Driving instructor in Ireland by Anewdriver? Check your tires and brakes. Ensuring your tires and brakes are safe for travel is one of the best ways you can keep yourself safe on the road. As a general rule of thumb, you should not be able to see Abraham Lincoln’s head when you put a penny face-down between the tread of your tires. If you can, it means your tread depth is too low, and you need to replace your tires. Changing your brakes is equally important when considering car safety. If you hear a squeaking or grinding noise when pressing the breaks, you should check them immediately. Neglecting to do so could damage your rotors, which is not only extremely dangerous but also much more expensive to fix.
This applies whenever and wherever you are driving. Are you on the highway preparing to exit? Be courteous to other drivers and signal your intentions. Sharing your plans with other cars allows them to plan around you – getting out of your way if you are merging, slowing down if they’re behind you and see that you’re about to turn, and so on. Of course, you also need to be watching for bicycles and other smaller or slower forms of transportation. In many places, bicycles don’t have a lane to themselves and aren’t allowed on the sidewalk, so they have to share the road with the cars. Allow them the space and time they need, and always keep your eyes out for them, particularly in your mirrors. You might not see a bicycle behind you, but if they’re going straight and you’re making a right turn, you could cut them off, causing a really dangerous accident!
If you need to make an emergency call, make sure that you pull over to a parking lot, or at least the side of the road, before you use your cell phone. Pay attention to all traffic signs: This is something that many drivers get out of the habit of doing, and they end up speeding or going the wrong way on one-way streets. If you are paying attention to all road signs, you will know what the posted speed limit is, and you can stay within it, which is a big part of defensive driving. Whatever you do, don’t follow what the driver ahead of you is doing. After all, he or she may not be following the rules of the road, and you will not be either, which can lead to an accident pretty quickly. Make sure that you obey all traffic lights as well. One wrong turn at a signal light could end up in a really bad accident. Read extra info at driving school.
Know how to merge correctly. One of the most nerve-wracking moments for new drivers is merging with traffic. The key is to be patient and not to make any sudden movements. Adjust your speed to the traffic, use your indicators and drive calmly into the other lane when there’s a gap. Practice parking. Reverse parking can cause inexperienced drivers to panic – and that usually ends up making the parking maneuver even worse. You can help with this by finding somewhere quiet to practice. That way, when you have to do it in town in front of other people, you are less likely to become flustered.
Dry your brakes after driving through a puddle. Before even the smallest of puddles, you’d better slow down and go through it smoothly without maneuvering or changing speed. If you drive quickly, there is a chance of water getting into the ignition system and making the engine stall. Besides, aquaplaning might start — that’s when a car loses traction, and you lose control of it. After passing a big puddle, don’t cut your engine, and don’t change your speed. Dry the brakes first: pressing the gas pedal, press the brake pedal a few times. Friction causes heat, so water evaporates from the brake pads. Read additional info on https://www.anewdriver.ie/.