It dates back to late 80’s. My uncle bought a Fiat Padmini; which was adored like a queen. It was a white elephant (though I guess bought in black) that used to take away most of our playing space in the verandah. Nonetheless, I made it a point to get into it at times and play with various light/blinker buttons, which were objects of appeal in a car in those times. Not to forget the black colour fan installed inside the vehicle, which was considered as a marvelous cool gadget!
Our first family-car was a Maruti 800. It was considered as a muscle machine and often showcased as a vehicle with an amazing ‘tough to control’ pick up. I started learning driving at the age of 16. My normal driving route was about a kilometer from my house, where I used to drive only on gear 1 and 2. By the time I turned 17; I was pretty ok with driving but was more comfortable with a navigator. Driving alone was still a nightmare for me, until the day when I had to force myself to drive without someone sitting next to me. I still get goose bumps when I recall that night when my grandfather got seriously ill, and I had to rush home to get my dad’s car, alone at 9pm! I was a kid that time, without a valid license. But thankfully all went well, and we reached the hospital on time!
Aaah.. that was nostalgic. So, coming back to the point, what really is fine driving? If you have attended a driving school for a month, and now are already on road, you still may not be an expert. One thing that people usually miss out here is relevant road experience. It is just like a Mario game, in which you know how to make the dude move forward, but need to learn several tricks to evade oncoming turtles. Of course, you don’t get gold coins here,
Following are some simple tests, which will determine your driving skills. Please see how many you can clear, and basis that you can decide your level:-
1) If asked to drive at a constant speed on a free road, are you able to uphold that speed? This should be an easy one; and if you fail, get off the wheel ;)
2) Can you reverse the vehicle without actually turning your head to look back? Tip: This just comes with practice.
3) Can you stop just 1 inch before an empty can/bottle kept in your path? Tip: Go slow initially. If you master this, you can pass speed breakers very easily stopping when needed, and thus ensuring greater economy for the car. You car will be away from potholes too!!
4) Single speed breaker test: can you pass a gigantic speed breaker, without letting your car touch it from below? Tip: Whether the car will touch the speed breaker or not depends on BOTH ground clearance and car length! Most of us think it is just dependent on ground clearance; while in reality ground clearance figures are misleading. E.g. GM’s Optra ground clearance is more than that of Maruti ZEN!! It’s still tough to handle Optra on nasty speed breakers because of its length.
5) Multiple series speed breaker test: can you cross the speed breakers without slowing down completely and at the same time not making your car look like a camel? Tip: Depending on the gaps in between, you can speed up the vehicle in such a way that the tyres sync with the humps.
6) At any point while driving, are you aware about vehicles around your car (all 4 sides)? Tip: No tip really; just use all mirrors.
7) Can you easily judge the distance between your vehicle and objects towards the left? The answer should be yes. Tip: If you think that the top left edge of the windscreen can pass clear of the object, in all probabilities the entire car will pass unscratched!
8) Do you keep your vehicle on extreme left while turning on hilly roads? Answer should be yes! Tip: Most people think that the vehicle should be in the center of the road while turning. This is a myth. The vehicle should be always towards the left (unconditionally). It is to make way for huge vehicles (bus, truckers, etc).
9) Are you comfortable using hand brake on a hilly terrain or on a spiral road as we often encounter during parking in malls, etc. Tip: To learn the skill, just use hand brakes and accelerator initially while on such terrain. You will automatically learn how to use hand brakes; and then later can use a combination of both hand and leg brakes.
10) Can you reverse park your vehicle, ensuring center position in the parking space? Tip: Just judge the right side of the car using right side view mirror. Left side will be in place automatically!!
11) Are you able to drive, without realizing you are driving? That is to say, your driving comes from the subconscious. Your brain knows where to slow down, when to accelerate, and when to put on what gear. Tip: This will mostly happen on your daily driving routing. Comes with experience. No tip really!
12) Most importantly, while driving, can you sense your car engine? If you do, you actually know the beast very well and hence can control it very easily. Tip: When you accelerate, try to listen to the vehicle. It is just like your heart beat. We know when it increases, by sensing it automatically. Same principle applies to your car. Knowing the heartbeat will ensure you slow it down when needed. In fact, your car pulse syncs with your own pulse while driving. It’s important to keep both in sync, and under control!!
Below are some car maintenance tips:
1) Avoid lending your car to friends. It impacts the performance, if it gets a bad driver!
2) Some service stations recommend Nitrogen as air for tyres. Never go for it. Scientifically, Nitrogen is no good for tyres. So why spend extra?
3) Ensure your car is balanced. If your car goes sideways on a highway when the steering is let free, it needs a balancing check. Not doing this can severely damage your new tyres.
4) Heard of extra mile/premium fuel? Never go for it. Doesn’t matter if you use normal or extra premium fuel. It’s been tested and proven that both give almost same performance.
Above is just a summary of my experience with driving so far. I still consider myself in learning phase, as I am sure there’s much more to come.
Drive safe; and don’t use high beam unless really needed!
