The Confessional

-Chris-

Bless me father, for I have sinned...


I had a bit of time to myself today, and when I went to pick up a book, I found myself re-reading Roadcraft (if you don't own it, buy it now).

It reminded me of some good driving practices I've forgotten, and highlighted some bad habits I've picked up. It got me thinking about what I do well and what could use some attention/practice.
And then this evening I read ottostreet's thread, and it seemed even more important.

What I do well (I think):

• My anticipation, observation & concentration are good. I'm rarely on autopilot or just following the bumper in front of me.
• I do exceed the speed limit, but I feel I only do it in appropriate situations .
• I tend to obey the 2 second rule, and even when I do a "surprise test" I'm rarely closer than 1.5 seconds or more.
• I don't get red mist.
• I feel I have decent lane discipline.

My general rule of thumb for if I need to reassess my driving is whether I have any near misses. I've been pretty clear for a while.


What I intend/commit to work on:

• I need to practice push/pull. I've gotten way too "stylish" with my steering and hand positioning.
• I need to remember to use the System of Car Control consciously - my lane positioning is fine, but the rest can be haphazard.
• I need to get out of the habit of changing gear while braking. I'm using engine braking way to aggressively. I'm changing gear mid-corner too. Both are due to poor planning.
• I tend to reverse "in the mirrors", I need to look out the glass more.
• While I have patience with overtaking, I can get frustrated if someone's not keeping their eye on their rear-view mirror and not giving me opportunity to overtake. This frustration leads me to be too close to them - not close enough to be considered tail-gating, but certainly close enough to be in need of correction.

Phew, I'm glad to get this off my chest, and I make the promise to myself to try to improve.

Anyone else care to give it a try?


If you need some inspiration and don't have Roadcraft, you could have a gander at the Rules of the road (pdf | interweb).


Disclaimer - The confessional is not a place for judgement. It is not a place for pointing out where others are wrong or berating them for their honesty.
If you wish to post, either share your own thoughts about your driving, or offer constructive criticism or advice for someone you feel you can help.

There is no penance in this confessional, if you wish to improve, you are automatically absolved of all your sins.

Go in peace :P:D

Seth Brundle

Nope, my driving is perfect!

Well, maybe I occasionally go a few km over the limit and undertake, etc.

af_thefragile

I cannot parallel park...
I cannot reverse into spaces easily, takes me a good loads of forward and backwards movements to get it right... (and i don't care what you read into that!)

Apart from that I don't really go over the speed limit usually. Only on certain roads like the N4 lucan bypass I go over the speed limit, but its a 3 lane motorway with 80kmph limit!

KamiKazi

Have the bike version (The police riders handbook) and it's improved my riding tenfold.

ferguson

-Chris- wrote: »

.

• I need to get out of the habit of changing gear while braking.

why is that an issue? this is a genuine question. some times i change down while braking and am in lower gear with clutch up again before leave off brake. smooth no engine braking. Find it handy sometimes when say comomng to a left turn o green light. brake /clutch/ change down/cluthch up and in lower gear to handle slower speed coming out of turn. Is that so bad, like really bad habit?

brownej

hmmm....
I never put my handbrake on at the traffic lights. I'm always sitting there with the clutch just about engaged (especially on hills).

Oh and I hate lane jumpers at the lights. I will always try and get off the lights before them (You can tell the ones that will try it)

Fishtits

I need to practice push/pull. I've gotten way too "stylish" with my steering and hand positioning.

Apart from driving in built up areas, the steering wheel should never be pulled, always pushed. I think that push pull rubbish where you end up shuffling both hands up and down the sides of the wheel to avoid having a hand crossing 12 o clock is downright dangerous in this day and age.

It had its origins in the '50's when nothing had power steering.

Just my 2 cents.

af_thefragile

brownej wrote: »

hmmm....
I never put my handbrake on at the traffic lights. I'm always sitting there with the clutch just about engaged (especially on hills).

Oh and I hate lane jumpers at the lights. I will always try and get off the lights before them (You can tell the ones that will try it)

I do the same!! I always just sit with the clutch just engaged.
Though lately I'm getting into a habit of putting the car into neutral and coasting upto the traffic lights and breaking. Its the lazier way to do things...

And if I'm at the front of the traffic lights, sometimes I do try to get off before everyone else, its kinda fun in my car... Though this is only in a few places where the roads are clear and there's no hazards (like pedestrians and such)...

TouchingVirus

I must get this book for I appear to have fallen into some bad habits like yourself. The ones that your list remind me of are:

• Poor hand position on the wheel
• Fairly aggressive enging braking
• I most likely break the 2-second rule when overtaking, I tend to go up behind, out, then in again. My "surprise tests" sometimes lead me to 1.25 seconds which is worrying
• I've gotten into a nasty habit of coasting around corners, which is a terrible thing to do.
• I've started "predicting" the lights
• About five times in the last year I've forgotten the blind spot when moving, and while I tend to glance my rearview a lot I still get a chill after I move lanes and remember I've forgotten to check. I need to make sure to check it all the time.

On the upside

• I very rarely exceed the speed limit by more than 2mph
• I know how to use roundabouts, in fact I am awesome at them
• I always indicate for turns/changing lanes/whenever I'm meant to
• I always slow down for towns/villages/traffic calming measures, you won't catch me bombing it through Enfield at 60mph
• My observations are pretty good, blindspots are checked 99%+ of the time too
• Being an ex-biker, and having hit a cyclist nearly 4 years ago (his fault but my fault in my insurance company's opinion ) it's very rare that a bike/cyclist will catch me out and wondering where they came from or whatever

unkel

I bought roadcraft a few years ago and there wasn't really anything in it that improved my driving. That said I'm driving 25 years now (with a proper education at the start of it ) and if I'd read it back then it would really have progressed my driving awareness and skills.

As for sins - I've none except speeding, sometimes way beyond the limit, but only on good quality empty motorways. I've yet to receive any fixed punishment of 2 penalty points and €80 for that

And I get a tad aggressive flashing the beams to indicate my intention of overtaking an overtaking lane hogger. Not for long though as most Irish drivers are completely ignorant of any signals. Time for my other sin - undertaking :eek: I've never undertaken a car anywhere in the world except in this country

ferguson

brownej wrote: »

hmmm....
I never put my handbrake on at the traffic lights. I'm always sitting there with the clutch just about engaged (especially on hills).

Oh and I hate lane jumpers at the lights. I will always try and get off the lights before them (You can tell the ones that will try it)

if you get hit from behind and your foot is knocked off brake could be dangerous

Lord Nikon

Where do i start?

I cannot parallel park. The space is always too big and I cannot judge the size of my car. I need parking sensors.

I cross 3 lanes, with indicator, to get to the off-ramp, (Coming of the M4 in the overtaking lane, trying to get into the lane for Lucan village).

I drive over the limit on motorways. Always, but never do over 160km/h.

I text, play games, look for places on my GPS, and surf the internet on my iPhone, all while driving. I need to stop this.

I get road rage way to easily.....
People in front of me not overtaking the slow tractor or truck or other car, causing a tailback.
Other motors with NO breaklights, WTF?
Motors pulling out from junctions and they had clearly seen me, but I still have to slam on.
Motors in the overtaking lane not moving the **** over, and I have no choice but to undertake them.
People not moving from the lights when they go green.
Motors in yellow boxes.
Cars parked on a main road, when they have ****ing driveways to park in.

djimi

I need to learn to calm down when Im driving; not that I speed or drive erratically, but I find myself shouting at other cars a lot. Usually morons doing something stupid (and lets face it, chances are youll meet one of them everytime you go out on the road). I need to learn that increasing my blood pressure is going to do nothing except give me a heart attack...

Im also another one of the "cant parallel park" brigade

Padraig Mor

If I crash it will be most likely due to one of two things:

1. being distracted by a fine piece of totty.
2. paying more attention to others' **** driving rather than keeping my eyes on the road.

Oh, and I'm pretty crap in tight spots, but that may just be a reflection of my preferred car size (big!)....

Also speed and undertake, but don't really regard these as 'sins'.....

-Chris-

ferguson wrote: »

why is that an issue? this is a genuine question. some times i change down while braking and am in lower gear with clutch up again before leave off brake. smooth no engine braking. Find it handy sometimes when say comomng to a left turn o green light. brake /clutch/ change down/cluthch up and in lower gear to handle slower speed coming out of turn. Is that so bad, like really bad habit?

Their mantra is "brakes for slow, gears for go". Braking with your gears can destabilise the car.
As far as I can tell the key principle is control and planning - i.e. to be thinking enough that you've planned the position>speed>gear>accelerate sequence for the manoeuvre you're making.

TouchingVirus wrote: »

On the upside

• I know how to use roundabouts, in fact I am awesome at them

LOL!

Esel

Fishtits wrote: »

Apart from driving in built up areas, the steering wheel should never be pulled, always pushed. I think that push pull rubbish where you end up shuffling both hands up and down the sides of the wheel to avoid having a hand crossing 12 o clock is downright dangerous in this day and age.

It had its origins in the '50's when nothing had power steering.

Just my 2 cents.

Tbh, I don't think it would be in Roadcraft if it was not good practice. Pull/push is not to avoid crossing hands per se - Roadcraft also recommends crossing hands in certain circumstances, afair.

-Chris-

esel wrote: »

Tbh, I don't think it would be in Roadcraft if it was not good practice. Pull/push is not to avoid crossing hands per se - Roadcraft also recommends crossing hands in certain circumstances, afair.

Yep, slow speeds, tight turns and reversing are three instances they move away from push/pull. It's not black and white.

brownej

brownej wrote: »

hmmm....
I never put my handbrake on at the traffic lights. I'm always sitting there with the clutch just about engaged (especially on hills).

If by this you mean holding the car on the clutch it wont last long, do you ever notice a strong smell when your doing this and wonder what it is? Its the clutch eating itself.

TouchingVirus

Have to say, since my confession I've paid a whole lot more attention to those points I said I was doing badly at. I'll have them corrected in no time if I keep this up. Great thread OP

Cuddlesworth

My only confession is the red mist when driving a car on the M50. The sheer incompetence of nearly all the drivers both frightens and really aggravates me.

Cunning Alias

TouchingVirus wrote: »

[*]I've started "predicting" the lights
[/list]

Is this a bad thing?

I know all the light sequences in my area. If im driving up to a red light and I know its going to change green soon I will slow down so that I can avoid stopping. Would never fly through the light as soon as it turns green though. Just in case someone is chancing their arm from the previous light.

My sins:

Serious road rage at people who don't know how to use roundabouts and lane skippers (although I forgive L plates). If I ever have a "Falling Down" day, these will be my targets.

Blocking people off when leaving a roundabout if they are trying to illegally force their way in. E.g. 2 lanes going on to the roundabout, 1 lane leaving on the left exit. Person who is in the right hand lane tries to force their way into the left exit (normally they are in this lane as the queue is much shorter than the left lane). Il be in the left and drive exactly where I should be and make sure I match their speed.