I don”t want to sound like an arrogant know-it-all, but I”m always surprised when I learn something new about something I consider routine.
This surprise usually results in my sharing said knowledge with others. This is where you all come in.
I”ve written before about driving. It”s something nearly all of us do. It”s also a subject in which the more you know, the better.
I came across a column written by a driving instructor. The instructor shared four things people didn”t learn in driver”s ed classes.
The first was the proper way to use an anti-locking braking system (ABS).
Last year, I got to learn first hand how to properly use my car”s ABS in a simulated emergency. While writing a story about the National Auto Sport Association teen driving clinic held a few months back, the instructors took me through the course the teens would use the next day.
ABS allows you to brake and safely maneuver around an obstacle in the hope that you can avoid a crash. Of course, for the ABS to activate, you have to slam on the brake pedal.
Believe me, it”s easier said than done, especially when you”re only simulating an emergency. I must”ve gone through the braking course four or five times before I finally felt the ABS kick in, and boy does it work. I certainly felt like I was going to hurt my car, but the system is designed to operate this way.
I recommend folks with ABS-equipped cars find a way to practice emergency braking, preferably in a safety course situation. That knowledge can go a long way.
The second piece of advice the driving instructor shared in his column was to remain calm. Well, duh. But this advice really does help.
Living in rural Lake County, drivers should always be prepared to come across obstacles in the road, be it an animal, a slower moving vehicle or a pesky pothole.
Quite often on my drive home, I spot deer very close to the roadway. Most of the time, I don”t even slow down because I”ve already spotted them and used my best judgment to determine whether they were going to move in my direction. I simply move over to give them some breathing room and keep going so they”ll ignore me.
If I made a big deal about seeing them and slammed on my brakes, it might startle the deer. Who knows what might happen then? I certainly don”t want a startled deer to panic and run into the path of my car.
Basically, just do your best to be prepared for whatever”s around the next bend and you should be able to remain calm when something is actually there.
Third: the instructor shared something genuinely new to me: The old “10-and-2″ hand placement rule for holding the steering wheel really isn”t safe to use anymore. Neither is one hand at the “12” position on the steering wheel. The reason why? Air bags.
When an air bag deploys, a mild explosion occurs, forcing the protective bag from the steering column. This explosion occurs around the upper part of the steering wheel, right about where your hands might be.
The instructor shared a story about a police officer who was driving with one hand at “12” when a crash occurred. The force of the air bag deployment caused his hand to violently fly back into his face, smashing out his front teeth.
Yeah, that doesn”t sound pretty. The instructor recommends holding the wheel at “9 and 3” or “8 and 4,” using what he calls the “thumb hangers” at the bottom of the steering wheel. While it varies how I hold the steering wheel, something tells me I”m going to start using the thumb hangers and “8 and 4,” or maybe just “8,” a whole lot more now.
The last piece of advice mentioned I”ve already sort of touched upon: train yourself to react. I say just always be prepared for something to happen while remaining calm.
I hope you find this useful advice. Feel free to pass it along, and be safe out there.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
