If you come upon a situation where the traffic ahead has stopped suddenly creating a domino effect then continue to pump your brakes rapidly to warn the driver behind you. Even if (and especially if) you’ve come to a complete stop. I’ve come across this many times because of the roads I’m on and I’m convinced it has saved both my car and the cars behind me who get a heads up of the situation. Rapidly flashing brake lights are much more noticeable then a single change in brightness.
I actually forgot the lane change part (but only in my post, never on the road). Thanks.
And where I live people almost always us #1 for #2 (not *that * #1 and #2). Cabbie, almost never either one.
I actually use turn signals and hazards, even when there’s no one around. It might seem silly, but I want this to become ingrained.
deleted. wrong forum
Very well put. Also, plan ahead. If you miss your turn, or are lost, go a little bit further so you can make a proper turn and reverse your route (saw someone make a U-turn on the HIGHWAY today.)
I understand that you can get lost and distracted as a tourist, but an unfamiliar environment is the time you must be paying the most attention.
As far as driving on snow and ice? Experiance is about the only thing that helps.
You actually want to turn the downhill part of your tires towards the curb. Also, set your parking brake before putting the car in park if you have an automatic, this will save wear on the parking pin in the transmission. If you have a manual transmission, leave the transmission in reverse. Reverse is generally the lowest gear ratio in a transmission and will transfer less vehicle weight to the engine if the parking brake fails.
A couple other tidbits I picked up from the Bob Bondurant Driving School. Learn to read the roads you drive. If a section of road looks like an airport runway with a lot of skid marks, that usually means lots of people make panic stops on that part of the road, leave yourself some extra distance from the vehicle in front of you. If you notice a large oil stain, there is a bump or dip in the road. The painted lane divider is worn away on a curve, folks tend to drive the corner too fast, be cautious if you are in the outside lane. On a rainy night if a patch of road looks a little shinier than the rest, it is probably an pot hole filled with water.
If another driver is approaching with high beams on making visibility difficult, keep your focus to the right side of the lane in which you are driving. Do not stare into the lights. If your defroster is having a tough time keeping your windshield clear, turn on your a/c. The drier air will clear your windshield faster. If emergency vehicles are approaching and traffic is heavy, stay where you are, let the emergency vehicle go around you. Feel a sneeze coming on while driving? Try to relax your arms and move your feet away from the pedals if you are moving. One’s body tends to stiffen during a sneeze and this can result in a sudden movement of the vehicle or unintended acceleration or braking. If you are at a stop, put both feet on the brake and take your hands off the wheel.
Most folks have their outside mirrors adjusted towards their vehicle too far. Have someone hold a 6 inch ruler at the very back of the vehicle and adjust the mirror so the end of the ruler is just visible in the inside portion of the mirror. You will be surprised how much smaller your blind spot will be on each side of the vehicle. Adjust the vertical axis of the mirror so a spot 2 car lengths behind your vehicle is at the bottom of the mirror. Adjust your rear view mirror on your windshield slightly to the right, the blind spot on that side is larger than the left. You will be surprised how much bigger the angle of view is by doing all the above.
All good suggestions that I didn’t know about, especially about the manual transmissions.
Clarification: I thought that turning the front wheels to the curb applied whether the front end was pointed up or downhill.
If the front end is pointed up the hill, are you saying there’s a way, other than turning the steering wheel (and fronts wheels) to the curb, that I can get my back wheels going toward the curb if the car rolls?
Assuming you’re parking on the right, uphill: you’d turn your steering wheel left (front tires would roll toward the curb immediately if brakes failed.)
Opposite for downhill.
The Car Talk guys, I think, have an adjustment method that works easier, I think.
But yeah - everytime I drive someone elses rig, their rear view mirrors show 1/2 or more of the back of the car.
Guess what people - the back of the car isn’t going anywhere!
Oh, and it’s not a good idea to turn your front wheels away from the curb because if your brakes fail, you’ll arc out into the road before your back wheels come to a rest against the curb. In other words, you shouldn’t be relying on your back wheels at all to stop you.
All this assuming that you’re parked close enough to the curb (within about 8-10")
-NB
deleted; double post.
I don’t think this is actually true. In America (I don’t know where you are), since we drive on the right, the curb is always on the right. So, while parked with the curb on the right, you’d always turn your steering wheel to the right, toward the curb. That way, front end pointed downhill, you go forward into the curb. Front end pointed uphill, you’d roll backwards into the curb.
Only in a special parking situations would you need to turn your wheels to the left, but you’d still specifically want your front wheels turned toward the curb, facing uphill or down.
Original Post
“3. When turning right, especially in the city when traffic is slow, check your right sideview mirror for cyclists.”
I would suggest turning your head to the right instead. Mirrors have a nasty habit of hiding objects.
Hi everyone. I’m new and generally quiet…
Don’t buy any damn SUV’s or MPV’s. I’m behind you in my Alfa GT and I only see your license plate. Anticipating gets harder that way.
Yeah, I know, it’s a different discussion in the US, where the percentage of trucklike cars has already exceeded 50%, easily. If I were there, I’d just conceed and get a friggin’ Hummer. 
And for the love of God, DON’T immediately brake when the person in front of you does. If all is well, you’re keeping enough distance to estimate whether this person is braking HARD, or just riding it. Especially in the US, where 90% of all cars are automatics, pretty much negating the effect of engine braking.
When everybody brakes when the guy in front of them does, traffic comes to a full standstill a mile back. That’s how traffic jams occur: not enough distance, and overreaction.
Don’t change lanes if another car is even with you but two lanes over, because they invariably will try to move over at the same time, wait until they are ahead or behind you.
It’s not really that complicated once people actually understand why they are doing this, instead of trying to remember which way to turn the wheels. It’s not an academic exercise in rote memory…
Think back to the days prior to automatic transmissions, power steering - and decent “parking” brakes. Or worn out parking brakes. Not a big deal on flat ground - but any kind of a hill - how to do this safely, doubly safely - belt and suspenders - you utilize curbs as a “chock block” to prevent it from rolling if the brakes (if any) fail, and the car pops out of gear or the gearbox fails. The parking brake is actually the secondary, or backup, not the primary method of securing the car from rolling.
Pull up fairly close to the curb (you should be doing this anyway); place the transmission in neutral, if the car will be facing down hill, turn the wheel into the curb and let it stop and hold the car in place. Now set the brake firmly, and place xmsn into PARK/REVERSE as required.
If the car is facing uphill, then turning the wheels opposite (away from the curb) and let the car creep back in neutral till the tire catches the curb again, set brake, etc.
Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors. Oh, then turn your big head around and look back just to make sure, before changing lanes. Better safe than ???
Yes it is true. With the lower part of the tire nearer the curb, the car will only roll a few inches till it hits the curb. With the wheels turned to the right and the nose of the car pointed up hill, the front end can swing out into traffic if the parking brake fails. The only time this does not apply is if there is no curb. In fact, in San Francisco you could end up with an expensive parking ticket if you turn your wheels to the right when parking on an uphill street.
Of course, parking your car with the tires too tight to the curb might cause exsessive wear, so perhaps “forwarding” it a bit after hitting the curb is not a bad idea either.
(Don’t get me started on people who park the car with one wheel ON the curb.)
If at all possible, take a performance and/or high-speed driving course. At least once. I’ve done it twice – most recently today (timely thread!) – and have learned so much each time. And you don’t need to have a fancy car: both times I went with my base model, 2002 Nissan Sentra. 
I believe you. But I was thinking it was better if rolling backwards downhill, even if the front end swings out into traffic. This way, your back end would eventually be stopped by the curb, as opposed to the other way, where you’d end up fully in traffic, if there’s room behind you to move that far.
Ignorance fought.
Thanks, racer72 and noblebaron.