Ashley: Looking good, isn't it? Well having a clean shiny car is nice for driving around town it also comes with a lot of responsibility. I'm Ashley and I'd like to welcome you to rules of the road. I've had my license for a couple of years and now it's by brother's turn to learn all there is to know about driving. I remember my first few days, weeks and months behind the wheel and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. So I thought I'd make a video of my brother Adam and a couple of his friends Molly and Kim on their journey to obtaining a driver's license. With the help of my dad and the parents of Adam's friends, I'm going to teach you the rules of the road that you need to know to become a safe and skillful driver. Enjoy the ride.
Before you even think about getting in your car; you should check the area surrounding it. There may broken glass nearby like you see here. There may also be fluid leaks or damage to your tires among many other potentially dangerous problems; you also want to check around your car for small children or pets. As you're about to see there is a large area surrounding your car that you just can't see when sitting inside. Okay Adam go ahead and jump in the driver's seat. We're going to line up at various paths around the car.
One at a time we will, each walk away and when you see our feet we will stop and mark it with the chalk.
Adam: Okay I see your feet now.
Ashley: We'll do this all the way around the car. And then connect the points to show how much can't be seen from the driver's seat.
Kim: Wow! That's a lot of space.
Ashley: Hey! Adam close your eyes for a few seconds. Okay Molly you sit here, Kim come with me and Kim you sit here. Okay Adam you can open you eyes. Tell me if you can see Molly or Kim.
Adam: I don't see them. Where they go?
Ashley: Get out of the car and take a look around.
Adam: I can't believe I couldn't see them, even though they were sitting they're still pretty big.
Ashley: This is why it's important to always look around your car before getting in. you can't just assume you're clear off danger. Try this exercise yourself you'll be surprised how much you're missing. Now let's take a look under the hood. Adam go and pop the hood for me.
Adam: You got it.
Ashley: Well you don't have to check under your hood before every drive; you should do it regularly, your owners manual will tell you how often to check under the hood items. Before driving you should be able to at least identify the most basic elements under your hood such as the battery, the oil dipstick and the radiator.
Molly: Why do I have to know these things, isn't there will mechanics are for?
Ashley: If your battery dies and all you need is a jump start then you don't have to pay the towing company unnecessary cash, because you're already know how to do it yourself. Plus if you know how to check the oil dipstick; you could prevent your engine from serious damage. If you see that your oil is low, add some more to keep the engine running smoothly. If you don't know how to do this simple check you've run the risk of running low on oil and possibly destroying your engine.
You also need to learn how to use the tire gauge to check your tire pressure and properly inflated tires could lead to a blow out causing you to steer out of control. Under inflated tires could also result in your vehicle getting fewer miles per gallon of fuel. Check out the basic car maintenance bonus section to learn more about tire pressure and other vehicle maintenance. Once you have made all necessary checks outside of your vehicle; its time to get inside and do the same.
So are you ready for first lesson?
Adam: You bet it's time to hit the road.
Male speaker1: Now hold your horses, where I can not leave this parking lot during your first lesson.
Ashley: Because it's Adam's first time getting behind the wheel; it's safer to practice in an empty parking lot rather than entering the roadway. He may be able to shake of some jitters before encountering other drivers. I would recommend all first time drivers practice in an obstacle free environment such as a vacant parking lot. Let's watch and see how they do.
Male speaker1: Now before we start the car let's adjust the mirror so that you can see as much as possible on the outside, eliminating your blind spots
Adam: And how do I do that?
Male speaker1: First place your head against your door window and adjust the mirror outward so that you can just barely see that side of the car. This will allow you to see the cars on your left side that you can't see from your inside mirror.
Adam: Alright, it's all set.
Male speaker1: Right now place your head in the middle of the car and adjust the passenger side mirror so that you can just barely see that side of the car.
Adam: So this will allow me to see the car is next to me on the passenger side, right?
Male speaker1: Exactly, now all you have to do is adjust the rear view mirror.
Ashley: My dad is teaching Adam the Blind Spot and Glare Elimination or BGE Setting. The inside rear view mirror becomes Adam's primary mirror while the side mirrors are used for side views only. The BGE Setting will eliminate most of your blind spots. With the BGE settings there are only 4 small blind spots, but none are big enough to hide the car. Since there are over half a million lane change and merge accidents occurring each year, eliminating blind zones is critical for collision free driving. Watch what happens when the trailing vehicle change its positions on the roadway.
The trailing vehicles are few car lengths away from our car and no matter which lane it travels in we can always see it through our inside rear view mirror. Now the trailing vehicles pulled up nearly directly next to our car in the left lane. With the BGE setting the driver's side mirror shows us the car as it approaches. The same is true for the passenger's side mirror, if a vehicle is approaching us in the right lane. By using this setting you'll never have to take your eyes completely of the road ahead to check for traffic. You've also reduced the amount of glare from headlights when traveling at night.
Adam: Okay dad my mirrors are set. Can I please start the car now?
Male speaker1: Wait a minute, aren't you forgetting something.
Adam: Oh! right.
Male speaker1: Now make sure that it's comfortable. This will keep you securely in place and give you better control of the car when steering. This is the first thing you need to do when you get into the car.
Adam: Okay dad I got it. I've already been riding in the car with for 15 years now.
Ashley. Wow! time out. We all know what's going to happen here. My dad is going to freak out and start lecturing Adam. Adam is going to become annoyed and rolls his eyes. Dad is going to thread to end the lesson before he even gets to start the car. And Adam will offer insincere apology so that he can drive. Every effort should be made to avoid conflicts like this. Adam and my dad each made mistakes. My dad made the first mistake by beginning to lecture Adam. Teens are lectured all day at school; they don't want the same treatment form their parents.
Eventually they become annoyed and tune you out. Adam shouldn't have snapped back at my dad especially by saying that he has watched him for fifteen years. So what, chances are you've watched your parents make mistakes for fifteen years? You have may have picked up their bad habits; you've seen a lot of driving but you don't know nearly enough to dismiss your parents. Because you've watched drivers making errors for years you need to start with the basics, like wearing your seatbelts. My dad stressed wearing a seatbelt with good reason. The stats don't lie.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2/3rds of all passenger vehicle occupants killed in car crashes weren't wearing seatbelts. Seatbelts reduce the risk of fiddle injury by 45% and teens have the lowest seatbelt used rate of all drivers, with the rate between only 70 and 79%.
There is not one good reason not to wear a seatbelt. So be safe and strapped out. Hopefully dad and Adam have had chance to calm down by now.
Male Speaker1: Now I am sorry for lecturing and yelling at you. Let's put up behind us and keep on going.
Adam: It sounds good dad.
Male Speaker1: Okay it looks like you're imparted. Go ahead and press the break with your foot and start the car, but before you turn the key the whole way, do you recognize any of those warning lights.
Adam: Yeah, that's the warning light for my airbag and that's the one from check oil level.
Ashley: It's not safe to drive a vehicle if you don't know what all these symbols and warning lights mean. Some of the most common symbols include the hood release, the horn and the front windshield defroster. Some of the most common warning lights include the battery warning light, the low oil pressure warning light and the seatbelt reminder. Before driving your car check out your owner's manual for a complete list of all symbols and warning lights. Please take the time to learn these simple symbols and warning lights before driving anywhere. You need to know what they mean so you can take the proper action.
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