shown that different musical styles are reflected in different ways. If you're listening to heavy metal or techno, your concentration gets worse. However, baroque music, such as Vivaldi, actually enhances it.

Sound signal

Often, motorists use it for different purposes: to tell someone that the green light of a traffic light has already lit up; greet a friend accidentally discovered in a traffic jam; “Exchange compliments” with another driver who didn’t like something, etc.

 The truth is that the rules only allow the signal to be used when necessary to avoid an accident. For other cases, use other means of communication.