How good is your road observation?

First of all a driver must take into account the whole scene around him evaluate it, and then decide how he should respond. He must see, then interpret, then anticipate, then act. For a perfect road observation there is need for concentration, reaction, anticipation, accurate interpretation of the smallest detail and even, on occasion, intuition. […]

First of all a driver must take into account the whole scene around him evaluate it, and then decide how he should respond. He must see, then interpret, then anticipate, then act.

For a perfect road observation there is need for concentration, reaction, anticipation, accurate interpretation of the smallest detail and even, on occasion, intuition. The driver has to consider not only what he has seen but what he has not seen. The use of the rear mirror is important for any change in direction or speed.

Let’s imagine the view ahead when driving. The drivers view must be clear and unobstructed. Even a dirty windscreen can obstruct more than half of the light available outside the car. So your windscreen should be dust free. The other thing that can cause poor vision and observation is bad weather in which your wipers and washers should be used often. Another thing is smoking in the car which causes a film to form on the inside windows and driving mirror. But here are the two biggest temptations to resist which is looking at the person when speaking to him or answering a call from your GSM. What your eyes needs to be doing is continually scanning the road ahead and the sides a well as the driving mirror. The driver needs also to read the road for any obstruction such like buildings and trees.

The next thing is interpreting the signs like a detective. In other words looking for clues and understanding what it can be. Some clues are perceived through seasons for example during the Christmas season a lot of cars are on the highway and not so much in city. Another example is an emerging vehicle from a side in which it would be better to assume another vehicle may be behind it. Perhaps skid marks on the road may just be another clue to something.

So the next time you get on the road make you are observing and interpreting your road correctly. As usual drive carefully and be safe. Remember we all want to drive to the end of this year.

Understanding your gearing

The automatic transmission that we all know selects and changes gear to suit different speeds and road condition without the driver having to do this by hand. It is the simplest form of transmission that is selected either forward or backward. There also two pedal for acceleration and braking.

In Abuja it has proven to be the most convenient means of gear changes especially during heavy traffic which is good.  Although it is not economical in use because it consumes approximately ten percent more fuel than a comparable car with manual transmission. But good driving can still bring good results. Also understanding the technology can give you an idea on how to handle automatic transmission. That’s why you need to read the whole article. It is important to know what kind of automatic transmission you have on your car or may want to have when buying a car. There are two types of automatic transmission which the full automatic system with overdrive system and the Continuous Variable Transmission CVT which operates with a pulley. This CVT can be found a lot on the Nissan Maxima, Murano and Altima.