Driving experience in the city for 'new drivers'

Driving a car on crowded inner-city roads is always a challenge for new drivers. Therefore, mastering traffic knowledge and applying advice drawn from the practical experiences of experienced drivers will help new drivers ensure safety and reduce stress when driving on inner-city roads.

Know your route

Some inner-city roads are often closed to cars, so if you are just switching from a motorbike to a car, you should know your route. Most car models today are equipped with a navigation system integrated into the central screen. If you are not sure about the route, you should use this function to choose the right direction.

In addition, before setting off, you should get into the habit of looking around the car to avoid obstacles blocking the way. If your car is parked on the side of the road, don't forget to turn on the signal lights and check the rearview mirror when starting off.

Steady speed, keep appropriate distance

When driving on inner-city roads, drivers should pay attention to traffic signs, drive in the correct lane, and not encroach on the motorbike lane. Adjust the accelerator and brake pedals smoothly to control the vehicle's speed, avoiding sudden acceleration and deceleration that can surprise other vehicles.

In case of having to move slowly, you should pay attention to keeping a suitable distance from the vehicles in front to avoid collisions and limit motorbikes from cutting in. Because if just one motorbike "slips" over, other vehicles will follow, causing your car to be "stuck". In fact, keeping a distance when driving a car in the city is a challenge for new drivers because they are not confident in maintaining speed and are not good at watching the car.

According to the experience of "old drivers", in this case with manual transmission cars, the driver should shift to 2nd or 1st gear, and adjust the clutch pedal to move the car. With automatic transmission cars, you should keep the car moving smoothly, using the brake and accelerator pedals to maintain speed and keep a distance from the car in front.

Pay attention to traffic lights, do not brake suddenly.

When driving near an intersection, pay attention to traffic lights. Do not brake suddenly when stopping at a red light to avoid the risk of collision with vehicles moving behind. When you see a yellow light, or a green light with less than 3 seconds left, apply the brakes to slow down the vehicle.

Avoid speeding in these situations because traffic at city intersections is quite complicated, motorbikes often cross and can easily cause accidents.

In addition, you should not pass immediately when the light turns green, but observe all directions to make sure that there are no vehicles running red lights from other roads, which can cause collisions.

Turn on the turn signal early, watch when changing lanes

Before changing lanes or turning, drivers should pay attention to turn on the turn signal to signal to surrounding vehicles. Observe the rearview mirrors to cover the surroundings. Avoid turning on the turn signal and then suddenly changing lanes or turning, causing surprise to the vehicles behind.

Note when turning the car

Inner city roads are often crowded with traffic, especially during rush hour, so new drivers should limit U-turns to avoid traffic jams.

If necessary, observe and choose a location where you can turn around without affecting traffic. Turn on the turn signal early, when approaching a place where you can turn around, slowly turn the wheel, and observe the rearview mirror. Drivers should be calm and decisive in their actions, and use the accelerator and brake pedals rhythmically to avoid collisions.

Be patient, avoid distractions

In reality, there are many factors when driving in the city that can easily distract the driver, such as observing locations, house numbers on both sides of the street, using the phone, or being absorbed in a conversation... This can easily make the driver unable to react in time to unexpected situations.

Therefore, to concentrate while driving, you should only play music or radio at low volume to avoid distraction. You should connect your mobile phone via Bluetooth, the car's infotainment system... in case of necessity, you should use the hands-free mode by adjusting the buttons on the steering wheel, which many cars are now equipped with. You should not hold your phone to text or listen to or call while driving.

When going through traffic jams, be patient and do not cross lanes to try to find a way out because this will make the traffic situation more complicated.