Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Teach your Teen to drive : Part 3

HOW TO FOLLOW IN TRAFFIC

HOW TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY
Your driver will find that the two-second rule assists them to maintain a safe following distance.

Thus, when driving behind a vehicle, they should maintain, at least, a two-second distance between their vehicle and the vehicle ahead of them. The best conditions are daytime and on dry roads.

The following distance should be increased to at least four seconds, when driving in adverse weather or road conditions or at night.

How to measure the following distance:
Have your driver start counting “one-thousand-and-one, one-thousand-and-two” when the back bumper of the vehicle ahead of the driver passes a fixed object, for e.g. a lamppost.

If your vehicle’s front bumper reaches that lamppost before the count of “two” your driver should drop back and increase their following distance. It is important to note that the closer they drive to traffic, the harder they’ll find it is to observe what is ahead of them.

Encourage your driver to observe several vehicles ahead of them. Remind them that if any vehicle ahead slows down or stops abruptly, it is likely that all the vehicles behind that vehicle will have to follow suit. By maintaining a good following distance, your driver will have more time to respond to the actions of other drivers.

Remind your driver that there could be other vehicles following them. If your new driver observes and communicates with the driver traveling behind them, they can avoid the possibility of being hit from the behind. You may suggest “pumping” the brake-pedal by pushing your foot on it to turn it on and off quickly to flash the brake lights and using indicators in advance to indicate your driver’s intention to slow down, stop, or turn.

THE ROLE YOU PLAY.
Assist your driver by counting out the two-second distance for them. As the driver become more experienced with the two-second distance, inquire, “How many seconds are you behind the vehicle in front of you?” After a period of time, the new driver may be able to follow at a safe distance without having to count it out every time.

SOLUTIONS TO COMMON PROBLEMS
New drivers at times count the seconds too fast and do not foresee changes in the road as swiftly as they should. They may find themselves concentrating on following so much that they lose sight of pedestrians and other vehicles. They may also tend to follow certain vehicles too closely. With practicing continually, your driver may realise that they need to follow larger vehicles at a greater than two-second distance because of the inability to see around them.

IMPORTANT LESSON
Your driver must communicate with the drivers of the vehicles behind you when being followed.

THE TWO-SECOND RULE
When following, keep at least a two-second distance between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. Increase this distance to four seconds, under adverse conditions.

WHERE TO PRACTICE?
Opt for the correct time of day and make use of an open road with a reasonable amount traffic.