6 common mistakes when driving an automatic car

(Baonghean.vn) -Thanks to the simplicity and reduced manipulation when driving, automatic cars are increasingly popular. However, if the principles of operation are not followed correctly, it can easily lead to dangerous mistakes from the conveniences of this car line.

Below are dangerous mistakes when driving automatic cars that drivers need to avoid.

1. Habit of using both feet

In the Road Traffic Law, there is a question "When driving an automatic vehicle, how should the driver use his feet correctly?" - the correct answer is "Do not use the left foot, the right foot controls both the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal".

But recently, many "crazy car" accidents caused by mistakenly stepping on the gas pedal were caused by using two feet to control the car, one for the gas pedal and one for the brake pedal.

In automatic cars, the accelerator and brake pedals are arranged in a straight line with the right foot pointing out, just in the most secure sitting position. The driver's attempt to move the left foot to the brake pedal causes this foot to always be in a crooked position, making the sitting position uncomfortable, in case of urgent braking, the pedal force will not be enough.

When the right foot is only on the accelerator for a long time, once an unexpected situation occurs where the brake must be applied, the accelerator cannot be released in time, greatly reducing the braking effect, and the car will still move forward even if the driver steps on the brake, which is the reason why the car loses control.

2. Keep your foot on the accelerator pedal

Because of the integration of operations into the same foot, most mistakes when using automatic cars are related to foot usage, which in this case is the case of not following the principle of "no gas, then brake", being lazy or forgetting to switch to the brake pedal and still waiting to leave it on the gas pedal.

If the driver does not press the accelerator, the driver must immediately move the toe to the brake pedal. If the driver keeps waiting on the accelerator, when encountering a dangerous situation, the driver will reflexively press the foot immediately, the car will not stop but will suddenly rush forward. This is also one of the main causes of "crazy cars" today.

3. Do not use sports mode

Even though the car is automatic, there are still sport, manual or semi-automatic modes, usually marked “+,-” or “M1, M2, L1, L2”… right on the gear lever. Some car models are even more convenient when integrating manual gearshift paddles on the steering wheel.

When the gear lever is in this mode, the vehicle will not automatically shift gears according to speed, but the driver will shift gears according to the purpose. Once mastering the features of each mode, the driver can set the appropriate gear for each road section, thereby not only minimizing wear and tear but also preventing the risk of accidents.

4. Shift to N when going downhill

Many drivers have the habit of shifting to N when the car is going downhill so that the car runs on inertia to save fuel. This is a completely wrong point of view, because automatic cars today have the ability to automatically cut off fuel supply to the engine when the car is going downhill, if shifting to N will accidentally restart the system, sometimes even more expensive.

Not to mention, letting the car roll downhill due to inertia is extremely dangerous. The driver must brake frequently, causing the brakes to overheat or break down quickly, and it is also difficult to react in time when encountering unexpected obstacles.

5. Do not shift to P when stopping the vehicle

In some cases, due to the slightly steep terrain, when the driver steps on the brake, shifts to P, locks the handbrake, and releases the foot brake, the car will move a bit strongly and run quite hard, this also affects the transmission.

The best way is to shift to N then handbrake, let the car move until it stops, then shift to P.

6. Press the accelerator pedal hard when you need to accelerate.

Many drivers think that just shifting to D position and pressing the accelerator pedal hard will help the car reach high speed. But this is very easy to make a mistake, because the gear shifting operations are based on the principle of "pressing the accelerator to increase the gear and releasing the accelerator to decrease the gear".

Therefore, to ensure fuel economy and safe operation, the driver should gently press the accelerator pedal at a moderate speed (about 40km/h), then gently release the accelerator pedal to reduce engine rpm and then continue to slowly press the accelerator pedal to change gears.

Ngoc Anh

(Synthetic)