Q.Safe Driving Habits.

Great thread. Here are a few points from my side. 1. Never block the perpendicular road in an intersection. If you see that the road across is blocked, wait at the other side instead of trying to cross over and blocking traffic going to your left or right. 2. Always keep an eye on the mirrors. Install a passenger side ORVM if your car does not have one. You can never predict when there would be a two wheeler trying to squeeze in any gap on the left. 3. Do not use the Horn unnecessarily . Honking will increase your stress levels,and also those of the others. There are some situations where horn is needed(in the Indian driving context), but it can be avoided most of the time. 4. Check your lights regularly. I would recommend checking the lights weekly, or before going for long drives. For the rear brake lights, you can pull up near a wall a night and check the reflections on the wall if you have no one to help you check. Many people never realise that the brake light or tail lamps are not working. 5. Always use indicators, and use the correct lanes. Also, even if you are in the correct lane, keep an eye on people who may be on the wrong lane and trying to take a turn. 6. During highway drives, always keep both hands on the wheel, unless changing gears. A sudden pothole and tyre burst can cause a sudden pull on the steering and just one hand on the wheel may not be enough. It also reduces the stress on the right hand. 7. Be aware of highway hypnosis. Highway hypnosis is common in the smooth straight highways, where we often drift away in our thoughts, and lose the concentration on driving. If you can't remember the last few vehicles that you passed, you may be distracted. 8. Never overtake in blind curves, no matter how empty the road from the opposite side is. You can never predict when a vehicle would come from the opposite side. In most roads, the road markings show you which areas are safe to overtake.You should overtake only when the painted line is broken. If the line is continuous and not broken, then you are not allowed to overtake in that part of the road.

So this thread is about safe driving habits. Things that you normally avoid while driving. This will enable you to ensure maximum safety to yourself and ones on the road. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n5122[/ATTACH] I personally follow certain basic procedures while driving, like:- Its the age of smartphones. I make it point so as to remind you [B]not to read anything on the cell phone [/B]while on road, as it is very distracting! I learned it the hard way. However, I do answer calls (we all do), which I find manageable. One thing I always used to do was to[B] stare at random objects/scenery which passes by while driving[/B]. Even a second of derailment of your eyes from the road can lead to an accident, and something similar was experienced by me. [B]I used to tail-gate people (not maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front). I[/B]t can get very risky at times[B]. Always maintain a distance of 5-10 meters with the vehicle in front of you.[/B] [B]I do not stare directly at high beam during night, as [/B]it is blinding (especially on two-lane roads)! I [B]focus my eyes on the side marking line on my left[/B] to keep the vehicle in my lane. [B]I dim my lights for all incoming vehicles[/B], irrespective of whether they provide me with the same courtesy or not. [B]Street racing, especially on public roads. NOT COOL! [/B]Even if you don’t value your life, you have no right to cause harm to an innocent person out there. [B]Do not jump red-lights[/B], trust me, it’s not worth it. It hardly makes a difference of a few minutes in the real world. [B]When you feel sleepy (especially on a late night or an early morning drive), please make sure you stop & freshen-up. [/B] [B]Never drink or smoke-up and indulge in driving. Y[/B]our reaction time gets severely affected! [B]Never over-speed[/B]. Before even thinking of doing it, ponder over what kind of vehicle you are driving. A Maruti 800 doing 100 kmph? It will, but will it stop? My dad’s word, [B]“consider that everyone apart from you out on road don’t know how to drive”[/B], have managed to keep me intact! That is like Murphy's law. But it works :) Please add on your suggestions to improve our driving habits. We would love to learn new ones! PS: Seat belts & helmets are implied without being mentioned. [B][COLOR=#263238][FONT=arial][SIZE=13px]Let’s try hard not be just an another number in the 1.4 lakh people who die on our roads every year, or be the force behind it! Drive safe, Drive longer! [/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR][/B]