whats your safeguard while driving?

christmas2012

what do you think keeps you safe while driving,is it going that little bit slower,looking a little more before moving off,orientating yourself always keeping to the left ensuring you never find yourself on the opposite side of the road in unmarked roads with no directions written on them or otherwise.let me know what it is that you think keeps you safe while out there on the roads...

frozenfrozen

always get someone to hold the wheel while im on the phone

ninty9er

Watching traffic ahead, using my mirrors and driving a car that can actually overtake in a reasonable distance at a reasonable speed.

Alanstrainor

christmas2012 wrote: »

what do you think keeps you safe while driving,is it going that little bit slower,looking a little more before moving off,orientating yourself always keeping to the left ensuring you never find yourself on the opposite side of the road in unmarked roads with no directions written on them or otherwise.let me know what it is that you think keeps you safe while out there on the roads...

All of the above?

-Corkie-

I always leave my beer in the bottle because it spills if placed in a pint glass.

Heroditas

I never wear my seatbelt in case I have to get out of the car in a hurry.

christmas2012

okay well the first thing i do is definately put on my seat belt,look twice before driving off etc,im just interested to know just wondering does anybody have any other tips..

mb1725

Actually some of the stories and incidents on this forum would make you more aware.

hondasam

Always overtake on the left it's more fun and watch out for little old ladies.

Jimdagym

christmas2012 wrote: »

okay well the first thing i do is definately put on my seat belt,look twice before driving off etc,im just interested to know just wondering does anybody have any other tips..

Are you looking for the learning to drive forum???

Hotwheels

My Plastic Jesus

christmas2012

ah padre pio is the patron saint of drivers but jesus would definately do!

langdang

christmas2012 wrote: »

ah padre pio is the patron saint of drivers but jesus would definately do!

Nobody effs with the padre!

PizzamanIRL

Fresh brake pads

Victor Meldrew

christmas2012 wrote: »

what do you think keeps you safe while driving,is it going that little bit slower,looking a little more before moving off,orientating yourself always keeping to the left ensuring you never find yourself on the opposite side of the road in unmarked roads with no directions written on them or otherwise.let me know what it is that you think keeps you safe while out there on the roads...

Distance between me and the car in front.

time to think, and react
time to back off the accelerator to save petrol
easier on brakes.

Waay, Waay less stressful.


Other than that, it is reducing speed

firefly08

Assume everyone else is out to cause an accident. Constantly look at the situation in front of you and try to imagine what might go wrong and what you might do about it if it does. Drive at a speed that allows you to stop within the distance you can see. If you don't need your foot on the accelerator, put it on the brake, whether you think you need the brake or not.

In short...pay attention!

dahamsta

A turbo.

fasttalkerchat

Seat belt has saved my life once already.
Concentration makes the big difference for me. So many times I drove home from work late at night and suddenly realised I had no idea how far along the road I was.
Speed doesn't make much difference because the faster I drive the more I concentrate.

fasttalkerchat

firefly08 wrote: »

Assume everyone else is out to cause an accident.

My instructor once told me: Assume every pedestrian is a junkie who could fall onto the road at any moment. Assume every child has a mental disability. Assume every other driver is just after 10 pints and is chancing driving home. Assume there is a cow on the road around every corner etc. etc.

RED PASSION

-Corkie- wrote: »

I always leave my beer in the bottle because it spills if placed in a pint glass.

...........use a bendy straw so you can drink and watch the road at the same time

colm_mcm

My car weighs 1.8 tonnes.

dr.fuzzenstein

A few people said "Going slower"
What does that mean? 10 km/h below speed limit? 20?
Or are you going too fast to begin with?
I would venture "Always go at the appropriate speed"
I.e. if the limit is 100 on a windy backroad, it's obviously nuts to drive at that speed in some situations.
But if you're on an empty motorway, 120 km/h is perfectly safe.
I always though "Slow Down" to be a very wooly, wishy-washy kind of slogan.
More should be taught about anticipation and driving at the appropriate speed.

mattjack

christmas2012 wrote: »

what do you think keeps you safe while driving,is it going that little bit slower,looking a little more before moving off,orientating yourself always keeping to the left ensuring you never find yourself on the opposite side of the road in unmarked roads with no directions written on them or otherwise.let me know what it is that you think keeps you safe while out there on the roads...

My Tiger Tank keeps me safe.http://www.google.ie/imgres?start=145&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=800&bih=485&addh=36&tbm=isch&tbnid=yR6GKr5civt6kM:&imgrefurl=http://ron.heavengames.com/library/articles/modelingtutorial/tutorial1.shtml&docid=NaITNcSbepOZnM&imgurl=http://ron.heavengames.com/cpix/library/articles/modelingtutorial/TigerIref.jpg&w=300&h=188&ei=Ic0JUOHwK9KEhQfq4Jn1CQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=128&vpy=120&dur=810&hovh=150&hovw=240&tx=150&ty=76&sig=101514873492788278823&page=17&tbnh=135&tbnw=215&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:145,i:192

CiniO

christmas2012 wrote: »

let me know what it is that you think keeps you safe while out there on the roads...

Only thing that can keep you safe on the road is your brain. If you use it properly, you will be safe.

gorugeen

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Speed doesn't make much difference because the faster I drive the more I concentrate.

......and the less time you have to react, so at 100km/h you are covering 27.8 metres/second. Unless you are possessed of super human reaction times your logic is flawed.

rameire

ive got a thick skull

fasttalkerchat

gorugeen wrote: »

......and the less time you have to react, so at 100km/h you are covering 27.8 metres/second. Unless you are possessed of super human reaction times your logic is flawed.

If you maintain a safe distance from the car in front, on a straight open road your biggest risk is you losing concentration or getting groggy. Reaction time difference between 100km/h and 120 km/h isn't as great as the difference between being fully alert and being wrecked and not paying attention on the monotonous slog home from a long day at work.

Gary ITR

Buddy of mine gave me some sound advice when I started driving, he said 'never **** when you're driving'.... Joking aside that's true and to be fair I've stuck to it

Pottler

Good tyres and brakes. All the rest is crap if you have bad tyres or worn out brakes. Drive as crap a car as you like, but keep the rubber fresh and branded and keep the pads good and meaty. They will save your ass when you really need it and without them you can have the skills of Ayrton Senna and, like him, you'll also be dead. Luck also helps, I bring a big beaker of it with me everywhere.

fasttalkerchat

Pottler wrote: »

Good tyres and brakes. All the rest is crap if you have bad tyres or worn out brakes. Drive as crap a car as you like, but keep the rubber fresh and branded and keep the pads good and meaty. They will save your ass when you really need it and without them you can have the skills of Ayrton Senna and, like him, you'll also be dead. Luck also helps, I bring a big beaker of it with me everywhere.

Do tyres really make a difference at normal speeds? I only notice a difference below legal limits (and change them ASAP at the legal limit for that reason)

hardCopy

Heroditas wrote: »

I never wear my seatbelt in case I have to get out of the car in a hurry.

What station are you based in?

hondasam

Gary ITR wrote: »

Buddy of mine gave me some sound advice when I started driving, he said 'never **** when you're driving'.... Joking aside that's true and to be fair I've stuck to it

Is it ok if the passenger does it for you?

Gary ITR

hondasam wrote: »

Is it ok if the passenger does it for you?

Oh it's actually a requirement for female passengers

Pottler

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Do tyres really make a difference at normal speeds? I only notice a difference below legal limits (and change them ASAP at the legal limit for that reason)

Yes, yes they do. Crap tyres nearly buried me into a pile-up on the Naas road once when instead of stopping the car decided to continue on as it was despite the ABS pumping for Ireland. That was the last set of crap tyres I ever had on a car, a long time ago now. I bought a car last week, new chinese rubber on it, swapped them right off for a set of Firestones and as expected, car now stops, goes and handles 100% better. Tyres FTW. Oh yeah, and Sam, only if they have soft hands, otherwise its too distracting.

ceegee

My mad drivin skillz

and me massive spoiler


(paying attention to weather and road conditions and avoiding Donegal also help)

senordingdong

I stay between the ****ing lines and continue to drive god smacked at the people who can't.

dahamsta

Gary ITR wrote: »

Buddy of mine gave me some sound advice when I started driving, he said 'never **** when you're driving'.... Joking aside that's true and to be fair I've stuck to it

If it were true, you wouldn't be stuck to anything....

Heroditas

On the M50, always drive in the middle lane - this ensures you have adequate clearance on either side of the vehicle.

SeanW

Pay careful attention to what's happening in front of you. Look out for hazards and potential hazards (e.g. an animal, cyclist, stationary obstruction or some idiot who could be about to do something stupid) and respond appropriately, making sure you've left enough space and time to allow you to do so.

On one roundabout alone I've avoided a lot of accidents (all of which would legally have been my fault) by assuming that a motorist coming towards me in the opposite direction is taking the 3rd exit, while completely ignoring their indicators.

Always select a safe speed that is a balance between allowing you to respond in good time to a hazard, but fast enough that you're keeping up with traffic and able to watch the road instead of your speedometer, and are not lose time unduly. That may involve travelling below the speed limt, on those occasions when it is optimistic or generalised, travelling at the speed limit in the majority of cases where it is a good guide to safe driving, or above it if it doesn't make sense (30kph or 50kph on a Type 1 DC for example).

RED PASSION

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Do tyres really make a difference at normal speeds? I only notice a difference below legal limits (and change them ASAP at the legal limit for that reason)

Tyres are crucial to keep in good nick, at 75 mph on a dual carriageway or motorway they are the only thing transferring the power of the car to the road and when stopping is concerned especially in the wet tyres can save lives.

Where To

Gartan clay

http://www.abumedia.com/factual/gartan-clay

fasttalkerchat

Pottler wrote: »

Yes, yes they do. Crap tyres nearly buried me into a pile-up on the Naas road once when instead of stopping the car decided to continue on as it was despite the ABS pumping for Ireland. That was the last set of crap tyres I ever had on a car, a long time ago now. I bought a car last week, new chinese rubber on it, swapped them right off for a set of Firestones and as expected, car now stops, goes and handles 100% better. Tyres FTW. Oh yeah, and Sam, only if they have soft hands, otherwise its too distracting.

Do you rekon you could feel a difference between 0.8 and 0.6mm of thread for example?

dr.fuzzenstein

Gary ITR wrote: »

Buddy of mine gave me some sound advice when I started driving, he said 'never **** when you're driving'.... Joking aside that's true and to be fair I've stuck to it

Come again?:p

Thatnastyboy

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Come again?:p

He probably did :pac:

RED PASSION

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Come again?:p

spelt wrong

RED PASSION

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Do you rekon you could feel a difference between 0.8 and 0.6mm of thread for example?

i defo could not, maybe 1mm and 0.5mm in wet conditions

Chuck_Norris

RED PASSION wrote: »

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Do you rekon you could feel a difference between 0.8 and 0.6mm of thread for example?

i defo could not, maybe 1mm and 0.5mm in wet conditions

Sorry for being pedantic here boys, but is it not a bit late at either of those stages?

fasttalkerchat

Chuck_Norris wrote: »

Sorry for being pedantic here boys, but is it not a bit late at either of those stages?

I never bought used tyres so don't know. I get a decent set of used tyres and drive until below legal limit or an MOT is coming up (NCT)

Chuck_Norris

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

I never bought used tyres so don't know. I get a decent set of used tyres and drive until below legal limit or an MOT is coming up (NCT)

Not being obnoxious here, or wanting to appear rude (apologies if I offend with this), but I'd you're willing to drive a car with tyres below the legal limit of thread depth, it goes a long way towards explaining your question as to whether tyres make much of a difference.

I've just over 4.5mm left on mine, and can tell the difference in the wet especially.

TrailerBob

Always felt safer in the jeep as its so big. (2 tons of big) until one day I was parked in front of a Nissan 200sx... I looked and realised that in a head on collision with the Nissan, the first part of the cruiser to hit it ( or any low fronted car) would be the tyres.. the thought has made me think a little more since then.

Gran Hermano

I assiduously follow the advice of the RSA and worship Gay Byrne for his knowledge of all things motor related.

As a man I realize if I drive with a female passenger she will die.