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.