How to Drive a Vehicle

When driving a vehicle for the 1^st time, you should:

• Adjust your seat so you can comfortably reach the pedals. You should also have 12 inches between your body and the steering wheel in the event your air bags deploy.
• Adjust your outside mirrors so that you can see the very back side of your vehicle.
• Adjust your rearview mirror to get as much of the back window as possible without seeing yourself.
• When you are backing out of a driveway, or pulling away from the curb apply the brakes to see if they are in working condition.

Vehicle Control:

Maintaining control of your vehicle is essential to being a safe, defensive driver.

New drivers have a tendency to look down at the lane markings to help guide them, or at the speedometer which causes the driver to weave or drift out of their intended path of travel.

This is easily corrected by looking up and looking further ahead in your travel lane.

How far ahead should you be looking?

 At Northwest Driving School we teach our students to look ahead as far as you can see clearly and distinctively.

• It is important to continuously vary how far ahead you are scanning so that your brain processes the information correctly and you are aware of current traffic situations around your vehicle at all times.

Author: Rich Heinrich

Master Instructor, Emeritus