How to Drive a Car? Learn Here How To Drive Your First Car!
3,354 viewsPrepare for the experience of drive a car!
Learning to drive a car can be both exciting and daunting. However, driving is not only fun and easy, but also rewarding, and cruising down a road on a cool Sunday afternoon can be incredibly fun.
Be in a stable mood, sober, and not too tired before you drive.
Always make sure the vehicle is in proper working order before you drive it. A walk-around check is a good idea.
Have insurance and the paper to prove it.
Be a legal, licensed driver and have your license with you.
Be courteous to the others on the road.
Be safe and follow all the posted and implied laws while driving.
Learn to drive
It might be a good idea to take professional lessons from a driving institute. However, if this is not possible, enlist the aid of a sibling, parent, or friend who is a careful driver and has been driving for a while.
Be alert
Check the rear view and side mirrors; make sure you can see all traffic and pedestrians behind you. Make it a habit to check your mirrors every few seconds while driving.
Watch out for bigger vehicles
like trucks, buses, semis, and SUVs that charge the road. Sometimes people with big cars drive like bullies, and you need to understand that if your car comes head to head with them, your car will lose.
The following steps are designed for a manual transmission, for it is somewhat harder
Pulling Off
With the car at a standstill, press the clutch all the way down. Shift into 1st usually by moving the gearshift lever left and forward. (Some older cars, however, may have 1st in the left-down position.) Apply some throttle and slowly release the clutch. The car will start moving before the clutch is fully released and begin to accelerate as you release the clutch. The more you release the clutch, the more throttle you need to apply. The faster you do the releasing, the more throttle you should apply initially. Flooring the accelerator and letting your foot off the clutch will result either in a wheel spin (for high-powered cars), or in the engine going out.
Up-shift
Up-shift refers to changing to a higher gear, e.g. 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd. Since you’re reading this, apparently you’re learning, so don’t fool around with late shifts like racers do.
The big question is when to shift. Each piston engine has certain RPM at which it yields the most power (it is not when the accelerator is down to the floor, speed and power are two different things). For gasoline engines the higher output is between 3000 and 4000 RPM and for diesel engines it’s between 2000 and 3000 RPM. As you pull off (see above) the engine will soon spin up.
When you’re in the middle of the most efficient engine mode (i.e. approx. 3500 RPM for gasoline and 2500 RPM for diesels), the time has come to shift. Press the clutch all the way down smoothly but quickly, at the same time removing your right foot from the accelerator. While the clutch is between “CONNECTED” (released) and “DISCONNECTED” (pressed) it only transmits a fraction of the engine’s torque. The more you press it, the less torque it transmits. When you release the accelerator, the engine will slow down to idle, but it takes time.
During the process the clutch should remain in a middle position. This sounds complex, but it actually takes only half a second. The point is not to press the clutch too sharply or too slowly. Holding the clutch, shift from one gear to another. Most cars have their forward gears in the same place, so just take a look at the lever knob. Do the shifting with a minimum of force. If the shift requires excessive force to complete either you’re not doing it right, or the transmission needs some serious work.
After you complete the shift repeat the same process as if you are pulling off from a standstill (lightly step on the gas and smoothly release the clutch. Unless one can match the rev of the engine and the speed of the wheels, failing to give some initial throttle will result in the car sharply slowing down and then sharply accelerating as you step on the accelerator. Sudden releasing of the clutch will either make your car jerk, or will stop your engine.
Downshift
Downshift means switching to a lower gear, i.e. 4th to 3rd. You do that in two cases:
You need to slow down, so as the speed decreases, you need to downshift, or
You want to maintain your current speed, but need more power for quicker acceleration, e.g. when overtaking.
Depending on the case there are two ways of downshifting
Press the clutch and release the accelerator as if upshifting. If necessary, apply some brake to decrease your speed enough. Shift into the lower gear. If the speed is higher than the RPM of the engine, it will serve as a brake. Release the clutch smoothly but quickly, then apply some accelerator or brake as the need might be. Downshifting is an effective way of decreasing your speed, especially on wet or icy roads.
Moreover, on wet or icy roads it’s highly recommended to use downshift to slow down (at a stoplight for example) and deploy your brake when the car is in 2nd with the engine at idle. This slows you down without turning the car into a sleigh.
Repeat the same steps as in point a), but before releasing the clutch press the accelerator until the engine spins at the approximate RPM corresponding to your current speed at the lower gear. Of course no one can match it exactly, but a little higher RPM is better than somewhat lower.
Remember the basic principles of gearshifting: The slower you go, the lower gear you need and vice-versa. Also, the speed at a certain gear when the engine is in the optimal RPM band is the speed at which the engine will be idle at the higher gear.
Never look at your RPM gauge when shifting! With the minimum of practice you’ll be able to tell the RPM by only listening to the engine and you’ll know when it’s time to shift. Your eyes should be on the road!
Never downshift 2nd to 1st! If you need to use 1st, stop the car, than pull off!
Normal stopping
Press the brake continuously, but not all the way down. No matter the gear, do not tamper with the gearbox until you hear the engine fade out. Then press the clutch, shift into neutral and finalize your stopping. If for some reason you have to continue before fully stopped, make a decision as to which gear you should shift (preferably the one that requires lower RPM), and shift in it as if you are upshifting for the gear with the lower RPM, or downshifting type (b) for the higher RPM gear.
Emergency stopping
Forget about the gears. Press the brake quickly, but not sharply. Do not floor the brake pedal, it will lock your wheels and decrease your braking efficiency. However, most cars are now equipped with Anti-lock Brake System (or ABS) which prevents the brakes from locking up under hard braking. If your car is equipped with ABS, see Tips for further information as some of the rules described from here on do not apply or differ slightly. Do not turn the steering wheel, especially on an aids ridden front-wheel-drive cars. If your wheels lock, slightly release the pedal. On wet or icy roads try quick “kicks” on the brake rather than pressing and holding it.
If you feel that you can’t stop in time, Release the break before turning the wheel! This will keep you from starting a slide during which you will be unable to control the car. Even worse, if you start a slide, your car will keep moving towards the obstacle sideways. In city conditions, if you need to swerve, go left!
Remember: It’s better to take your car on an empty lot and practice emergency stopping in a non-emergency situation, than becoming an hero. Practicing can be fun and, contrary to common beliefs, is not likely to inflict any damage on your car.
This should give you an idea how to get your car moving. Don’t forget that becoming a driver requires practice, and reading websites will help prepare u a little but not fully, so contact a sibling or adult that knows how to drive for more help. The real driving is not about HOW to do, but about WHAT to do.
When you begin your practicing, be calm and most of all — enjoy yourself! Driving is not an exact science, so not doing things the exact way your teacher does does not necessarily mean you’re doing it wrong. As time passes you’ll build your own habits.