So you’ve got a car. Great! Now you have to deal with driving on Indian roads. Not so great. Our roads are chaos and mayhem wrapped in noise. And sometimes, they’re even under water. How do you deal with all this? ‘With extreme caution’ sounds like a good idea. However, there are a few things you can actually do to make sure you’re making your life and that of other motorists’, a little bit easier. Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive. Following these tips also do not guarantee that you’ll never get into an accident. Use these to become a safer driver. Spread the information so that you can help everyone improve.
You’re doing it wrong!
Most people like to think that they’re good drivers. It’s everybody else on the road that is the problem. They also believe that they know how to take care of their car. But chances are you’ve been making these mistakes without realising that they’re actually mistakes. Here’s a quick list to keep in mind for the next time you’re on the road.
1) Not paying enough attention
On roads like ours, this is something you just cannot afford to do. And yet, you’ll see examples of this everywhere, increasing the potential for disaster. So if you’re taking phone calls, playing music with the volume really high, daydreaming, counting stars, talking to friends, checking on your dog or absolutely anything other than focusing on driving, you’re not paying enough attention to the task at hand. Of course, if you’ve noticed all this while driving, you’re just as guilty. Focus. Getting rid of every distraction isn’t possible. But paying more attention helps. If you think you can handle a car while doing any of the above things, you’re wrong.
2) Paying attention to the wrong things
Being alert is all-important. When you’re driving, you’re usually headed somewhere. It’s natural to check out signs for directions. But this may cause you to drift about. If you’re looking too far ahead, you may not notice that the car in front of you has stopped suddenly or is slowing down. Our roads are filled with distractions. Pay attention to the right things.
3) Using hazard lights in low visibility
You’ve definitely seen this one. Every time visibility is affected, either by rain, or fog, on come the hazards. This is something you definitely shouldn’t do. Switch on your tail-lights. How else will the car following you know when you’re changing direction? Use hazards only when you’ve suddenly slowed down or have come to a stop on the road.
4) Not knowing where to go
If you need to figure out where you have to turn, pull over, check your route and then head out again. Do not be like the geniuses who figure out they need to go right halfway through a left turn. If you’ve made a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. Go ahead and circle back safely and legally.
5) Hogging the passing lane
The lane on the extreme right isn’t a fast lane. It’s called the passing lane and should be used as such. Pass the car in front of you, and then move back into the left/middle lane. Of course, in cities with insane levels traffic, this may not always be possible, but this rule should be fairly easy to follow on highways.
6) Holding the steering wheel
A lot of cars these days come equipped with airbags. Holding the steering wheel in the traditional ten o’clock and two o’clock positions doesn’t work anymore. In case of a collision, the airbag will deploy and you’ll end up with a rather explosive face palm. Nine and three or even eight and four
are the recommended positions today. Nine and three on the clock could even give you better control of the steering wheel and give you easy access to steering-mounted controls. Just don’t get your arms locked while turning. When you need to turn, pull the wheel down in the direction of the turn while pushing it up with the other hand. This way your arms never cross.
How many of these mistakes are you guilty of committing?
