If you’re a first-time driver or someone who’s always had to drive an average-sized car, the thought of operating a bigger vehicle may be daunting. It can be scary to think about maneuvering it as other cars whizz by on the freeway or, worse, having to park it in a tight spot.
There are certain perks that come with being able to operate a bigger car. One is that you can see the street and traffic in front of you clearly. On the flip side, though, it can be challenging to fit it into narrow roads.
Nonetheless, driving a bigger car is another life skill that you should learn, especially if your dream car falls on the larger side of the spectrum like the SUVs offered by visionnissancanandaigua.com. As with any other ability, you can improve through practice and perseverance.
Here are a few tips to help you get used to driving a bigger car:
1. Do Your Research
Before anything else, you must prepare your mind for the task ahead. Equipping yourself with the necessary knowledge of driving a particular kind of car is crucial to your success. It can help minimize mental blackouts when you’re right in the middle of a tense situation. Plus, it can also ensure that you make smart snap decisions during road crises.
Some steps that you can take as you do your research include:
- Reading the Manual – Car manufacturers provide guidance to their users through the manual that comes with their vehicles. Spend time reading it so that you can become familiar with its features and functions.
- Learning Road Signs – While you won’t be able to get your driver’s license if you don’t learn traffic rules, it’s always good to have a refresher and remind yourself what road signs indicate. This way, you can follow them easily and stay safe while driving.
- Knowing How to Communicate – Maximize your blinkers so that you can inform other drivers about what you plan to do. For instance, the turn signals can notify the car behind you whether you’re going left or right. This way, you avoid causing accidents due to misinterpretations of your actions.
2. Identify Blind Spots
Even if you can easily see the road in front, as mentioned above, bigger cars actually have more blind spots. This is because of the thick pillars on the sides of the windshield, which are required to comply with crash regulations and vehicle quality standards. In effect, the window area is smaller, while the height of the beltlines becomes higher.
Knowing this, you have to prepare yourself to expend more effort in looking left and right before you make a turn. Fortunately, once you’re aware of this and you keep on driving a big car, your body will become accustomed to the actions. An excellent trick is to tilt your body toward the steering wheel to make your viewing angle wider.
The most common blind spot is beneath your rear windshield, where animals and kids can scurry under. You won’t be able to view it through your window or rearview mirror. If you have someone with you, it’s better to ask them for help in checking the back of the car personally to ensure that nothing will be run over when you go on reverse.
3. Learn How to Estimate
Learning how to estimate is another crucial skill that you need to develop when driving big cars. If you’re used to operating smaller vehicles, like compact cars and small SUVs, you will need to relearn how to estimate driving a regular-sized SUV, for example.
You must have an idea of how much space you’ll be taking up on the road. Moreover, you also need to consider parking as well as speed and the car’s weight, which plays a role in how much force it can give during collisions. While sharp brakes and high-friction tires can help prevent considerable impact on your end, it might not be enough to reduce the energy that it throws to the other vehicle.
4. Maximize In-Car Tools
Recent car models are also equipped with tools that can help alleviate your worries about driving along freeways and parking. This is another reason you should read the user manual so that you become aware of the features and functions that can give you a smoother driving experience.
These are the typical in-car tools that you can enjoy in most cars nowadays:
- Mirrors – Of course, you should make the most out of the rearview and side view mirrors, especially when parking or making a turn. These accessories are there to ensure that you don’t get into accidents and harm others or yourself.
- Camera – A lot of bigger vehicles are equipped with front and rear cameras to help the driver see the objects that are surrounding the car. Typically, you can view the images on the infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard area beside the steering wheel. You can also invest in dashcams to supplement your viewing area.
- Sensors – Newer models also have powerful sensors that can notify you if there are people, animals, or objects near your car. This tool is particularly valuable when parking because you might not see a little kid run behind your car and become in danger of being run over.
5. Just Practice
The most straightforward step you can take to become used to driving big cars is to just get behind the wheel and go. As long as you’ve prepared yourself mentally and become familiar with the features and functions that your car has, you’re good to go.
If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can start driving on less busy roads. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can be more confident to face more cars.
Conclusion
Driving bigger cars doesn’t need to be a daunting task. You just have to prepare yourself mentally and do your research about the vehicle that you’re using. Learn the blind spots that you have before going on the road and make the most of in-car tools to avoid accidents. Lastly, just get behind the wheel and drive to make your body more accustomed to operating large vehicles.
According to toolsbible.com, for awareness and anticipation, it is better to keep a driving distance of at least 4 seconds between your car and a commercial pickup truck.
