Here you can get Safety at the Wheel in Automobiles, Driving position, Safety belts, Mirrors and Other safety equipment.
Two aspects of safety at the wheel are covered during this article. First, it’s important to adopt the proper driving position and to form sure that the seat is positioned correctly in relation to steering wheel and pedals. Second, a car’s safety features — items like mirrors, safety belts and head restraints — got to be used properly.
Driving position
One of the basic requirements of safe driving is to take a seat at the wheel properly. If your driving position is wrong, you reduce the degree of control you’ve got over your vehicle and driving becomes unnecessarily tiring. it’ll also divulge to a trained observer your inadequacies as a driver. Many drivers sit either too close to or too faraway from the wheel, with the previous the more common mistake. Others are simply too casual in their approach.
Sitting too on the brink of the wheel usually suggests that a driver lacks confidence in his ability to handle the car, although poor eyesight is another reason. A driver might not be aware of any defect in his eyesight because deterioration generally creeps up gradually, and he compensates for it unconsciously by placing himself as close as possible to the windscreen. regardless of the reason, sitting too close to the wheel is tiring and restricts a driver’s control of the steering.
On the other hand, you’ll make the error of being too relaxed. it’s going to feel comfortable to carry the wheel low down only with the right hand, with elbow resting on the door-pull or window-sill, but control in an emergency is severely impaired. One-handed steering — perhaps with the hand casually holding a spoke of the wheel — points to over-confidence, almost to the purpose of boredom, or laziness. the driving force of a car with power-assisted steering must be especially conscious of developing lazy habits. simply because it’s possible to steer with the small finger doesn’t suggest that it’s safe to try to to so; again, it’s impossible, with such minimal control, to deal efficiently with a sudden avoidance man oeuvre, and your concentration can lapse if you become too relaxed.
The ‘boy racer’ who seeks to emulate his racing driver heroes by reclining within the cockpit of his car, arms outstretched to a small wheel , is additionally guilty . A would-be racer who thinks a laid back position is suitable for his modest saloon can learn, to his cost, that procedures suitable for a circuit are to be avoided on the road.
A racing driver’s straight-arm position is dictated by lack of space during a narrow cockpit, by sensitive steering which needs just a flick of the wrists to vary direction, by his small steering wheel and by the aerodynamic logic of lying well back during a low-slung car. This sort of driving isn’t only irrelevant on the road, but also reduces the driver’s control and is as tiring as sitting hunched over the wheel.
So, with the incorrect driving positions dealt with, we will turn our attention to the proper one. It should allow your hands to sit naturally at either a ‘ten-to-two’ or ‘quarter-to-three’ position on the wheel while keeping your arms bent at the elbow at an angle of between 90 and 120 degrees. Your legs got to be positioned comfortably in reference to the pedals: they ought to not be splayed out either side of the wheel, nor need to |must you”> do you have to sit thus far away that you simply have to stretch to press the clutch pedal to the ground.
Although people come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and proportions, most cars these days have enough seat travel and backrest rake adjustment to enable the bulk of drivers to seek out an honest position. If you’re unusually tall or short, it goes without saying that you simply should check whether you’ll find a cushy driving position before choosing which car to shop for. Once your driving position is true , you’ll find that the car becomes easier, less wearing and more pleasurable to drive, all of which contribute to safety at the wheel.
Mirrors
As your link with all the outside world which lies behind your peripheral vision, mirrors are vitally important. an honest interior mirror giving a broad field of vision, preferably right up to the blind spots formed by the rear quarter panels between the rear screen and rear side windows, is important in order that you’ve got a transparent view of what’s happening behind. Car design has progressed sufficiently for many modern cars to possess good interior mirrors, but if your vehicle has an inadequate mirror it would be knowing buy, from an adjunct shop, a larger mirror which may be attached to the front of the quality one. Although convex glass provides a wider field of vision, a larger area of plain glass is preferable because a distorted image gives a false impression of distance.
If the interior mirror vibrates, as many do, find some means of bracing it gently against the windscreen or roof panel; the distance of a fuzzy image of a car is extremely difficult to guage . latest cars also are equipped with a handy anti-dazzle adjustment which is beneficial in eliminating the distraction caused in the dark by a following vehicle on main beam. it’s worth remembering, though, that using this facility also can alter your perception of distance (it can make headlights seem further away at a glance), so confirm that you simply adjust the mirror back to its normal position when the dazzling lights have gone.
In recent years it’s become almost universal practice for manufacturers to suit exterior mirrors at the front of the doors, instead of in their traditional position out on the car’s wings. While a couple of cars demand rather an excessive amount of head movement and refocusing of the eyes, properly adjusted door mirrors generally complete the view which isn’t visible within the interior mirror, and are particularly valuable on dual carriageways and motorways. Cars of more basic specification may have just one mirror on the driver’s side, or during a few cases no exterior mirror in the least, so it’s worth considering fitting one among the various types available on the market.
Since door mirrors are larger than the old-fashioned wing mirrors, they’re more vulnerable to being knocked out of adjustment by pedestrians, or maybe by a passing car during a narrow street. Although a driver can adjust the door mirror by reaching out of the window while on the move, or by twiddling the inside lever or electric control knob, it’s good practice always to see the mirrors before driving off. it’s stupid to try to change the position of a near-side mirror by leaning over to control the inside lever while driving along.
Safety belts
The first thing to be said about safety belts is that their use by front seat occupants is compulsory. apart from special cases exempt from this law (individuals excused on medical grounds or drivers engaged in local deliveries during a vehicle designed for this purpose), the sole occasion once you are legally allowed to unfasten your life belt while driving is when completing a manoeuvre which includes reversing.
The majority of latest cars are fitted with inertia -reel belts, but many older cars have static belts. Inertia-reel belts remain slack in normal driving in order that the user is liberal to lean forward, perhaps to succeed in awkwardly placed controls, but they lock when the inertia of the car changes with a sudden application of the brakes. Although people wont to be sceptical about their operation, they need proved virtually fail-safe as long because the self-locking device remains in perfect working order. Make sure, though, that nothing on the floor, like an umbrella, can slide across and jam the reel if it’s exposed. it’s wise every now then to see that the webbing has not frayed against the sting of the reel. If your car has static belts, wear them tightly in order that they will serve their purpose within the event of an accident . If you carry several different front-seat passengers, don’t allow them to neglect to tighten the belt simply because it seems difficult.
All new cars must now be fitted with rear seat belts, which usually take the shape of proper three-point harnesses for 2 passengers and a lap strap for an occasional third passenger within the middle. Their use isn’t yet compulsory but is certainly advisable: an unrestrained rear passenger becomes a dangerous moving object within the event of an accident.
Young children, usually those under 10, are too small to wear adult belts properly, and will be protected by a toddler safety seat approved by British Standards Institution. There are many sorts on the market, including clever two-stage ones suitable from birth to four years aged . Most seats come with a miniature version of an adult four-point harness which no child can wriggle out of.
Other safety equipment
Head restraints, often designed as an integral a part of the seat, help to stop serious whiplash injuries to the upper vertebrae caused by the top snapping back if a vehicle crashes into the rear of your car. If a headrest is of suitable design it also can function a head rest for a weary passenger; as a driver, however, you ought to not be tempted to rest your head if you’re tired — it’s far safer to require an opportunity from the wheel.
Basic safety equipment in your car should include a first aid kit and a fireplace extinguisher, which should be securely attached to the car, perhaps under a front seat. Choose an honest brand with an adequate capacity of the BCF chemical capable of handling both petrol and electrical fires. Regular checks should be administered on tyre pressure and condition, lights, brakes, steering, windscreen wipers and washers, also as other safety-related items listed in your car’s instruction manual.
Before leaving the topic of safety at the wheel, a few words are necessary about the utilization of car telephones. Most folks have seen for ourselves samples of the potential danger which exists when a driver holds a car telephone handset while his vehicle is moving. He may vary his speed unnecessarily, react late to hazards or drift from side to side within the road; beat all, also as being illegal this is often a recipe for disaster. The highway code states the principles very clearly: don’t use a hand-held microphone or telephone handset while your car is moving, except in an emergency. If you are doing wish to possess a telephone fitted to your car, enforce a hands-free installation; even then, use the phonephone only it might not distract your attention from the road. Even with a hands-free telephone, it’s best to park the car safely before answering or making a call. While all this means that telephones and cars shouldn’t go together, there’s one very valuable benefit in having the ability to form calls from your car. If congestion causes you to late for a crucial appointment, you’ll remove any stress and worry, which may affect your standard of driving, by making a call to elucidate your delay.
Summary
- Adopt the correct driving position, with hands on the steering wheel at ‘ten-to-two’ or ‘quarter-to-three’. Position the seat to give a comfortable posture; do not sit hunched over the wheel or too far from it.
- Keep interior and exterior mirrors properly adjusted to give a complete field of vision.
- Always wear a safety belt, even when travelling in the back of a car with rear belts fitted. Static belts should be worn tightly.
