Although it’s statistically suspect, a majority of people think they’re better-than-average drivers. Here at Car and Driver, we’re not immune to that opinion. Now, the good folks at Michelin have decided to put our collective sense of driving expertise to good use: As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, they’re asking everyone to share their best advice and driving tips. Naturally, there’s a hashtag—#SharingSafety—that takes driver training out of the classroom and into the Twitter feed. Doing our part, the C/D editors offer our own driving tips below.
“Keep your eyes up and look as far as possible down the road ahead. Let your peripheral vision do the rest of the work. You’ll see traffic events unfolding well before other drivers do, allowing you more time to react to potentially dangerous situations without panicking or upsetting the car. And put down the damn phone!” —Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief
“Turn on your headlights if it’s at least partially dark (like early morning) or raining outside, because even if you can see perfectly fine, it’s about being able to be seen by other drivers.” —Jennifer Harrington, copy editor
“You can’t multitask nearly as well as you think you can. It’ll be years before you can actually carry on a conversation in person and properly focus on driving. And you can forget about talking on the phone or texting, ever. Take this responsibility seriously. It kills more of your peers than anything else—and those kids aren’t statistics; they’re your friends and classmates. I knew two, and was supposed to be in the car with one of them.” —Jared Gall, senior editor
“Make every trip, every corner, a learning experience. Try to get the perfect steering angle in every corner, and take the proper line on every freeway exit. This doesn’t mean take them at racing speeds, of course, but it will teach you how to put your car where you want it to be.” —Jens Meiners, Germany bureau
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Keep your eyes up and look as far as possible down the road ahead. And put down the damn phone!
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“Learn to drive a manual transmission. Better yet, learn to drive on a manual. You may not like the extra involvement but it will make you a better driver. First, you’ll have the skill if you ever need to drive a manual in an emergency. Second, you won’t have a free hand to mess around with your phone, and you’ll actually have to pay closer attention to what your hands, feet, and mind are doing while behind the wheel. Finally, you might like it.” —K.C. Colwell, technical editor
“Try this on a wet or snow-covered parking lot with no curbs, light poles, or other fixed objects within striking range: At moderate speed, nail the brake pedal to experience your car’s response during panic stopping. While the car slows, turn the steering wheel aggressively to observe how the anti-lock brakes not only make for shorter stopping distances but also maintain your ability to steer around any potential collision.” —Don Sherman, technical director
“If you’re first in line at a traffic light, when the light turns green, before you jump out into the intersection, check that there’s not one last car sneaking through the red—which there is surprisingly often.” —Joe Lorio, senior online editor
“Look where you want to go. Get your eyes up. Try this for practice: On a suburban boulevard, look for the farthest traffic light you can see. There will invariably be a traffic light beyond that. Look for it. When it comes to curves, actually turn your head and look through the corner. Make a habit of looking down the road and then scanning back toward your front bumper.” —Davey G. Johnson, West Coast bureau
“You know your buddy who crashes a lot? Don’t ride with him.” —Mike Duff, European editor
What about the rest of you? Any pearls of wisdom to share?
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