Not always! Limited confidence in your own car will be useful. It's just a vehicle that's not…
8 rules of a responsible driver for Women's Day
(photo Moje Auto)
We see more and more women behind the wheel. This trend will certainly continue in the coming years. Responsibility and safety go hand in hand not only in civilian road traffic, but also during car rallies. Noticing the growing interest of women in the automotive industry, I decided to prepare some advice especially for them.
8 rules of a responsible driver:
Important dates.
There are dates in every driver's life that you, as a driver, should remember. A registration inspection should be performed once a year. During such an inspection, the technical condition of the vehicle is checked. In particular, the bodywork, whether the headlights are in working order, the condition of the bodywork, chassis, the condition of the suspension, the steering system and the condition of the brakes. All these elements have a significant impact on the efficiency of the car, which directly translates into driving safety. On the second page of your registration certificate, check when your next inspection is due. It is worth remembering this, because it is forbidden to drive a car on the road without a valid inspection. Of course, in the event of an inspection, the lack of valid technical inspections of the vehicle will have serious consequences.
Penalty points.
CDo you know how many penalty points you are entitled to as a driver? If you have had your driving license for over a year, this number is 24 points. If this is your first driving license and you have had it for less than a year, you are entitled to 20 penalty points. Penalty points are taken from the driver's account for offenses committed while using the car. Therefore, if we exceed the speed limit or park our car in an unauthorized place, in addition to the fine, we will receive several penalty points. Points are depleted only after one year from the date they were collected. If we receive a fine for a specific amount and 10 penalty points on April 24, 2019, the points for this offense will be returned to our account only on April 24, 2020. If we commit more offenses and the number of our penalty points is close to zero, we can sign up for a special course eliminating several penalty points. However, if we lose all of them, we will not be able to drive a car, which is strictly defined by law.
Crash? Do not panic!
Not every "encounter" with another car is an accident. He is clear about this Road Traffic Code, which defines an accident as an event that occurred in land traffic and was caused by an unintentional violation of safety rules, resulting in the death of one of the participants or bodily injury causing impairment of the functioning of a body organ, or health disorder lasting longer than 7 days. A damaged bumper or scratched bodywork is not a reason for traffic jams. If you wait for a patrol in the middle lane of a main street in the city, just because another car brushed against yours, you will get a ticket. Therefore, if such an unpleasant situation occurs, it is not recommended to panic. It is worth taking three deep breaths, keeping a sober mind and trying to correctly determine whether the event that occurred was an accident.
Saving.
In cars with a diesel engine, operate the transmission so that the revolutions remain in the range of 2-3 thousand. rpm, in cars with a petrol engine about 2,5 - 3,5 thousand. rpm Avoid sudden accelerations and high speeds (over 130 km/h). Anticipate the behavior of other road users so that you brake as rarely as possible and be sure to plan your route. Try to slow down by downshifting one gear at a time, but arrive at the traffic lights in gear. Press the clutch at the last moment. These few simple rules guarantee saving up to 20% of fuel. With current fuel costs, 20% is quite a large amount, even for one fill-up. It is worth checking your car's fuel consumption and the number of kilometers you drive each month, and then calculate how much you can save per year.
A triangle is essential.
It is the duty of every driver to carry a warning triangle. Failure to do so may result in receiving a fine. It is usually located in the trunk, e.g. attached to the lid from the inside. It is mandatory to display a triangle if you stop on the side (emergency lane) of a motorway or expressway. Its distance from the vehicle should be 100 m (on average, about 120 steps). You should also display a triangle if you stop your car in a place where parking is prohibited (e.g. due to a vehicle breakdown). In non-built-up areas, the distance from the car should be 30 - 50 m, and in built-up areas, 1 m from it. Remember to turn on your hazard warning lights every time. As the name suggests, a warning triangle is a portable sign that is intended to inform all other road users who are traveling on the same road that there have been difficulties caused by your stopping in a place not intended for this purpose for a reasoned reason. However, the obligation to park at hazard lights is also absolutely justified, because it is also information for others. However, above all, turned on hazard lights increase the visibility of your vehicle, especially at night or in difficult weather conditions. The greater the distance you and your car are visible, the more time oncoming drivers will have to react.
Horsepower.
One of the first questions we may hear from a man who is passionate about motoring is how much horsepower does our vehicle have or how much power does it have? It is worth knowing these parameters. You can read the appropriate information from the registration certificate. On its last page, in column P.2, you will find a number specifying the vehicle's power in kilowatts (kW). If you want to know how much horsepower your car has, just multiply the given number by 1,33. Nothing hard. Otherwise, if we know the year of the car, its engine capacity and the type of fuel that powers it, we can find this information online, usually on the manufacturer's website. However, if we do not have the required knowledge, it is a good idea to go to the car showroom of the brand whose vehicle we drive and ask a specialist who, in the vast majority of cases, will give us the correct answer. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, for example, we may have such a nature of work that we will drive a different company car on longer routes each week. Therefore, before starting the procedure, we can visit the manufacturer's showroom and ask for the information we are interested in. We will learn about the power of the car to be able to determine its capabilities, this is very responsible behavior that largely affects our safety and that of other road users.
Tire condition.
The condition of tires affects not only the level of fuel consumption, but above all, our safety. We can check their condition at a tire repair shop, but you can also do it yourself. The minimum allowable tread depth is 1,6 mm. However, in the case of summer tires, it is worth changing them when the tread is 3 mm deep. Even then their performance is significantly limited. The tread of a winter tire loses its properties at the level of 3 or even 4 mm. It is also necessary to ensure the correct pressure, which is described in the manual and on the sticker near the driver's door.
"Must have".
Before driving, check if your windows, mirrors and lamps are clean. Good visibility is a basic safety principle that will enable us to react quickly in the event of danger. In addition, make sure the seat and steering wheel are properly adjusted.
This will certainly improve driving comfort. And that's really what it's all about: traveling in comfortable conditions because it allows us to get more pleasure from driving.
Often, women sit in the driver's seat and are responsible for everyone traveling with them. I hope that these simple, but very important rules will help you find your way in this maze of road traffic rules. I wish you as many safe trips as possible and, of course, as much driving pleasure and passion as possible.
Conclusions
The number of women behind the wheel increases every year
Every driver is obliged to carry out a registration inspection once a year.
For violating traffic regulations, in addition to being fined, you may also lose so-called penalty points.
Not every unpleasant road incident can be classified as an accident.
Economical driving allows you to save up to 20% of fuel.
Every driver should have a warning light in his car. Failure to do so will result in receiving a fine.
Every woman driving a car should know its basic parameters, i.e. horsepower, engine capacity, etc.
The condition of your car's tires has a major impact on safety and fuel consumption.
Before each trip, check whether the car's windows, mirrors and headlights are clean.
A car driver should always remember that when driving he/she is responsible for the safety of all passengers.
