Things You Can Do To Make Yourself A Skilled Driver

Here are certain things that you can follow to improve your driving skills:

1. Look ahead: It is very important to keep your eyes on the road at any point of time. Looking ahead is absolutely necessary as it will keep you aware of your surroundings. Keeping an eye on the vehicle in front of you and its light indicators will help you and other passengers in the car to stay safe. Using cellphones or talking to fellow passengers or browsing through your infotainment system can break your concentration and might lead to a mishap.
2. Keep your blind spots covered on the mirrors: Cars usually come with three rearview mirrors. One inside the cabin and two ORVMs. It is very important to be aware of your surroundings and thus adjusting the mirrors to cover all your blind spots, is very important. It will provide you with a clear picture of what is going on behind you while you are driving.
3. Proper positioning of the hands on the steering wheel: Drivers have used the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions to keep their hands on the steering wheels for decades. But recent guidelines have brought some changes in this age-old practice. It is now recommended to keep your hands at a lower position, say 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock or 8 o'clock and 4 o'clock. These positions give you better control and stability while driving and at the same time does not strain your arms.
4. Heel-toe downshifting: Although the heel-toe shifting method is an advanced method, it is quite easy to learn and implement. It makes your downshifts much smoother and quicker and thus makes you a better driver.
5. Parking with precision: Parking can be a tricky business. Having a command over parking and parallel parking will help you develop your driving skills as well.
6. Following the road signs: Learning to identify different road signs and acting accordingly play a vital role in developing your driving skills. If followed diligently, it also saves you from mishaps and penalty tickets.
7. Merge into traffic: One has to be very careful while merging into the traffic. A simple mistake can cost you a lot, both in terms of money and life. Driving at a controllable speed and observing your surroundings is very important while merging into traffic. Also you need to be extra careful while changing lanes and merging into traffic on highways.
8. Compare car insurance online and narrow down on the best plan. All it takes is a few simple clicks!Braking: Get accustomed to your brakes. Brakes are tuned differently in different vehicles. Based on the initial bite, you have to judge the intensity of your braking. Instead of pumping the brakes too hard, keep your eyes on the road and predict the nature of braking. Braking sooner is always a better option than hitting the brakes too hard at the last moment.
9. Driving a manual transmission car: Driving a manual transmission car is bound to boost your skills as a driver as it requires everything to be done manually, from engaging the clutch to shifting the gears. It also saves you quite a good deal of fuel.
10. Understanding and controlling the oversteer: It is important to understand oversteer and take charge of it. Oversteering your car might be fatal and should be avoided at any cost.
11. Driving backwards: Driving backwards helps you develop your driving skills to a whole new level. Driving backwards makes you more efficient in judging distances and the angle of steer.
12. Do not tailgate: Tailgating is a dangerous affair. Driving too close to another vehicle might call a risk of an accident. Sudden braking by the vehicle in the front might lead to a crash.
13. Know your limits and maintain speed limits: A speed limit is the maximum speed at which you are supposed to drive in a particular stretch of road. It is important to maintain the limit as it will lead to avoidance of accidents. Driving at a controllable speed also gives you the time and space to judge your next action before you do it.
14. Driving according to conditions: Doing a 60 on a lane with a speed limit of 60 kmph is perfectly fine on a bright and dry day. But it might not be a good idea to do the same on a rainy, snowy, or foggy day. It might lead to an accident and thus it is important for you to judge the conditions of the roads and climate when you are driving.
15. Do not drive if you are tired or sleepy: For very obvious reasons, you should avoid driving if you are not well or feeling tired or sleepy. The brain does not respond actively in such cases and thus there are high chances that you might end up crashing your car.
16. Never drive under influence: Never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Intoxicated driving can be fatal.

Although there are many other habits which you can practice, these are some of the most important habits that will definitely help you to develop your skills as a driver and thus help you stay safe. Happy driving!