What do professional drivers call a car steering wheel?

11 secrets of experienced drivers: they don’t teach you this in a driving school

We are talking not only about safe driving, but also about how to get from one point to another with maximum comfort for yourself and your passengers, while spending a minimum of effort, nerves, time and money.

They definitely don’t teach this in driving school. This knowledge comes only with experience, according to the principle: the more often you get behind the wheel, the more useful skills you acquire.

What to see in mirrors

longitudinal adjustment of the seat: set the seat in such a position that when the brake pedal is fully pressed, the leg remains slightly bent at the knee;
the tilt of the backrest and the position of the steering wheel along the reach should be such that the outstretched arms touch the top of the steering wheel with the wrists;
The axis of the steering column should ideally be directed towards the driver's chest area. In this case, the steering wheel should not overlap the instrument panel;
The rear wing of your car should be visible in the side mirrors. The horizon is just below the middle of the mirror.

In the big city

Always remember that even if you are driving in the right lane, some irresponsible driver may try to get between your car and the curb to get ahead of you. The advice is simple: drive at such a distance from the edge of the road that a car cannot physically fit on your right . This will allow you to be less distracted by the right mirror and concentrate on the situation ahead.
When turning right or left, even if you are performing this maneuver from the outermost row, it is a good idea to look in the rearview mirror from the direction of the turn . There may be a passing motorcyclist behind you who is moving faster than you and has no plans to turn at all. And when turning left, make sure that a car with special signals is not overtaking you from behind in the oncoming lane.

Leaving the yard to the right seems like a piece of cake. Look to the left, give way and drive out in peace. But it's not that simple. In some cases, the Rules allow driving in reverse (even on a one-way road). So, when driving to the right, you need to look both left and right . In order not to come to the rear of a car whose driver missed the turn and is now returning in reverse. Or he goes around a traffic jam in this way (and this happens).
You are approaching an intersection, have turned on your right turn signal, and are planning to turn right. But a few meters before the intersection, another car leaves the adjacent territory. His driver saw that you turned on the turn signal and took this as an intention to turn into the adjacent territory. Having decided that the trajectories of your cars will not intersect, he may well begin to move. So do not turn on your turn signal in advance if this may confuse other road users . This is even written about in the traffic rules, but few people remember about it.

There is also this point in the Rules: 14.2. If a vehicle stops or slows down in front of an unregulated pedestrian crossing, then drivers of other vehicles moving in the same direction are also required to stop or slow down. It is allowed to continue driving, taking into account the requirements of paragraph 14.1 of the Rules. We recommend reducing your speed even if there is no pedestrian crossing ahead, or if it is adjustable and your traffic light is on. That is, a car in the next row slows down for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who want to cross the road where it is more convenient, regardless of the Rules. Such a pedestrian may well fall under the wheels of your car. What if, for example, a dog crosses the road? In a word, caution is in order. Of course, this does not mean that the driver should be afraid of everything and everyone, and his foot should constantly be on duty over the brake pedal. The main thing is to learn to see potentially dangerous situations on the road.

On a highway or expressway

If the flow is dense and the speed is high, it would be useful to see what is happening in front of the car in front. To do this, just move a little to the left within the lane. You will see the obstacle that has arisen in advance, and the braking of the car in front of you will not be a surprise.
Let's say you're driving along the highway at high speed and notice a traffic jam ahead. The safest thing in such a situation is to brake in advance, turning on the emergency lights. This will attract the attention of drivers behind you. And if it doesn’t help and the driver behind doesn’t respond to your warnings and doesn’t start to slow down, it’s better to move to the side of the road , leaving him a little more space on the road for emergency braking.
Have you caught up with a slowly plodding truck and are now waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so you can overtake? Don't get too close to the heavy load. Before the maneuver, it is better to keep a larger distance (2-3 car lengths) - this will improve visibility and allow you to start accelerating in advance, even before entering the oncoming lane. This way you will reduce the time you spend in oncoming traffic when overtaking.
It would be useful to find out what certain informal signals from drivers mean. However, in most cases, it is enough to know that the left turn signal on on the truck ahead means that you cannot overtake it, and the right turn signal means that oncoming traffic is clear. This knowledge will be especially useful on the road during bad weather, when visibility is limited. By the way, about her...

If you are driving on a night road, choose a speed so that you have time to brake, until you come to a complete stop at a distance that the headlights illuminate. The point is to have enough stopping distance if you notice an obstacle on the road. How to determine safe speed? It's simple.

The driver’s reaction speed to the danger that has arisen: from 0.3 to 1.5 s, plus the time to move the foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake - another 0.5 s. The average halogen low beam illuminates about 80 m of the road. Far - about 200 m. At a speed of 90 km/h, the car covers 25 m per second. Thus, before braking begins, you can drive 50 m, and the remaining thirty meters for a complete stop will most likely not be enough for you. So the permitted speed limit does not at all mean that driving at that speed at night is safe. At least with low beam headlights.

Not all rules are spelled out in traffic rules - the awareness of this comes with experience. If you remember at least some of our tips in time and apply them while driving, the roads will become even a little safer, more civilized and calmer.