quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Just had a college student die in an accident, U.P. if MI. She went out of control & slid into oncoming traffic. The road was winter-time slippery.

I’m a winter tire advocate, for those in serious snow areas. A high quality all-season tire with AWD works too.

AMEN! --- I'f you've never driven with Bridgestone Blizzaks (or similar I imagine) you would be SHOCKED at the level of traction and control they achieve on snow AND ice. I'm absolutely amazed that with all of the useless government regulation that exists, that quality snow tires are required in the snow belt (PA in my case). People driving around on baloney-skin tires sliding on the lightest coatings of mix. Madness. Skill will get you a long way of course, but proper tires are a critical safety requirement for any winter weather rig.

Two important items that most of our students don’t realize when we teach high performance driving on a race track.

1. Look ahead...far ahead. It’s amazing to me that most people are just concerned about the vehicle directly in front of them. We teach to look at least 5 cars ahead or at least 100 yards if on the highway.

2. If you have a new teenage driver have them enroll in a program called Street Survival ( https://streetsurvival.org/ ). It teaches a new student what they should have learned in driving class but didn’t including how to emergency brake and what ABS feels like. The physics (in a fun way) of weight transfer and it’s effect on the performance of their vehicle. These all day classes are taught usually by members of various car clubs like PCA and BMW’s so we usually give ride alongside at the end of the day as a treat. I cannot tell you how many parents have come up to us at the end of the day saying that they didn’t know about what we thought their kids and where could they take the class but unfortunately it’s only offered to minors.

quote:

Originally posted by preten2b:
When making a left..

Do not come to a stop with wheels cocked left. Keep'em straight till rolling for turn. Should you ever get bumped or hit, does not send you into oncoming lane.

This! A friend of mine died two days before High School graduation when the driver of the car she was in was stopped with the wheel pointed left. They were rear ended and pushed into oncoming traffic.

We all like holding old cars but newer cars have better safety features.
Have good tires, check your tread depth and replace them especially if you are headed into winter and are in any place that gets serious inclement weather.
Wear and properly adjust your safety equipment.
Limp your car off the road in a crash or with a flat.
Replace your window and don't just trust plastic and duct tape. You cant see through it.
Dont drink and drive and avoid the road at times when a lot of others likely do.
Keep your pets out of your lap and restrained.
Motorcycles make terrible cars in crashes.

Don't shift your automatic transmission into gear with your foot on the brake. When looking ahead and you are coming to a red light lift your foot off the gas and hold it over the brake pedal. If the light turns green you can go back to the throttle. I've been trying to get my wife to understand this. She will throttle nearly all the way to the red light where she has to ride the brake hard to get the car to stop. Brakes will last twice as long with this simple practice.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Don't shift your automatic transmission into gear with your foot on the brake.

Can you clarify what this means?

quote:

Originally posted by erratic:
When you see a deer cross the road in front of you, always expect more to follow behind.

And, if there's a chance of hitting a telephone pole, tree, or other hard object, it's better to strike the deer, if you can't stop in time.

When in traffic and turning right on a red light, keep your eyes on the car ahead of you until they have completely made their turn. Often times, they will get off their brakes, appearing to be moving, then suddenly stop again for unseen cross traffic.

Speed bumps are man made snow drifts!

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Don't shift your automatic transmission into gear with your foot on the brake.

Can you clarify what this means?

Pretty much what it says. A good mechanic a long time ago pointed this out to me. Allow you're transmission to shift into gear from a stop without working against the brake. Your vehicle is not going to suddenly lurch forward or back without your foot on the brake unless you are idling way too high. I can have my truck in gear without my foot resting on the brake and it will not move.

Mirror adjustment. You will have less blind spots if you adjust them outward so you have to lean out slightly to see the side of your car on the inside edge. Most peoples' cars I drive in the course of my work have half the side of the car in the mirror. I don't usually adjust them unless necessary for safety.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:
For those of you who have never felt what anti-lock brakes feel like when they activate- do it.

I wonder if it is good to periodically activate the ABS system or if it doesn't matter. When I'm on ice I'll "exercise" my ABS every now and then.

I do this all the time. Whenever it snows, I will purposefully just stomp on the brakes (note from experience, it's best to let the wife know you are doing this in advance. . .). That way, I can tell how slippery the roads are, and make sure the abs works. I also horse around in the snow/ice. When there is no traffic and no nearby cars/objects to hit, I'll purposefully make my vehicle fishtail. Again, this lets me know how the roads are, and it also conditions me to automatically recover from spins and slides. I never have to think which way to steer in a skid - I do it automatically.


I also release my brakes before I hit a pothole, cross railroad tracks, etc. A brother (who was a mechanic) told me this back in the 80s. Something about how it can damage the brakes if they are activated when they hit something. I don't know if this is true anymore with modern cars, but I still do it.

From driver's education,circa 1973.
Always leave yourself an out.

In case someone else in another car will be putting you in harm's way,
You should always have a way to get the hell out of his way,
A way out.

Either by accelerating to the left or the right ,
Even if you have to head for the ditch.

It can also include not tailgating.

Now days it also includes ,even when you are stopped.

Don't pull up so close to people ,that it prevents you from pulling around them if you need to leave or they break down.

quote:

Originally posted by Nismo:
For those of you who have never felt what anti-lock brakes feel like when they activate- do it.

I was given a 2010 Toyota Corolla (I have a similar car) to inspect the brakes. The customer said they made awful noise and pedal pulsation. I road tested it and felt nothing. Did a visual inspection, still nothing. We eventually elicited out of her that she had made an emergency/panic stop and that was hard enough to have activated the ABS. My own car makes all kinds of noise and gyrations.

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:

When you hit bumps, try to have your foot off the brakes. The suspension is more compliant without the brakes applied, and less shock is imparted to the suspension parts.

This is true on motorcycles as well, most motorcycles. Some BMW's have a front suspension design that separates brake dive from bump suspension so they have practically full suspension travel even while hard on the front brake which is really nice in some situations.

I'll repeat what everyone already knows, but sometimes when in a rush to get somewhere don't abide by. When driving in inclement weather add some extra distance between the car you're following. Also allow extra time when going anywhere and just slow down a little. Also don't be looking at yourself in your rear view mirror applying makeup while commuting to work in traffic at 75 mph.

Three rights makes one left. Works for UPS, can work for you in really sketchy cross traffic for a left.

Or when you're old....

quote:

When you see a deer cross the road in front of you, always expect more to follow behind.

Yes. And when a deer is running across the road in front of you, and the relative angle is not changing, you are on a collision course. Brake immediately, don't wait until (s)he gets a few feet away.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Here's my tip:

Don't arrange your side mirrors as most people do - they angle both side mirrors to reflect pretty much the same thing on the rearview mirror.

Set both side mirrors so that when a car is coming up behind you either lane, the side mirror starts reflecting a portion of the car's front end like a headlight while the rearview mirror is still showing a portion of the car's rear, assuming a standard size car, of course.

This covers your blind sides on either side. I still turn my head when changing lanes but as I turn my head, my eye is on the side mirror to catch anything.

This...read an article years ago about how to set them up properly and it makes a HUGE difference.

I rough idea is to adjust them so you can just see your door handles when you lean forward a bit.

depending on your mirror size it's not perfect but much better than they taught us 30 years ago.

Funny thing is that my wife and I can use the same spot for the side mirrors even thought she is 4" shorter than I am...makes for a lot less whining...from me

I think a general rule about animals suddenly being in front of you, is to brake only and not attempt sudden steering. I used to attempt to steer for them, but have decided that's not the best practice.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
I've mentioned this one in the past.

If you are on icy roads going down a hill and are concerned if you will be able to stop at the bottom, put the vehicle in neutral. When a vehicle is in drive the engine wants to turn the wheels so put it in neutral to take that forward force out of the equation.

Now that I think about it I guess you don't have to be going down a hill for this to help stop.

Same applies when backing boat trailers down launch ramps, use neutral to lessen downhill forces. Improves steering and braking.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Pretty much what it says. A good mechanic a long time ago pointed this out to me. Allow you're transmission to shift into gear from a stop without working against the brake. Your vehicle is not going to suddenly lurch forward or back without your foot on the brake unless you are idling way too high. I can have my truck in gear without my foot resting on the brake and it will not move.

A lot of automatic transmission cars won't shift if the brake pedal is not depressed.

My truck moves in gear if my foot isn't on the brake. Rolling up to a stop sign or a stoplight, the transmission never fully disengages unless I put it in neutral. It's been this way since new, I have over 100,000 miles on it, and I assumed it was normal. Mechanics have driven it and none have mentioned that something was wrong.

Is it something I should have checked out?