Advanced Driving Tips From Experts

Posted by Ben Davidson about 2 years ago

No matter how many years you’ve been behind the wheel, there’s always room for improvements; in some ways, the longer you drive, the more bad habits you pick up, which is why it’s sensible to redress the balance every now and then with advanced driving tips.

Handling Corners

It’s not wise to handle corners at speed; if you accelerate through a corner, you risk losing control of the vehicle in the worst-case scenario and causing a crash, but even in th best case, accelerating through corners wastes fuel and doesn’t necessarily get you to point B more quickly.

Instead, you want to take your foot off the accelerator going into the corner and press the gas when leaving; this helps you to handle the vehicle better through the corner, saves some fuel, and doesn’t result in any lost time or speed. This is how professional drivers handle corners.

Advanced Braking

If you haven’t heard of left food braking before, that’s probably because it’s a technique more commonly used on the race track. This braking technique involves taking your left foot off the clutch and pressing the brake while your right foot is on the accelerator giving you dual control.

So why would you want to use this race car braking technique on the public road? For one thing, it can give you more control of the vehicle in emergency situations; if your car is spinning for some reason - perhaps due to hitting some ice - you can regain control with advanced braking.

Steering Wheel

Most drivers are on their best behavior during the test and hold the steering wheel at a nine and three o’clock position, but after we pass and hit the open road, we soon become lazy; many drivers steer with one hand at the bottom of the wheel or even steer using a single finger or thumb.

Although you can mostly get away with this when driving slowly or sitting in traffic, it’s not advisable when driving at speed. It only takes one unexpected event on the road to distract you and cause accidents; you only have to look at Nevada car accident statistics to see the results.

The Racing Line

In motorsports, the racing line is the optimal distance and angle you need to trace corners efficiently and get around a track in the best time possible. So how exactly does that help the average driver? In many ways, understanding your racing lines helps to save fuel and time.

If you have an average commute, start to notice the time, distance, and costs involved in getting to where you need to go, come up with the best time for your commute, and take variables into account, such as traffic and weather conditions. Forward planning helps save time and fuel.

Advanced Observation

Any advanced driving school teaches the benefits of advanced observation; this means seeing beyond the conventional obstacles you encounter at traffic lights, junctions, and through your mirrors; for instance, instead of looking at a car, look through the car’s windows to the other side.