Drive Distortion

Drive Distortion

How to Avoid the Top 5 Driving Errors That Most People Make

What are the top 5 driving errors that people make? And how can they be avoided?

One of the most common driving errors is turning on every other gadget in the car after it has hit the road. Some people compound the problem by activating their pagers and cell phones. Multi-tasking is something that cannot safely be done while negotiating a busy highway on your way to serious work. It might be excusable to fix your makeup if you are just casually driving round the next block in the suburban neighborhood to a friend's house (but even then, you have to think about children suddenly rushing in front of the car)...but that is certainly dangerous when speeding along a highway with tens of other speeding vehicles all around you.

To get around this, fix yourself up perfectly, make all the calls you need to make, send out all the text messages you need to send and be sure and finish your meal at the table before getting into your car.

Another common error that people are unaware that they are doing is tagging too close behind the next car. Your car needs ample time to stop itself after you slam on your brakes after seeing the brake lights of the car in front of you suddenly flash bright red.

If you are running at average speed, you need two or three seconds worth of allowance between your front and the but of the car you are following. Add some more allowance if you are speeding down the fast lane or traveling at night, through foggy weather or on a wet road.

The third common mistake people commit while driving is neglecting to check a corner before turning. People most often assume that because they are turning into a particular direction, no other cars or people are going in the opposite direction.

To avoid this mistake simply requires focusing on your driving and having the presence of mind to slow down when you get to a corner. Whether you are driving straight through or turning left/right, you should give yourself a few seconds to take in the situation in that corner before proceeding. People don't usually cross the street without checking if there are cars going through. The same goes if you are driving a car yourself.

The fourth common mistake that people commit while driving is taking medicines that will make them drowsy. It is not just alcohol that can make you sleepy, antihistaminic or anti-allergy drugs exert the same action. Do not take medicines to control allergies before driving you car.

If you need to take these medicines, take them early on, about an hour or so before hitting the road. Better still, postpone taking them until after your have reached your destination.

Another thing people do which leads to accidents on the road is to rely on their side or back mirrors when they are backing up the car. The spatial impression given by those mirrors are slightly distorted. Objects, including cars and people, that seem to be a safe distance removed from the back of your car may actually be near enough for you to hit. The best way to back up the car is to turn your head and look through the back window of the car. In this way the spatial impression you will be getting is accurate.

Along the same line, be sure to back up immediately if the coast at your back is clear. Don't wait for five minutes before doing that. Especially when he is engaged in an interesting conversation with a friend in his car, the temptation to pursue the topic of conversation after having checked the back window is great. If the driver waits several minutes to back up, a vehicle may have positioned itself at his back.

Just asking, but aside from the loudness, is it actually considered good that they show horrible distortion?

I live in a largely Hispanic neighborhood where people use the sound boxes as weapons - showing off and driving through with the intention of setting off car alarms. But I hear people who are obviously proud of their cars and even keep the windows up, but instead of listening to loud music, I hear speakers that are clearly being run to their limits and being producing distortion that bugs me even beyond the volume. Is this considered good in the mobile boom box culture?

No its not considered good in the Car Audio world. Just people that dont know what loud clean bass sounds like or just thought they knew what they were doing when they installed it.