Our first Driving rule, on the track and road, is to set a safe enviornment before we drive. The driver's envionrnment is very important because it serves as a "homebase" for good car control. Once you have that set, you can keep you focus outside the car and far ahead. The enviornment should give us both comfort and passive/active safety. Generally, the three do not conflict. Comfort is different from convenience, because the latter can be achieved mentally via habit. Comfort is predominantly physical: Good ergonomics.
If you suddenly ask someone to go with you to a place about one hour of a drive away and he refuses because it's "too far", that can relate to his driving enviornment. He might not feel physically comfortable to drive for a full hour, and this effects his mentality. Active safety refers to the ability of the driver to see and react to the hazards on the road. Slow reaction times and large blind spots in the mirrors are major causes of collisions that stem from a bad setup of the driver's enviornment. Passive safety revolves around the damage inflicted to a person's body during a crash that has occurred or even when driving over a large bump.
The seat
1. The Seating:
If the seat is positioned, but the driver is not positioned well inside the seat, that's a problem. So, don't sit ON the seat, sit IN it. Sit upright and push your back and buttocks as tight as possible into the backrest. Sit straight up and down, don't lean sideways. Your legs should also be positioned so that they are as apart from one another as feels comfortable. Most people in most cars can actually lean their knees against the walls of the pedal cluster, on the center console and the doorskin.
If the seat is positioned, but the driver is not positioned well inside the seat, that's a problem. So, don't sit ON the seat, sit IN it. Sit upright and push your back and buttocks as tight as possible into the backrest. Sit straight up and down, don't lean sideways. Your legs should also be positioned so that they are as apart from one another as feels comfortable. Most people in most cars can actually lean their knees against the walls of the pedal cluster, on the center console and the doorskin.
2. The seat height:
Adjust so that there is a distance of a handwidth (five fingers) from the ceiling. In convertibles, set it so that the open visor does not obstruct your view. If in doubt, too high is better than too low. A race-car requires lower seating for more stability and feel, particularly a drifting car.
3. The Seat distance:
Adjust according to the pedals. When pressing on the pedals, the pressure should be applied from the balls of your feet, not the toes. The heels belong on the floor and the movement of the right foot from throttle to brake could usually be done by pivoting over the heel.
Place your right foot on the brakes and the left foot on the clutch. In an automatic, the left foot rests on the dead-pedal to the left. Start the engine, press with the left foot unto the clutch or against the footrest. Press on the brakes a couple of times with your right foot and than squeeze it down. With both feet fully depressing the pedals, the knees should be bent at about 120 degrees.
If the angle is closer to 90 degrees and the knees are crammed, you are too close. If the knee is boltstraight, you are too far back. When in doubt, too close is better than two far. Boltstraight limbs are tiring, lack sensitivity and can suffer from fractures.
4. The Backrest angle:
Adjust according to the steering wheel. Stretch both hands forward and place your wrists directly ontop of the wheel. You should be able to just slightly bend your wrist over the rim. The goal is to manage and do this without hounching your shoulderblades forward.
5. The Steering distance:
Grip the wheel at 9 and 3. Your palms should be placed on the outside of the rim and the thumbs can be hooked over the crossbrace unless it feels uncomfortable or if driving off-road. Grip the wheel lightly, feel it mainly through your fingertips, not just the palms or thumbs.
Adjust the distance of the wheel so that you can perform stage (4) without houncing any part of your shoulder forward and with a slight bend in your elbow, all without erecting the backrest to 90 degrees. You should avoid placing the hub of the wheel closer than 25cm from your chest. Place your hands on the wheel at 9 and 3 (both sides), the elbows should be bent at about 120 degrees. Too close is better than too far.
6. The Steering height:
Adjust according to the height of your shoulders. The palms at 9 and 3 should be just slightly lower than the shoulders, about 5cm. Too low is better than too high.
Adjust according to the pedals. When pressing on the pedals, the pressure should be applied from the balls of your feet, not the toes. The heels belong on the floor and the movement of the right foot from throttle to brake could usually be done by pivoting over the heel.
Place your right foot on the brakes and the left foot on the clutch. In an automatic, the left foot rests on the dead-pedal to the left. Start the engine, press with the left foot unto the clutch or against the footrest. Press on the brakes a couple of times with your right foot and than squeeze it down. With both feet fully depressing the pedals, the knees should be bent at about 120 degrees.
If the angle is closer to 90 degrees and the knees are crammed, you are too close. If the knee is boltstraight, you are too far back. When in doubt, too close is better than two far. Boltstraight limbs are tiring, lack sensitivity and can suffer from fractures.
4. The Backrest angle:
Adjust according to the steering wheel. Stretch both hands forward and place your wrists directly ontop of the wheel. You should be able to just slightly bend your wrist over the rim. The goal is to manage and do this without hounching your shoulderblades forward.
5. The Steering distance:
Grip the wheel at 9 and 3. Your palms should be placed on the outside of the rim and the thumbs can be hooked over the crossbrace unless it feels uncomfortable or if driving off-road. Grip the wheel lightly, feel it mainly through your fingertips, not just the palms or thumbs.
Adjust the distance of the wheel so that you can perform stage (4) without houncing any part of your shoulder forward and with a slight bend in your elbow, all without erecting the backrest to 90 degrees. You should avoid placing the hub of the wheel closer than 25cm from your chest. Place your hands on the wheel at 9 and 3 (both sides), the elbows should be bent at about 120 degrees. Too close is better than too far.
6. The Steering height:
Adjust according to the height of your shoulders. The palms at 9 and 3 should be just slightly lower than the shoulders, about 5cm. Too low is better than too high.
7. Head-Restraints:
Headrestraints are terribly overlooked. They are crucial for avoiding a dangerous whiplash. Adjust it to a height where it is in line with your eye-browes (if in doubt, too high is better than too low) and most importantly, so that your crumped fist cannot be placed between your upright head and it. New cars have highly adjustable restraints that can be adjusted for comfort and safety equally.
8. Seatbelts
Seatbelts are most important, no upright seating, low seat position, safety seat, airbag or head restraint can even be close to replacing it. There is more to it than just buckling it up. Pull it slightly to tighten it around your waist. If adjustable, set it's height to fit unto your collar bone (shoulder) and not on your arm or neck. If in doubt, too low is better than too high.
9. Windows:
Always keep one of the windows slightly open. In the summer, it helps keep the compartment ventilated when air circulation is activated. In the winter, it helps keeping fresh air incoming. In the city, where fully open windows can replace using the A/C, prefer them open. On the highway, avoid having a window opened more than that little gap ontop, as it increases fuell consumption due to drag. Avoid keeping a window halfway open and do not place hands on or beyond open windows.
10. Air Conditioner
Internal circulation is usually better than external air circulation, as it blows more air. When you need to cool a car that stood in the sun, internal circulation works best unless the car is very hot, but it's preferred to use external circulation to filter out pollution from the plastic within the car. When cleaning fumes from the glasses, circulation can also work, but most cars work better with external circulation.
11. Glasses
Keep all glasses: Windows, mirrors, lights -- clear. This allows to see better, illuminate the road better and suffer from less glare.
12. Interior mirror
The mirrors are adjusted without moving your head from it's straight forward position.
The interior mirror should be set to get just the rear window, that's it. Any aftermarket mirror designed to show you more, or any attempt to use the mirror to see what's going on inside the car, are bad and hazardous. Clear any obstruction you can from it's way and tilt the little switch under it into "night mode". This way, you will not suffer from glare through that mirror and you will be able to get a clear image.
If you want to see what happens in the rear seats, buy a small additional mirror that sticks unto the windshield with vaccum taping. Place it to not interfere with your peripheral vision or with any of the visors.
13. Driver's side mirror
In the US, for the sake of disscussion, the (left) driver's side mirror is bigger for both European or American-made cars, than the right, passenger side mirror. When the opposite holds true, the adjustment is reversed. Place an assistant about 3 feet behind and tell him to move to the left untill he is about to dissappear completly from the interior mirror. Now, open the left mirror untill you just bearly see part of him in it.
Now, the mirror is opened to the minimal amount of overlap with the interior mirror. Normally, with this adjustment, you will not be able to see the edge of your own car in the mirror. Move your head towards the glass untill you see it. Memorize how much you needed to move your head to see that tiny bit of silver in the mirror. In most European cars it takes just the slightest movement of the head. In most American cars you get the head all the way against the glass. In some cars it's somewhere in between. This way, you know next time how to adjust/check the adjustment of the mirror quickley by yourslef.
14. Passenger side mirror
In countries where you drive on the right, in American or European cars, this mirror is quite small and needs to be opened further away, to overlap at a larger distance, about 5 feet. Place your assistant at that distance and to your right so that he is about to dissappear completly from the interior mirror, and open the side mirror as far as possible without losing a slight sight of that's person. Move your head towards the passenger's seat and see when you see the edge of your own car in the mirror: It might be when you are in line with the center of the interior mirror, or with it's far edge.
This might feel uncomfortable at first, but it increases your field of vision dramatically. A small, eliptic auxiliary mirror mounted below the original mirror can be helpfull during parallel parking and reversing. Adjust it to show you a large portion of the car's body. It can also help if passengers obstruct your view in the interior mirror.
15. Blind-Spots
When you have adjusted your mirrors like this, you have very small blind spots that are almost none-existant and very rarely hazardous. However, there are actions to be taken to check those little blind spots too.
a) Blind spots in front of your front bumper or when you pull out from some stop signs or parking spots, that require looking over your shoulders and through the rear side windows, are not connected to mirrors, but it's important to mention them.
Headrestraints are terribly overlooked. They are crucial for avoiding a dangerous whiplash. Adjust it to a height where it is in line with your eye-browes (if in doubt, too high is better than too low) and most importantly, so that your crumped fist cannot be placed between your upright head and it. New cars have highly adjustable restraints that can be adjusted for comfort and safety equally.
8. Seatbelts
Seatbelts are most important, no upright seating, low seat position, safety seat, airbag or head restraint can even be close to replacing it. There is more to it than just buckling it up. Pull it slightly to tighten it around your waist. If adjustable, set it's height to fit unto your collar bone (shoulder) and not on your arm or neck. If in doubt, too low is better than too high.
9. Windows:
Always keep one of the windows slightly open. In the summer, it helps keep the compartment ventilated when air circulation is activated. In the winter, it helps keeping fresh air incoming. In the city, where fully open windows can replace using the A/C, prefer them open. On the highway, avoid having a window opened more than that little gap ontop, as it increases fuell consumption due to drag. Avoid keeping a window halfway open and do not place hands on or beyond open windows.
10. Air Conditioner
Internal circulation is usually better than external air circulation, as it blows more air. When you need to cool a car that stood in the sun, internal circulation works best unless the car is very hot, but it's preferred to use external circulation to filter out pollution from the plastic within the car. When cleaning fumes from the glasses, circulation can also work, but most cars work better with external circulation.
11. Glasses
Keep all glasses: Windows, mirrors, lights -- clear. This allows to see better, illuminate the road better and suffer from less glare.
12. Interior mirror
The mirrors are adjusted without moving your head from it's straight forward position.
The interior mirror should be set to get just the rear window, that's it. Any aftermarket mirror designed to show you more, or any attempt to use the mirror to see what's going on inside the car, are bad and hazardous. Clear any obstruction you can from it's way and tilt the little switch under it into "night mode". This way, you will not suffer from glare through that mirror and you will be able to get a clear image.
If you want to see what happens in the rear seats, buy a small additional mirror that sticks unto the windshield with vaccum taping. Place it to not interfere with your peripheral vision or with any of the visors.
13. Driver's side mirror
In the US, for the sake of disscussion, the (left) driver's side mirror is bigger for both European or American-made cars, than the right, passenger side mirror. When the opposite holds true, the adjustment is reversed. Place an assistant about 3 feet behind and tell him to move to the left untill he is about to dissappear completly from the interior mirror. Now, open the left mirror untill you just bearly see part of him in it.
Now, the mirror is opened to the minimal amount of overlap with the interior mirror. Normally, with this adjustment, you will not be able to see the edge of your own car in the mirror. Move your head towards the glass untill you see it. Memorize how much you needed to move your head to see that tiny bit of silver in the mirror. In most European cars it takes just the slightest movement of the head. In most American cars you get the head all the way against the glass. In some cars it's somewhere in between. This way, you know next time how to adjust/check the adjustment of the mirror quickley by yourslef.
14. Passenger side mirror
In countries where you drive on the right, in American or European cars, this mirror is quite small and needs to be opened further away, to overlap at a larger distance, about 5 feet. Place your assistant at that distance and to your right so that he is about to dissappear completly from the interior mirror, and open the side mirror as far as possible without losing a slight sight of that's person. Move your head towards the passenger's seat and see when you see the edge of your own car in the mirror: It might be when you are in line with the center of the interior mirror, or with it's far edge.
This might feel uncomfortable at first, but it increases your field of vision dramatically. A small, eliptic auxiliary mirror mounted below the original mirror can be helpfull during parallel parking and reversing. Adjust it to show you a large portion of the car's body. It can also help if passengers obstruct your view in the interior mirror.
15. Blind-Spots
When you have adjusted your mirrors like this, you have very small blind spots that are almost none-existant and very rarely hazardous. However, there are actions to be taken to check those little blind spots too.
a) Blind spots in front of your front bumper or when you pull out from some stop signs or parking spots, that require looking over your shoulders and through the rear side windows, are not connected to mirrors, but it's important to mention them.
b) A scooter/bike over one lane aside: If I was hugging the left in the left lane and a bike was, for any reason, to hug the right side of his lane, the distance between the car exceedes one lane and at that distance there is usually a small blind-spot that the bike/scooter is normally just large enough to fit into. While it's extremlly rare for a rider to sit fully and over time in that blind spot, it's important to deal with it by:
(1) Constantly checking all mirrors, so that you are aware of all cars and bikes around you and know when they are inside your blind spots. (2) Make gradual lane-changes: First to the edge of your own lane, check side mirror again, move over. This also helps other road users to avoid you if you missed them/they missed you.
c) A scooter/bike in the third: It's important to know what is going on in the third lane. Usually, you can see cars in the third lane, but bikes can fall into a certain blind spot. Constantly checking the mirrors helps avoid this. This is the only case where the mirror requires being backed-up by a shoulder check. You simply tilt your head a bit to the side, start moving over and than add another little peek like this. The two peeks enable to look into the area hidden by the B pillars.
d) a curb when reversing: When reversing, we need to see part of the car's body in the mirror. For this, we need to tilt our head untill we see the car's edge. A small auxiliary mirror helps greatly. Remember, it's better to work hard during short, slow reversing/parking than in long drives.
e) a blindspot behind the rear bumper: Small objects can dissappear here. The auxiliary mirror I mentioned can help, but to cover it we need to monitor all mirrors constantly, reverse slowely and perhaps install reverse sensors that make a sound when you near an object.
f) An object hidden when the interior mirror is obstructed: Heads, headrestraints and rear doors can obstruct the view directly through the interior mirror. Again, you can tilt your head and/or install a small auxiliary mirror. The auxiliary mirror must be small and is best mounted below the original mirror, so that you can hide it if someone drives behind with rear beams.
g) A broken mirror: If someone breaked one of your side mirrors mid-travel, you can set a auxiliary mirror on the opposite side mirror, so that you can see directly behind, and than set your interior mirror slightly to the other side, where your side mirror was knocked off, and use shoulder checks when nessecary.
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