Four Mistakes All Drivers Make
Driving can be a difficult thing, and let's face it even the best drivers make mistakes, but these mistakes can cause huge accidents or even injury. It's time to look at some of the most common mistakes that the average driver makes and correct them in order to save your or someone else's.
While vehicles with four-wheel drive typically do perform better in snowy and icy driving conditions, the technology can backfire by giving drivers a false sense of safety.
Four-wheel drive is used to send the specific amount of needed torque to each of your car's four tires to give it added traction to move forward through snowy roads. That doesn't mean, however, that you can race down the road at top speed in the snow and bring yourself to a quick stop. Four-wheel or all-wheel drive isn't going to give you the traction you need to brake. It can help you get through some difficult conditions, but it doesn't make you SuperSUV.
If you really want to learn how to drive on ice, you might consider flying to Finland and being trained by a former professional racer at Aaltonen Motorsport. You'll be coached on a frozen lake, learning both practical and performance driving tips
Many drivers find themselves caught off guard during the winter's first snow. In fact, the most dangerous day to be on the roads is the day after the first snowstorm. Drivers haven't prepared their cars for the wintry weather, and they've probably forgotten their snow driving techniques from last year.
To ready your car for the winter, check that each of your tires has at least a 6/32-inch (4.8-millimeter) deep tread. All-weather tires can handle most driving conditions, but if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you should consider purchasing snow tires. Check your antifreeze levels and battery power and make sure that your defroster and rear window defogger work.
As far as the inside of your car goes, purchase a snow shovel and kitty litter or sand for digging yourself out of a jam and giving your vehicle traction. Flares, a flashlight and a snow scraper should also be kept in your car. Finally, consider signing up for a winter driving class in your area.
"Driving a vehicle when you are fatigued is as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs," National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said after a fatal highway accident in 2003 in which a college student who had been awake for the previous 18 hours was driving a carload of fellow students at 5 a.m. According to the NHTSA, in 2007 fatigued driving caused the deaths of 1,404 people, and more traffic fatalities occurred during the hours when most people are accustomed to being asleep (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.) than at any other time of day.
Racing, driving faster than the posted speed limit or simply going too fast for road conditions — i.e., speeding — comprises the second highest cause of death in fatal crashes, according to the NHTSA. Once you hit 55 mph, you're in the danger zone: 30 percent of fatalities occur at 55 or above. The worst-case scenarios invariably involve speeding without wearing a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet. Fatality rates for speeding motorcyclists are shockingly high: In 2007, speeding was a factor in 36 percent of motorcycle fatalities. Of those, 41 percent of drivers and more than half of passengers were not wearing helmets (only 20 states and the District of Columbia require helmets).
We are all human, and we all make mistakes but taking the time to understand your mistakes may help save your life. Remember if a storm is approaching check your tires and prepare your car. Don't speed, you don't get there any faster and you waste gas as well as put other people at risk. Don't rely on 4-wheel drive, it is designed to help the driver not drive the car. And finally, never ever drive while drowsy, it will only hinder your judgment and put you in serious risk of an accident.
- 1. Over Estimating Four Wheel Drive
While vehicles with four-wheel drive typically do perform better in snowy and icy driving conditions, the technology can backfire by giving drivers a false sense of safety.
Four-wheel drive is used to send the specific amount of needed torque to each of your car's four tires to give it added traction to move forward through snowy roads. That doesn't mean, however, that you can race down the road at top speed in the snow and bring yourself to a quick stop. Four-wheel or all-wheel drive isn't going to give you the traction you need to brake. It can help you get through some difficult conditions, but it doesn't make you SuperSUV.
If you really want to learn how to drive on ice, you might consider flying to Finland and being trained by a former professional racer at Aaltonen Motorsport. You'll be coached on a frozen lake, learning both practical and performance driving tips
- 2. Under Prepared for the Storm
Many drivers find themselves caught off guard during the winter's first snow. In fact, the most dangerous day to be on the roads is the day after the first snowstorm. Drivers haven't prepared their cars for the wintry weather, and they've probably forgotten their snow driving techniques from last year.
To ready your car for the winter, check that each of your tires has at least a 6/32-inch (4.8-millimeter) deep tread. All-weather tires can handle most driving conditions, but if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you should consider purchasing snow tires. Check your antifreeze levels and battery power and make sure that your defroster and rear window defogger work.
As far as the inside of your car goes, purchase a snow shovel and kitty litter or sand for digging yourself out of a jam and giving your vehicle traction. Flares, a flashlight and a snow scraper should also be kept in your car. Finally, consider signing up for a winter driving class in your area.
- 3. Driving While Drowsy
"Driving a vehicle when you are fatigued is as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs," National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said after a fatal highway accident in 2003 in which a college student who had been awake for the previous 18 hours was driving a carload of fellow students at 5 a.m. According to the NHTSA, in 2007 fatigued driving caused the deaths of 1,404 people, and more traffic fatalities occurred during the hours when most people are accustomed to being asleep (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.) than at any other time of day.
- 4. Speeding
Racing, driving faster than the posted speed limit or simply going too fast for road conditions — i.e., speeding — comprises the second highest cause of death in fatal crashes, according to the NHTSA. Once you hit 55 mph, you're in the danger zone: 30 percent of fatalities occur at 55 or above. The worst-case scenarios invariably involve speeding without wearing a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet. Fatality rates for speeding motorcyclists are shockingly high: In 2007, speeding was a factor in 36 percent of motorcycle fatalities. Of those, 41 percent of drivers and more than half of passengers were not wearing helmets (only 20 states and the District of Columbia require helmets).
We are all human, and we all make mistakes but taking the time to understand your mistakes may help save your life. Remember if a storm is approaching check your tires and prepare your car. Don't speed, you don't get there any faster and you waste gas as well as put other people at risk. Don't rely on 4-wheel drive, it is designed to help the driver not drive the car. And finally, never ever drive while drowsy, it will only hinder your judgment and put you in serious risk of an accident.
