How to drive safely an automatic transmission
Automatic transmission cars easily leads to dangerous mistakes. Here are the dangerous mistakes in automatic transmission that drivers should avoid to drive safely
1. The habit of using both legs
Surely anyone who has studied the road traffic law knows the question: “How do drivers use their feet correctly on automatic transmission car?”. And the main answer is “Do not use the legs. Drivers only use the left, right foot for controlling both brake pedal and gas pedal ”. However, many cases of “crazy cars” causing mass accidents due to the wrong pedal. That have been caused by using 2 feet to control the car, one accelerator and one brake. In fact, many drivers also think that this method is more convenient because there is no need to waste any legs.
However, this is a bad habit that must be eliminated immediately or it will cause immeasurable consequences. In automatic transmission cars, the accelerator and brake pedal are arranged straight with the right foot direction, just right in the most secure sitting position. The driver’s attempt to put his left foot on the brake pedal makes this foot always in a diagonal position. It will make the sitting position uncomfortable. Therefore, in case of urgent brake, the pedal force will not be enough. When the driver has to brake in a sudden situation, the accelerator will not release in time. Therefore, it will cause the braking effect to be greatly reduced. Moreover, that’s the reason the car lost control.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal vigorously when accelerating
Many drivers believe that by simply changing to position D and depressing the accelerator pedal, the car can reach high speeds. However, this is easy to make mistakes. The shifting operations are based on the principle of “pressing the accelerator to increase gear and release the accelerator to lower gear”.
Therefore, in order to maintain fuel economy and drive safely, the driver should lightly press the accelerator pedal at a moderate speed (about 40km / h). After that, releasing the accelerator slightly to reduce engine and press the accelerator slowly to change gears.
3. Don’t forget this drive safely tips – Leave the foot on the gas pedal
Most mistakes when using an automatic transmission belong to the act of using the foot, but here is the case of not following the principle of “no gas, the brake “. Some drivers are lazy or forget to switch to the brake pedal and still wait on the gas pedal.
If the accelerator is not depressed, the driver must immediately turn his foot to the brake pedal. If you keep waiting at the accelerator pedal, when there is a dangerous situation, the driver will reflexively step on the foot, the car does not stop but suddenly rushes forward. This is also one of the main reasons leading to the current “crazy cars”.
4. Switch to N when going downhill
Many drivers have a habit of switching to N-numbers when the car slopes so that the car follows inertia to save fuel. This is a completely wrong habit because current automatic transmission cars automatically disconnect the engine when the car goes downhill. If the N gearbox will accidentally restart the system again, sometimes when it costs more.
In addition, it is very dangerous for the car to drift on a slope, the driver must depress the brake frequently. So, it will cause the brakes to heat up or fail quickly. In addtion, it is difficult to react promptly when encountering unexpected obstacles.
5. Do not change to P gear when stopping
In some cases, because the terrain is a bit steep, when the driver depresses the brake, switches to P gear, locks the hand brake, removes the foot brake. It will make a car move a little hard, run quite hard and it also affects the box.
The best way is to switch to N gear and brake the hand, let the car move until it is still, then switch back to P.
6. Drive safely tip – Do not use sport number mode
Although the car is automatic, there is still a sport mode, manual or semi-automatic, usually denoted “+, -” or “M1, M2, L1, L2” … right on the gear shift. In some models, it is even more convenient to integrate the manual shift paddle on the steering wheel. When the gear lever is in this mode, the car does not automatically shift at the speed. However, the driver will change the gear according to the purpose. Once mastering the features of each mode, the driver can manually set the appropriate gear for each segment. That is reason why not only reducing wear but also preventing the risk of accidents.
Specifically, the application of the sports digital mode has a great impact on safety when riding a hill or a hill. When climbing a slope, the car can shift gears to ensure enough traction and speed. But when going downhill, the car rushes quickly according to inertia, the gearbox will go up to high gear, there is no longer the ability to brake in the engine braking style. In this case, the driver needs to be active in manual gear 1, 2… so that it is suitable for the inclination and length of the slope to ensure a safe speed. If you do not use a manual transmission, the driver must press the brake pedal to brake. However, this option does not give optimal efficiency, on the contrary, let the brake work in continuous harsh conditions, causing the brake to burn, or lose its effect.
Conclusion
By combining components such as the clutch, throttle and gears together, the automatic transmission driver only needs to focus on the accelerator and brake pedal. Therefore, drivers do not have to struggle to change gears or worry about the car stalling in the middle of the car. However, this advantage sometimes makes the user appear subjective, depending on the technology, leading to some errors that are dangerous for drivers. The article above showed some common mistakes that drivers make. Hopefully, it somehow will help drivers avoid mistakes and driving safely.
Subscribe for new driving tips!
