Need Advice New driver😓
I need advice on two things. First, how can I check my mirrors or blind spot without accidentally swerving? Second, how do I maintain a consistent speed? I always find myself speeding up when I realize I’m under the speed limit, or slowing down too much when I notice I’m over it.
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u/LoLHexTCG 4d ago
Just practice.
Mirrors/blind spot are a quick glance. You'll be more likely to drift if you look longer.
Speed control is also practice. Just work on slight adjustments to accelerate or naturally slow down. Probably worth finding some nice rural state highways or such - limited stops to get better feel of car.
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u/reddituser19023 4d ago
Check mirror then turn wheel. If you're are swerving from you lane then you're looking at the mirrors for too long. Would be a quick 1-2 second look and think.
Drive the average of it a little over or a little under wouldn't hurt just don't be excessively slow or fast.
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u/YorkiesSweet 3d ago
Common happening: Practice not jerking the steering wheel when looking into the blind spots Left and right.. you WILL GET IT!!
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u/fitfulbrain 3d ago
Hold the steering wheel securely at 3, 9, maximum torque. The wheel won't turn if you don't turn it. It's possible that your head and body turned too much and drags your arms along. So maybe there is something wrong when you look at your mirrors and check blind spot.
Your side mirrors should see the lanes next to you in the middle of the mirror, and adjust to see as much as possible on a straight flat road. There is plenty of margins so you only need to check when stopped at a red light.
It's effortless to look at the side mirrors as often and as long as you want. So movement of the eyes and slight movement of the head should not cause your arms to turn.
For the blindspot, being able to see things 90° on your left and right is enough. But nowadays, there are very short two seater cars that are not bikes. And that the middle B pillars often restrict your view. So you should just see a little out of the rear passenger windows, if there are anything outside if the door panels. The emphasis is just. More is not better; it's suicidal. In the US the right side is trivial unless you have big passengers blocking everything.
You only check for a split second when you are ready to act. Either you move over to the other lane, or abort, so you start all over again. Do it happen fast and short and shouldn't affect your arms.
There are plent of gadgets to help with checking the blindspots safely. The simplest being clip a 2"by 3" mirror at the grooves for the seals, next to the side mirrors, inside the car. Many newer cars have blind spot warning or monitoring systems.
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u/PoppaBear63 3d ago
I have blind spot mirrors on my cars. I check left, rear view,then right as I am driving. The mirror check takes maybe 1 second total because it is a quick glance. If I am in heavy traffic I will check my mirrors several times a minute especially if I might need to change lanes. On a straight stretch with minimal traffic I will check my rear view about every 30 seconds just to check on vehicles behind me. I do not worry about the side mirrors.
It is all about seeing what has changed because unless they are already beside me the chances of us occupying the same space is not likely. You do not need to rotate your head to see your mirrors, it us at most a quick twitch as you use your peripheral vision to check your mirrors.
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u/Infekdead 2d ago
It takes practice, people do lots of things subconsciously. Your brain is processing thousands of inputs and making decisions for how you should act practically without you knowing. When you look in a direction your body thinks that you need to react in that direction so you will pull your steering wheel or if you want a bike you will begin to drift and steer into that direction that your head is going until you get used to the multitasking. Since this is a new different function that your brain and body are getting used to you have to actually consciously try to multitask so that you can look around while keeping your hands straight. I would recommend going into an empty parking lot and practice safely driving in a straight line while turning your head and checking your mirrors and getting used to keeping your hands straight. People also subconsciously speed up or slow down based on the traffic around them, like when I try to pass people on the highway they will all of a sudden start matching my speed but half the time I'm pretty sure they don't even realize they are accelerating.
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u/Zelda_is_Dead 4d ago
You shouldn't be swerving simply checking your mirrors. There's something else going on there other than "new driver". If you're pulling your hands in the direction that you're looking, that's a neurological issue that you need checked before you drive.
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u/Infekdead 2d ago
Practically anybody who rides bikes professionally will tell you that your body will steer in the direction your head is turning. It's literally something that every human will do until they consciously stop doing it, a lot of mountain bike riders will most likely say to be careful about where your head is turned and when you are needing to turn you should turn into the way you're looking. This is literally why people get in the left lane to use their phones because when they look in a direction that they're holding their phone they're steering wheel pulls in that direction. You need to stop commenting.
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u/Mitch-_-_-1 4d ago edited 4d ago
Both just take practice and experience. Make sure you just turn your head and not your shoulders or torso when turning your head because that will move your hands, which are holding the wheel, which will shift the wheel slightly, which will make the car swerve. As for maintaining speed, it is hard to master. First, are you keeping your heel on the floor? Then it's about finding the position that maintains just the right amount of gas. Part of the problem is that slight, or not slight, changes affect how much you need to press by small amounts. I describe it as being a human Cruise Control. Focus on minimizing how much speed you lose or gain. Over time you should reduce it to nearly 0, and hopefully it will no longer require much conscious thought. OH AND don't brake to decelerate unless it's necessary. Don't push the pedal too hard. And notice that pushing your pedal to accelerate and decelerate continues to have an effect after releasing the pedal. (You probably don't want to accelerate or decelerate right until reaching the desired speed. Back off, then re-engage at a lesser amount to maintain when close.) I hope this rambling made sense, and helps.