Perform a task often enough and it becomes a routine . With enough geometrical regularity and repeat , that routine becomes a habit , and once it ’s hardwired into your brain , you ’ll sometimes do it without conscious thought . A lot of the actions you take while driving are unconscious habits – I mean , how often do you reallythinkabout push in the clutch or brake pedal point as you start your car ?
unluckily , there ’s no dearth of bozos on the road whodrive like total dicks and make the road a potential minefield for the eternal sleep of us . All the more reason to exercise ceaseless vigilance and focus on developing good drive techniques . Here are 10 driving habits you should contain into your daily commute – it ’s by no agency an magnification to say they could one sidereal day salve your life .
Vary your daily route
Back when I was in college , I had a professor whose area of speciality was counterintelligence , and he left an indelible mark on my daily drive practices . His suggestion – to take a different route home every solar day to see how much more detail you commemorate from the tripper – works for the accurate paired reason of every other tip in this article . By breaking from your tired subroutine , you force your brain to snap out of your automatic , flat commute , and you ’ll yield better tending to the route and your environment .
Keep your hands at 9 and 3 (not 10 and 2)
I ’m not order driver ’s ed wastotalcrap , but far too many number one wood were teach to keep their hands at 10 and 2 . If you ’re among those following thisutterly false , unsafe beat back myth , align to 9 and 3 and you ’ll notice a globe of remainder – it feel more natural , becausethe steering wheel was actually designed for it . And unless you ’re engage a hard right turn or pulling into a parking spot , you should n’t move your helping hand around on the wheel too much .
Pretend you’re driving a limo
Always be smooth , and try not to make any sudden , jarring movements in braking , turn , or acceleration . You ’ll be safer , because it take concentration and preparation to get smoothly . You have to brake earlier , ease off the pedal reasonably before you actually get to your turn , and be open-eyed for potholes , bumps in carrefour , and other potential dangers to steer well-defined of or move through more lento .
Lookpastthe car in front of you
When you read the road onwards , count multiple car length beyond the railway car in front of you . Look to the left-hand and proper of it , and even through the front windshield if you may . visit through the gaps in dealings allows your brain to process more entropy , since the big object nearer to you are easy clean up by your peripheral sight . You ’ll in all likelihood start up braking for severe situations even originally than that motorcar you ’re behind , and that ’s a very reassuring feeling .
Don’t let your neck lead your hands
Many hoi polloi , when turning to agree a unsighted spot , unconsciously begin to turn the direction wheel as they stretch out their neck opening . The oddment resultant is that you start the lane variety not only before signaling , but before you even know it’ssafe . Consciously separating the actions of your cervix from those of your workforce corrects the problem , and in time you ’ll find you are n’t even thinking about it , but are still look , then signaling , then commute lane .
Check your tire pressure with religious fervor
I ’ve already write about thebenefits ofcorrectlyadjusting your tire pressureto get better , more consistent handling on your machine . Really , you should check your tire pressure sensation every single calendar week , for two fundamental reasons : first , if you have a irksome leak , you ’ll know about it and be able to get the tire patched up before it blows . Second , the air in your tire follows the laws of physics ( duh ) , and force per unit area decreases with temperature . As a very loose rule of thumb , for every 10 - arcdegree drop cloth in line temp , your tires ' force per unit area will drop by one PSI . Each sentence you reach the gas post , see in with your tyre pressure to keep your elevator car treatment at its just .
Check your mirrors and gauges constantly
This is driving 101 , and frankly , if you ’re not already checking your mirrors every few seconds , I really do n’t want to share the route with you . Assuming you ’ve adjusted your mirror in good order , scanning them not only becomes accustomed , but you ’ll be unconsciously aware of the relative location of the vehicle around you . Tracking your gauges means you ’re more likely to anticipate if something bad is about to happen automatically – and at the very least , you ’ll never have to worry about how far it is to the next petrol station . This is called situational cognisance , and it ’s kinda useful when all snake pit breaks loose .
… and your blind spot before you put your blinker on
Er , you do train your blind spot and apply turn signals , right ? If you ’re perpetually rake your mirror , you should already bonk no one ’s there , and checking is but backup . You shouldnever rely on your car ’s sensorsto secernate you if the coast is clear , and if your railcar ever has to warn you of an insecure lane change , you ’ve fail at this .
Do your own shifting – even in an automatic
One of the most popular arguments in favour ofdriving a manual transmissionis the higher level of driver engagement : it ’s harder to get distracted if you have to stir constantly . That ’s prominent logic , but it does n’t apply solely to manuals . If you treat an automatic as though it were a manual and change over for yourself , you thrust yourself to pay that much more attention to your driving . Why anyone would be match to that , aside from reason of laziness , is beyond me .
Tidy up the loose junk in your car
You should never have loose objects in your car for a nearly endless list of reason . First and first of all , they ’re rocket in the result of an stroke , or even heavy braking . If they ’re heavy enough , they can discompose your car ’s balance when they move during a bend . only using the cargo net from your car – or buying one if you do n’t have one – is a major help here . No matter how piddling the item , securing it before you motor is worth it .
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Mariusz Szczygiel/Shutterstock/Oren Aks/Thrillist
Tara Miller
Tara Miller
Tara Miller
Tara Miller
