Almost all road accidents occur because of the driver: what can we do to avoid endangering our safety and that of others? What is the most ...

Safe driving 

Sitting in the car seems a trivial operation, but almost all motorists do it the wrong way: adjusting in the right seat, headrest and steering wheel position allows you to drive with less effort and being more comfortable, all to the advantage of concentration and attention to the road. That's how.
The driver's seat must be positioned so that by pressing the clutch pedal (or, on cars with automatic transmission, putting the foot in the equivalent position) the left leg remains slightly bent. This will allow us to easily press the pedals, and, in the event of an impact, the bent legs will absorb the impact better than the stretched legs.

The steering wheel must be at a distance that allows us to rest the wrists on its top, while still keeping the shoulders firmly against the back. However, the distance between the upper body and the steering wheel must not be less than 35 centimeters to allow the airbag, in the event of an activation, to open without hitting us violently. It is also important to correctly adjust the height of the head restraint so that you can rest your neck and thus avoid dangerous whiplashes on the neck.

WE CONNECT THE BELTS

Even the safety belt, mandatory for all passengers over 1.5 meters in height, to offer maximum protection must be worn according to some precise rules: the diagonal band must pass to the center of the shoulder, not too close to the neck, while the ventral band must pass on the pelvis and not on the belly. In the event of an impact, the seat belt, by lengthening, absorbs up to 40% of the energy, significantly reducing the damage to the occupants of the car. On the other hand, children under the age of 12 and shorter than 1.5 meters must be transported in the appropriate approved child seats.

Turning the steering wheel and going through a curve seem trivial. In fact, in this situation, the behavior of the car is subject to a large number of forces and physical phenomena. The first is the force of inertia: a car that proceeds in a straight line will tend to maintain its trajectory until the force exerted by the steering wheel on the wheels makes it curve. The steering force is proportional to the driving force: this means that the faster the vehicle goes, the more intense the force to be applied to change its trajectory will have to be. hackney minicab

DO NOT DO THE STRAIGHT

And here the first problems arise: if the force required to let the car into the corners is higher than the grip offered by the tires, the car will go straight. This means that going through a curve in acceleration is more difficult than traveling in a slowing phase.

When traveling a curve, it is, therefore, advisable to slow down early and then use the accelerator to keep the speed constant along the entire trajectory. But just an unexpected, an abrupt maneuver to avoid an obstacle, a road surface with poor adhesion such as wet asphalt, sand or ice and the car suddenly loses grip. Don't panic: a bit of technique, cold blood and a good knowledge of the car's behaviors still allow you to overcome these moments without too many problems.

VIA DI TESTA (THE UNDERGROUND)

A vehicle when cornering is subject to various transverse forces: the most important of which is the centrifugal force. When this force overcomes the grip between the tires and the road surface, the car will tend to follow it and take us out of line. If the loss of grip first involves the front wheels, the car will tend to understeer and then go with the muzzle out of the curve. Correcting this behavior is quite simple: it is sufficient to remove the foot from the accelerator so that the car, slowing down, shifts the weight on the front axle. At this point, the wheels regain grip and just increase the steering angle a little to bring the car back on the right path.

DO YOU LIKE TO SWAG? ABOUT DRIFTING

The drifting, or power oversteer, is a maneuver that consists of losing grip during cornering to the rear wheels and then recovered in the countersteering full control of the car. It is such a difficult and spectacular driving style that in Japan it has become real motorsport, with more than 150 races a year. In these competitions, competitors earn points based on the inclination reached by car with respect to the trajectory of the curve, the duration and the style of the skid. In Italy, it is not widespread.

TAIL STRIPS (THE OVERSTEER)

how do you brake a running vehicle? Well, it's easy: you take your foot off the accelerator and press the brake. And if you want to overdo it, you can even climb one or two gears. As long as everything is normal, this procedure is undoubtedly correct. But if we are on a slippery surface or in front of a sudden obstacle, things change: we must stop the car in the shortest possible space and without losing control.

WITH ABS

If we are driving a car equipped with ABS (mandatory on cars registered after July 2004), simply press the brake and clutch pedals fully, keeping your hands firmly on the steering wheel. If the braking distance is still insufficient, we will avoid the obstacle by steering gently. But beware, grip on a slippery surface is still limited, and the ABS cannot work wonders: the steering must be opened just enough to discard the obstacle. As well as eliminating the forces acting on the engine, the lowered clutch will prevent the car from turning off, to the advantage of controlling the car.

WITHOUT ABS

If we are behind the wheel of an old car that does not have electronic systems, things get a little more complicated: braking violently causes one or more wheels to lock and the car can skid violently. If this occurs, the brake must be released so that the wheels regain grip, steer sharply to put the car back on the line and only then brake again. Keeping your gaze fixed on the target point will make things easier.

Discard an obstacle

Is braking always the best choice when faced with a sudden obstacle? No, if there is no stopping distance or you are on a slippery surface, it is much better to discard it. To do this in complete safety, it is necessary to hold the steering wheel correctly (with your hands on the "9 and 15"), and, if possible, do not release the accelerator to avoid compromising the stability of the car. At constant speed, you steer gently to avoid the unexpected and then quickly return to your lane.

WARNING: Before discarding invading another lane, make sure that nobody is coming from behind or from the other direction.

The aQUAPLANING

Aquaplaning is a very dangerous phenomenon caused by the accumulation of water in the grooves of the tire tread. It can occur in case of heavy rains and in all cases where there is an accumulation of water on the road surface: the tread cannot expel it all and a liquid cushion is formed that literally lifts the car from the ground. In this situation, the loss of grip is total and sudden and any maneuver, accelerating, braking, steering, is impossible and the car proceeds without control in a straight line, driven by inertia. The signs of aquaplaning are the unexpected lightening of the steering and the increase in engine rpm. In this situation it is necessary to overcome the instinct to brake or steer (you risk provoking a violent car skid), but, with your hands firmly on the steering wheel, it is necessary to progressively lighten the accelerator to favor the recovery of the grip of the wheels. In general aquaplaning is favored by:

- Excessive speed (usually over 80 km / h)
- Worn tires, even if with treads exceeding the minimum 1.6 mm required by law
- Insufficient tire pressure: the greater deformation of the tire closes the outflow notches)
- Little draining asphalt that favors the accumulation of water
- Very light vehicles.