Defense Driving Tips From A Parked Position For The Novice
Driver
Leaving a parked position can be quite the hazard, if your not
sure of the proper procedure.
You are about to move forward from a parked position. Position
you're hands at ten o'clock and two o'clock on the steering
wheel. If you let go of the steering wheel, you're hands should
continue to rest on the wheel. Some drivers prefer the 3 o'clock
and the 9 o'clock position. If your driving an automatic, the
right hand should not have to go too far to change gears,
placing it back to the 2 position. The left hand should slide
down the steering wheel without leaving the steering wheel to
signal. Place your hand back to the ten position when you
finished signaling. One hand on the wheel is not the safe way to
drive a vehicle.
Now your ready to drive forward and you have done all the safety
checks before you roll forward and signaled out of you're parked
position. Safety checks include checking your mirrors and
shoulder depending on the direction your pulling out of. If you
do not pull out right away after your checks, you will have to
recheck again. Keep in mind that you are leaving a parked
position and you are hardly moving. Traffic behind you can be
moving fast. Check you're shoulder just before you think you are
going to accelerate and glance a second time, after you have
looked forward to check you're path ahead. Checking a second
time gives you that option to go back to the brake, in case a
vehicle comes around some corner and surprises you. Use you're
review mirror as much as possible to avoid this situation.
When you're parked between two vehicles. Position you're vehicle
so you are clear of the vehicle in front of you, by inching back
far enough. Position the nose of your vehicle forward, in a
clearance position ahead of you. When you are on a wide roadway,
you typically have a couple of feet without obstructing traffic
and cyclists. Make sure you are not entering the nose of your
vehicle into a potential hazard! Keep in mind the amount you
turned the wheel. If you have cranked the wheel quite a bit.
Make sure you do not end up on the other side of the road. To
avoid this potential hazard, ease off the gas pedal when out of
the parked position and gain control of direction by correcting
the steering wheel position.
Reviewing the proper procedure of leaving a parked position from
a curb.
(1) Path ahead (2) Mirrors (3) Signal (4) Shoulder check (5)
Path ahead (6) Recheck shoulder (7) Proceed when all is clear
The first thing you check is your path ahead to make sure it's
clear.
Check your mirrors to see if it's safe behind you.
Signal to traffic behind to let them know your intentions. (Hand
signal if you think other drivers can't see you're signal. Also
bring you're hand back in before you start to maneuver the
vehicle out of the parked position.)
Glance over to your blind spot just in case another vehicle
pulls out from across the road, just before you make the
maneuver.
Recheck your path ahead and proceed forward with one more glance
over you're shoulder. Do not release the brake pedal until after
you have looked forward. A pedestrian may have approached you're
vehicle while you were looking the other way.
I hope these defensive driving tips will help you in you're goal
in becoming a defensive driver. Have an expierenced driver, or a
recognized defensive driving school help you for further
instruction on this topic.