Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Driving

Peter Righter
August 27, 2011

When driving it can be easy to make mistakes unless you are concentrating. Having taught thousands of driving lessons we know all too well the mistake that people make on the road. Below is our top 5 mistakes that are made while driving.

Faulty Mirror Position

The art of defensive driving requires that you maintain a continual awareness of your surroundings. This is easily done with your mirrors provided you take care to set them in the proper position. Your mirrors should be set to enable you to quickly observe them without taking your eyes off the road in front of you for more than a second and with minimal head movements. Often drivers do not take mirror position seriously and end up moving in awkward positions just to get a suitable view. Your side mirrors need to be angled outward to an extent that you can just barely see the side of your own car. This will eliminate much of your blind spots.

Riding the Brake

Your brakes have a very tough job. After all, they are required to slow a fast moving vehicle weighing thousands of pounds. This is compounded when going downhill or decelerating rapidly. If you find yourself continually applying pressure to the brake pedal simply to control your speed, then your brakes will wear down very quickly. The purpose of a brake is to stop or significantly slow your car, not to maintain a certain speed. Use less gas to prevent over speed. If you are going downhill, then try to shift to a lower gear and let the engine compression handle the rest.

Make Easy Turns

Turning your car seems easy, but there is actually a lot of physics involved in a simple turn. As a vehicle changes direction, stresses run through the entire structure of the car creating fatigue and wear in certain areas. Even though most cars are designed to handle this, it can still diminish the overall lifespan of your car. It can also be a safety concern if your turns are too wide and too fast. Observe and remain in the confines of your specific lane. Otherwise you will make the common error of wandering into another lane and potentially causing an accident.

Seat Yourself Properly

As drivers become more and more accustomed to driving, they become more relaxed and comfortable. They may slide their seats back or recline too much. This may seem like a cool way to drive, but in reality it makes drivers much less capable of avoiding an accident. Taking a nonchalant posture defeats the idea of defensive driving which is the key to avoiding critical accidents. Adjust your seat so you are upright and can easily see the road. Keep your arms in a position allowing good control of the steering wheel.

Careless High Beams

Brights are quite nice when driving in the dead of night but can be very annoying to oncoming traffic. It's easy to get used the added visibility provided by high beams and this can cause drivers to become complacent. High beams should only be used during special occasions such as remote roads void of city light. There is simply no need to use them in an urban location. Even still, when driving down winding country roads, a blast of light can easily disorient an oncoming vehicle. Take care when using them and maintain a constant vigil for oncoming cars.

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This article was written by myWheels Driving School which is one of the best Brisbane driving schools. We also have the top driving instructors in Brisbane whose main focus is to provide driving lessons tailored to suit your needs. See more at http://mywheelsdrivingschool.com.au