Driving is reflexive and it takes practice to change old habits

If you take an advanced driver training course you will be surprised at what you don’t know. Even great drivers like Narain Kartikeyan had to do advanced training before they were allowed to drive a Formula 1 race car.

Fast driving does not mean that you are a good driver. Good driving needs practice on the best ways to brake, steer, change gears and take evasive action. Driving is about reflexes so get the right habits so that you always do them instinctively.

Do you even know how to brake? If you had learned to drive on old cars you may not know about anti-locking braking system (ABS) in most new cars today. You would be in the habit of pumping your brakes so that your tyres do not skid. Your brakes are now fitted with dozens of microchips that put your brakes on and off hundreds of times faster to keep the wheels moving very slowly even when you brake hard. Today you should slam on the brakes and keep your feet pressed hard even if you feel the brakes vibrating. Do not panic if you feel the vibrations. You will not skid and will have good steering control. Do you know how to take quick evasive action? When we tried maximum braking to avoid an obstacle we were warned to never look at the obstacle but only at the escape route. The car follows the eye and when you look at the obstacle, chances are that the car will hit it. So only look at where you want to steer to.

Do you know that you should shift gears before you need to? You can be in trouble if you have an engine dying before you shift into a lower gear. Keep your revs (and torque) up and shift down before a slope or curve.

Do you know how important it is to sit correctly? You should set your seat as high as possible for good visibility after leaving about eight cm of clear headroom. Then the backrest should be upright. The seat should next be pushed back until the knees are slightly bent when the brake is fully depressed. Most modern cars have steering that is adjustable for tilt and length and the easy way to set it is to stretch out an arm till the wrists rest on the top of the wheel.

Do you know how to hold the steering wheel? The proper way is with the hands resting on the wheel at nine o’clock and three o’clock positions that allow you to exert maximum strength. Keep both hands on the wheel because accidents happen suddenly and you need all your strength to avoid them.

Do you know how to do fast zig zags or a slalom? When you have to go fast driving on either sides of a long row of plastic cones, it is best to hold the top of your steering wheel with one hand. You can then quickly whip the steering wheel from left to right. But it is tiring so use both hands on longer runs. The hard part is that driving is reflexive and it takes practice to change old habits.

(The author is the region’s most celebrated automobile columnist)