It’s tempting to believe that learning to drive stops once you pass your test, but in truth, drivers continue to learn every day.
Certain things your instructor simply does not educate you, such as how to be a defensive driver or how to avoid violating the law unintentionally.
To assist you, we’ve compiled a list of 15 things that every driver should know, notably if they’re starting to drive or are new to the road.
1. How to Remove Frost from a Windshield
If you’re running late and need to de-ice your windscreen before leaving, you may be tempted to just save time by cleaning barely enough glass to see out of, a technique known as “portholing.”
But don’t, since if your vehicle is found to be in a “hazardous condition,” you could face a heavy fine.
Simply removing the ice from the driver’s side of the windscreen is insufficient; you must de-ice the entire surface and then wipe the ice away with the wipers once it has thawed.
By law, the driver must have a good vision of the road and traffic ahead of the car, so taking the extra effort to clear your windscreen and mirrors is well worth it.
2. How To Correctly Utilize Your Horn
In other nations, the sound of continual horn honking fills the streets, but in Pakistan, we are a little more sensitive when it comes to the horn sound. It should only be used to warn other drivers of your presence and other potential hazards on the road.
Overly aggressive horn use can be perceived as antagonistic and can annoy other road users, so only use it when absolutely necessary — and don’t forget that the Highway Code prohibits you from using your horn.
3. Using Full-Beam Headlights
If you spend a lot of time driving at night on country roads with no or little street lighting, full beam headlights can be very useful, but you must utilize them correctly to stay safe on the road.
To avoid glare, go back to dipped beams as soon as you come across another car on the road ahead of you. Being dazzled by your full beam headlights could cause them to lose control of their vehicle, so it’s more than just being nice.
4. Changing Your Rear-View Mirrors Mode
Have you ever been curious about the switch on the bottom of your rear-view mirror? Actually, it’s a useful feature that allows you to convert your rear-view mirror from “day mode” to “night mode.”
Switching from day to night mode can help you deal with the obstacles of driving in the dark since the reflection dims, making it easier to deal with the glare from headlights trailing you.
5. How To Check The Pressure In Your Tyres
Many drivers neglect to check their tire pressure during traveling. Keep in mind that a tire can be under-inflated without appearing flat to the naked eye.
Poorly maintained tires will not only lower your vehicle’s performance, but they will also cost you more fuel and may even result in a blow-out, which could result in an accident.
If you’re checking tire pressure, do so when the tires are cold, that is before you start your journey. Because warm, recently driven-on tires can give a false reading, this will ensure you get the most accurate results.
If you need your car to be maintained regularly by the experts, you can come to Suzuki Fort Motors Multan at any time for expert opinion.
6. Maintaining Hydration
A bottle of water is one of the most vital items to take in your car if you’re going on a long trip. In addition to relieving your thirst, keeping a drink in the car is the best strategy to avoid being dehydrated while driving.
This should go without saying, but failing to drink water before a lengthy drive can have unexpectedly deadly consequences.
According to studies, driving while dehydrated has the same effect on driving ability as drinking a couple of glasses of wine, leaving drivers tired, disoriented, and slower to react.
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7. Pedestrians Splashing
If you’ve ever been splashed by a passing automobile rushing through puddles, you know how aggravating it is to be left wet to the skin on the side of the road.
Now you may rest easy knowing that cars that drench individuals on the sidewalk can be penalized.
Splashing pedestrians is considered to be violating the act and you can also get a fine for it and apart from this, try to drive with full responsibility to take care of other pedestrians on the road.
8. How To Deal With Box Intersections
Box intersections with yellow hatched lines are critical for traffic movement, and anyone caught disobeying the regulations will be fined.
According to the Highway Code, you can’t stop in a box junction unless you’re going right and waiting for approaching traffic to pass, so wait until your exit is clear before entering. You may be fined if you do so.
It’s not always a smart idea to predict if the car ahead of you will allow enough room for you to pass through the box junction completely, especially since you can’t always see quite far ahead to be sure.
It’s best to move off just when you can see there’s enough road visible on the opposite side of the intersection for your car.
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9. Playing Music That Is Too Loud
Listening to your favorite songs at full blast may seem like a good idea at the time, but it’s not just bad form, it’s also potentially dangerous if it prevents other road users from hearing oncoming automobiles or emergency vehicles.
You could be penalized for driving without due care and attention if a police officer believes your music is distracting you.
Wearing headphones is also not a viable option. While using headphones while driving isn’t unlawful, it can prevent you from hearing ambulances sirens, level crossing alerts, other road users, and people approaching your car.
10. Taking Up The Entire Center Lane
Although it may appear to be merely an irritating driving habit, drivers who occupy the middle lane on the highway are in violation of the Highway Code and, since new legislation was enacted in 2013, you could be charged with heavy-duty fines if detected.
Middle lane hogging is a negligent driving offense since it makes overtaking on the highway more difficult and can result in cars being forced onto the outer lane to pass.
11. How To Get Around Other Automobiles On Congested Streets
We’ve all been in that situation. You’re going down a road with a number of parked cars on either side, and another car is approaching you, so you need to start figuring out where you can safely pull in because neither of you has right of way.
Sadly, there is no law on this, and the ideal technique is very dependent on the route in issue and the location of passing spots. However, if you’re driving on a slope, the motorist moving uphill should always have the right of way because it’s more difficult to pull out safely on an incline.
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12. Using Boiling Water To Clean Your Windshield
On a cold winter morning, it can be tempting to fill the kettle and use hot water to melt all that annoying windscreen ice in an instant, but don’t even consider it.
Severe temperature changes (from freezing to boiling) can shatter or crack your windscreen, rendering your vehicle undrivable and leaving you with a large expense to replace it.
13. Allowing Other Vehicles To Enter The Road
There is no law requiring you to allow another vehicle to enter the flow of traffic; it is merely a matter of courtesy.
Some drivers aggressively prevent other drivers from moving out in front of them, yet letting one car in will have no impact on your route. Furthermore, if every driver allows one car to enter at congested intersections, the entire road network will operate much more smoothly.
Adopting best practices here, as with many of the other pieces of advice in this article, will lessen the risk of road rage, making the road a safer and nicer place for all drivers on the road.
14. Using The Air Conditioner In The Winter
Air conditioning can be a lifesaver on hot summer days, but it can also be useful in the winter.
Moisture can form on cold days, but turning on the air conditioner will function as a dehumidifier and clear your windshield quickly.
Using your air conditioner during the winter maintains the oil in the system circulating and the main air conditioning components inside well-lubricated, which is excellent for the machine.
15. As Lanes Merge, How Do You Handle “Queue-Jumpers”?
Some drivers have been irritated and perplexed by automobiles passing them on the passing lane only to zip-merge at the last moment.
However, those so-called “queue-jumpers” are in the right according to the law, with zip-merging being employed more frequently than you might expect to help alleviate traffic congestion at choke areas.
When two lanes merge, drivers should utilize both lanes until the lane closes, at which point they should take turns merging into one lane, similar to a zipper.
By choosing to merge as quickly as possible, drivers are actually producing more traffic congestion.
Final Words
Congratulations if none of these suggestions were unique to you. You’re an excellent driver who has a lot of common sense and was taught by a fantastic driving instructor.
If you have any other driving tips that you wish your instructor had given you while you were learning to drive, please share them in the comments section.
