Top tips to enhance your driving experience in the new year

Driving a car makes us feel free and excited, especially people who love cars and driving. While driving enables us to go places and explore unexplored parts of the world, it is also increasingly becoming an essential skill for us with the rising importance of personal mobility, especially since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Driving is not rocket science, but it takes practice to hone the skill. Being a good driver is essential as the safety of the driver and the other occupants of the car, as well as other people around them also depends on how the person drives the vehicle. While driving a car, a lot of factors determine how good or bad a driver is. The driver's presence of mind, essential functions of the car's systems and a good understanding of the traffic rules are among the basic things that are required to drive a vehicle effortlessly and safely.

While we learn a lot from our driving instructors about traffic signals, driving skills, functions of key vehicular systems etc., there are a lot of things that the instructors don't teach. But these things determine how the driving experience will be. The usual driving test only prepares us to take the vehicle out on the road. However, to be a good driver it is essential to be a sensible driver.

Here are a few key tips that ensure the improvement of the driving experience.

Ensure regular basic checks

Make sure you carry out the basic checks of your car regularly. These include keeping the tyres inflated with the right air pressure, checking the engine oil level, making sure the brakes are working properly, keeping the windshield fluid topped up, ensuring the battery and all the lights are in optimum working order etc. Performing these simple checks regularly helps in keeping the car well-functional and allows the user to stay safe on the road.

Make sure timely periodical servicing

This tip goes hand in hand with regular car maintenance, but there are a few things that drivers are not capable of completing, especially critical car servicing, which only professional technicians can perform. Small servicing tasks like engine oil changes, and topping up essential fluids might be doable, but critical tasks like changing spark plugs or refitting timing belts can be arduous tasks and should be performed by a person who knows each and every nook and cranny of a vehicle's systems. Make sure you take the car to the service centre for periodical servicing as prescribed by the OEM for thorough checks and fixes as required. Doing this not only helps keep the car in the best shape but also ensures the safety of the vehicle and its occupants.

Drive with patience

There are a lot of things you see on roads that are idiotic. Many drivers or riders do things on the road that are not only unsafe but also ridiculously frustrating. Besides that, factors such as bad traffic, poor road conditions, and inconsiderate drivers also impact the patience level of a driver. However, getting angry while driving can result in overspeeding or loss of concentration. Hence, also try to keep calm and drive carefully. This will ensure safety for you and others around you as well.

Be a considerate driver

Being a considerate driver is not something you will learn at a driving school. Also, you may not find many inconsiderate drivers or riders around you on the road but try to be considerate yourself. Allowing space to an ambulance or a fire truck in a tight traffic condition may not be easy, but doing so by going the extra mile can make a difference. On the other hand, you may find a considerate driver going the extra mile to help you. A simple thank you wave can encourage him or her to do the good things again.

Stick to the speed limit

Overspeeding is one of the major reasons behind a large number of road accidents. Speeding is fun but dangerous and could be fatal. Driving at higher speed reduces control over the vehicle while driving slower allows the driver to react much quicker in the moment of need, as it allows more time to assess the road situations and make decisions accordingly. Sticking to the speed limit not only increases the safety of the vehicle and its occupants but improves fuel consumption as well, which eventually helps in saving money on fuel bills.

Avoid distractions

Driving is fraught with many distractions. Make sure you avoid those distractions as much as possible. Keep the mobile phone in the glove box and don't use it while driving. If you really have to use the phone, then park the car at the roadside and use it. Strictly avoid drunk driving as it is one of the most unsafe practices for you as well as the people around you. Listening to music while driving is a relaxation therapy for many. However, make sure you keep the volume of the music low so you can hear the horns or sirens of other vehicles. This will not only make you much more alert but will enhance safety while driving.