Know Your Car

From the right seat it was clear that my student in the high-performance driving school was approaching the hairpin corner far too fast. But he braked only lightly. "Brake," I urged. "Brake hard!" I pleaded. "BRAKE! BRAKE!" I screamed. Yet he acted as if he'd trapped a kitten's tail between pedal and foot, then we went bounding off the road. Later, I asked what, if anything, was he thinking. "I was afraid of skidding," he said. My response: "You'd rather crash than skid?" No answer.

Street Savvy
Many—if not most—accidents occur with the driver braking or cornering at less half of their vehicle's capability. They seem to prefer hitting a tree, the guardrail or another vehicle over pushing the brake pedal harder and/or turning the steering wheel more.


Another observation: The bigger the vehicle, the less the driver is likely to know its exterior dimensions. I often see drivers of giant SUVs with left tires on the center line of a two-lane road. They're apparently shying away from construction barrels that threaten from a frightening six feet away from their right side mirror. (Yet another observation: Husbands who think that if their wives are terrible drivers, they ought to buy them giant SUVs. Not all of these are my brothers).


The vast majority of American drivers don't know the width of their car, much less their vehicles' potential in an emergency. We'll offer some tips on how to become part of the skilled minority. If you learn your vehicle's dimensions and capabilities, you will be a safer, smoother driver and have a much better chance of avoiding accidents.

Thread the Needle
To learn your vehicle's dimensions, build two (or more) inexpensive markers using PVC tubing and three-way connectors (additional 90-degree connectors will make them more stable, be creative). Make the upright section at least as tall as the outside mirrors. Place these markers (on an empty parking lot, or a street in an under-construction subdivision) about a foot wider than the mirrors and drive through them. Next, position them in front of the car and pull up to within 12 to 18 inches. Now back to within the same distance. If you learn your vehicle's dimensions, you'll know such things as whether you can thread the needle in an urgent situation or whether you'll have to perform a panic stop.

Dodging
Find a lightly traveled section of freeway that features raised lane markers, often called Bott's Dots. Practice hitting the markers with your left tires FIRST, then the rights as you safely change lanes. Signal first! You can do the same with pinecones or dirt clods on an empty parking lot. With this knowledge, you'll know how aggressive you'll have to be to dodge road debris and how close to objects you can drive without fear of striking them.

Be a Trucker
Put your newfound acumen to the test where the DMV conducts the skills test for Commercial Driver's Licenses. During the CDL test, the trucker must place the bumper of his rig within a two-foot stop box, back straight down a painted corridor representing an alley, negotiate a forward serpentine, back into a dock that's 90 degrees to the alley, or perform other maneuvers. Maybe those who can't do with a car what truckers can do with an 18-wheeler shouldn't be allowed on the road. For a more rigorous test, narrow the "alley" and tighten the serpentine with traffic or soccer cones. (Check the web site of your state DMV for details on the CDL skills test and test-site locations. Plan to go there when the DMV is closed).