Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Guide to Malaysian Drivers
Part Dos
Point Two! “If you only know how to safely drive slow, it makes you an unskilled and incomplete driver”. Let me ask you this. Who makes a safer better driver? Person A, who knows and understands how to drive fast and slow or Person B, who drives slow most of the time and can only drive fast in life and death situations. What I’m getting at is about Car Control. The reason why most accidents happens is that a majority of drivers out there, despite the years of driving, especially the conservative type persons from either sex, think driving is a risky and dangerous activity full of unpredictable possibilities of bad things happening to them. And so, we get drivers who use cars to get from Point A to Point B, commuters and do not take initiative to be a better driver. As long as they get to get to where they’re going, screw whoever we piss off along the way. I bet some men reading this are saying, “Yeah, Women Drivers!!” Well I see we men do it too. So don’t think you are being spared here.
“A person, who really knows how to drive, responsibly takes initiative to learn to control the car and not let the car control the driver”. This is where experience should logically kick in and make people driving for years become the best drivers around but unfortunately not. The reason? Habit! Poor driving habits that have been cultivated over the years. They retain the lessons that were thought to them when they started driving. This morning, I had to wait patiently 40 something year old driving a Volvo at 40 – 50 km/h on a 80 km/h road on the speed lane, ignoring high beams, horns, other indicators to get him to move. That is pure inconsideration. We don’t care if you drive a flashy Benz or a Kancil, it is a public road. When someone gives you obvious signals, MOVE! You might want to take your own leisurely cruise to work but some people don’t. Do it on an open road where you don’t get in the way of others driving at the right speed limit.
Back to car control. This is about being one with the car, about letting your natural senses extend beyond your body merging with the car. I’ll start with the seating position. Most drivers get this wrong and I have to admit, it is more commonplace with the lady drivers. Why? Most female drivers fear driving or cannot relate to cars the way men are more mechanically in tuned to do. Cars are not some mechanical beast that you have to constantly tame. It should be like your best girlfriend. You can do things together. It can be fun. I do know a few very skilled lady drivers compared to some men I know. Sorry, no sexist remarks/insults intended, it’s just a fact. Look around and you will notice this. Ladies, this is a dangerous habit to cultivate. Having your seat too close to the steering wheel does not allow you to have right space to manoeuvre in emergency situations. You should not be hugging the steering wheel. Yes we realise that because of your maternal instincts, you have to hang on to dear life to that steering wheel but you indirectly become a hazard to yourself and others when you do this. The guys on the other hand, well some do the former too, but most tend to sit too far from the steering wheel. Yeah, because you think you are sitting in a flat racing car and need to be in a sleeping position to drive real cool. Try doing a full steering turn real fast when your arms can’t even reach the farthest point on the steering.
The correct seating position is upright, extend your arms over the top of the steering and the middle of your palms should be touching the top and furthermost point of the steering wheel. Not your fingers dudes, not your elbows ladies. Your shoulders should still be touching the back of the seat still without stretching too much too. This allows you to manoeuvre the steering without obstruction. Adjust your mirrors so that you don’t have any blind spots. If there are, get additional or bigger mirrors like you find at them car accessories shops.
Next, senses! I’ll get to common sense later but for now I’m talking about sight, sound, feel, and feedback. Sight, use your eyes to focus on cars around you and way ahead of you, not just the car in front of you. Anticipate what the people 3 to 5 cars ahead and around you will do so you can react accordingly without it surprising you. Place them in a mental picture of where they are and where they are going to be in the next few seconds. Plan where you are going to place your car on the road without getting in the way of others and not having others get in your way. This way, you avoid getting stuck behind people who kill your mood. It’s like visualising what you are going to do in short future and being ready for it when you are at that point. It also helps when cornering better too. Focus on the farthest point of the end of the corner and let your body senses tell you if you are cornering at the right speed or not. Feel the feedback from the steering wheel and car. Let it communicate to you. You fear what you do not know. If you understood things about driving, there’s nothing to be scared about.
In Part Tres: Sound and Gear Shifting
Disclaimer: The author takes no responsibility and accepts no liability for any harm or injury that may arise from practicing any of the content mentioned in this article. Speed can kill if you are not skilled to handle it. Road racing is a dangerous activity. Always observe the law and apply common sense and consideration when driving.
Part Dos
Point Two! “If you only know how to safely drive slow, it makes you an unskilled and incomplete driver”. Let me ask you this. Who makes a safer better driver? Person A, who knows and understands how to drive fast and slow or Person B, who drives slow most of the time and can only drive fast in life and death situations. What I’m getting at is about Car Control. The reason why most accidents happens is that a majority of drivers out there, despite the years of driving, especially the conservative type persons from either sex, think driving is a risky and dangerous activity full of unpredictable possibilities of bad things happening to them. And so, we get drivers who use cars to get from Point A to Point B, commuters and do not take initiative to be a better driver. As long as they get to get to where they’re going, screw whoever we piss off along the way. I bet some men reading this are saying, “Yeah, Women Drivers!!” Well I see we men do it too. So don’t think you are being spared here.
“A person, who really knows how to drive, responsibly takes initiative to learn to control the car and not let the car control the driver”. This is where experience should logically kick in and make people driving for years become the best drivers around but unfortunately not. The reason? Habit! Poor driving habits that have been cultivated over the years. They retain the lessons that were thought to them when they started driving. This morning, I had to wait patiently 40 something year old driving a Volvo at 40 – 50 km/h on a 80 km/h road on the speed lane, ignoring high beams, horns, other indicators to get him to move. That is pure inconsideration. We don’t care if you drive a flashy Benz or a Kancil, it is a public road. When someone gives you obvious signals, MOVE! You might want to take your own leisurely cruise to work but some people don’t. Do it on an open road where you don’t get in the way of others driving at the right speed limit.
Back to car control. This is about being one with the car, about letting your natural senses extend beyond your body merging with the car. I’ll start with the seating position. Most drivers get this wrong and I have to admit, it is more commonplace with the lady drivers. Why? Most female drivers fear driving or cannot relate to cars the way men are more mechanically in tuned to do. Cars are not some mechanical beast that you have to constantly tame. It should be like your best girlfriend. You can do things together. It can be fun. I do know a few very skilled lady drivers compared to some men I know. Sorry, no sexist remarks/insults intended, it’s just a fact. Look around and you will notice this. Ladies, this is a dangerous habit to cultivate. Having your seat too close to the steering wheel does not allow you to have right space to manoeuvre in emergency situations. You should not be hugging the steering wheel. Yes we realise that because of your maternal instincts, you have to hang on to dear life to that steering wheel but you indirectly become a hazard to yourself and others when you do this. The guys on the other hand, well some do the former too, but most tend to sit too far from the steering wheel. Yeah, because you think you are sitting in a flat racing car and need to be in a sleeping position to drive real cool. Try doing a full steering turn real fast when your arms can’t even reach the farthest point on the steering.
The correct seating position is upright, extend your arms over the top of the steering and the middle of your palms should be touching the top and furthermost point of the steering wheel. Not your fingers dudes, not your elbows ladies. Your shoulders should still be touching the back of the seat still without stretching too much too. This allows you to manoeuvre the steering without obstruction. Adjust your mirrors so that you don’t have any blind spots. If there are, get additional or bigger mirrors like you find at them car accessories shops.
Next, senses! I’ll get to common sense later but for now I’m talking about sight, sound, feel, and feedback. Sight, use your eyes to focus on cars around you and way ahead of you, not just the car in front of you. Anticipate what the people 3 to 5 cars ahead and around you will do so you can react accordingly without it surprising you. Place them in a mental picture of where they are and where they are going to be in the next few seconds. Plan where you are going to place your car on the road without getting in the way of others and not having others get in your way. This way, you avoid getting stuck behind people who kill your mood. It’s like visualising what you are going to do in short future and being ready for it when you are at that point. It also helps when cornering better too. Focus on the farthest point of the end of the corner and let your body senses tell you if you are cornering at the right speed or not. Feel the feedback from the steering wheel and car. Let it communicate to you. You fear what you do not know. If you understood things about driving, there’s nothing to be scared about.
In Part Tres: Sound and Gear Shifting
Disclaimer: The author takes no responsibility and accepts no liability for any harm or injury that may arise from practicing any of the content mentioned in this article. Speed can kill if you are not skilled to handle it. Road racing is a dangerous activity. Always observe the law and apply common sense and consideration when driving.
