The first time driving was not so bad. Here are the basics. (oh yeah i was using automatic transmission car with driver's seat in the right side, in this case, so adjust :))
1. The first thing you should do after sit in the driver's seat, is WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. even before you ignite the car, or even before you insert the key.
2. Adjust the rear and front mirrors, so you can see the right, left, and behind the car very clearly. and make yourself as comfortable as possible. Adjust the seat's position so that your feet can comfortably step on the pedals.
3. Look at the controls:
- the gas and brake pedals are both on the floor, with the larger brake pedal on the left and the smaller gas pedal (or we should say, accelerator) on the right. remember, you only use your right foot for both pedals. DO NOT USE YOUR LEFT FOOT.
- the steering wheel is the big round wheel on your front. you should know haha. turn the wheel to turn the car
- the lever on the right side of the wheel, is the control of turn signal. usually push upward to signal "turn left" and push downward to signal "turn right". After you turn, usually the signal automatically turned off.
- Another lever on the wheel's left, or usually can be on the floor between passenger and driver's seat, is the gear selector lever. It has P, N, R, D, and few numbers alongside the lever's track.
- P is for parking. in this gear, your car cant be moved anywhere. and for safety reason, the key cannot be pulled off if the car is not in P gear.
- N is neutral, the car also cannot be moved, usually use it if you do not want to step on the brake very long, or in the stationary period for long.
- R is reverse, to move the car backward
- D is drive, to move the car forward. In this gear and R gear, even without you step on the gas pedal, the car is already moving in slow motion
- Also there's a parking brake, or hand brake, or because in the car we used yterday its on the floor, we call it "foot brake" (a term we both made up haha). in the far left side. It is used when parking.
4. Ready to drive, here we go. Release the "foot brake" by step on it deeply with your left foot (left foot is used only for this foot brake pedal). Push the brake pedal with your right foot, and start the car.
5. with right foot still pushing the brake pedal, move the gear lever towards D position, and release the brake. place your right foot on the gas pedal. even if you do not push the gas, the car will move slowly
6. If you want to move faster, push the gas pedal gently.
7. To turn, first turn the turn signal in the direction your car is about to move. push the brake pedal to slow down, and after about half of the car already pass the "turn", turn the steerwheel. while the car is turning, slowly reverse the steerwheel so that the car doesnt outturned (again, a term i made up). yay youre turning!
8. If you need to reverse, stop the car completely by pushing the brake, then move the gear lever to R position. release the brake slowly, and the car will automatically move slowly backward. always look at the front mirror to look at the direction your car is moving. Then to move forward again, stop the car first, pull the gear lever to D, release the brake. be very careful not to move the gear to R while the car is moving forward, or vice versa. You need to stop the car completely first.
9. If you've arrived on the destination (i havent learned how to park, this is just the basic of stopping the car). push the brake pedal, move the gear lever to P, and push the foot brake/parking brake/hand brake/ you name it. :p nah now you can pull off the key. dont forget to lock the car before leaving your car. ;D
That's the basic. there are some important points you need to pay attention while driving:
1. The left foot is completely at rest. use only your right foot for brake and gas pedal.
2. always look in the direction your car is about to move. in this case, if you're turning, dont just look at the right/left side of the car, look at the front also. (this is what i always forget hehe). dont even turn your head at passengers beside or behind you, it is dangerous
3. Dont panic haha, relax.
4. in driving, you need a good spatial sense, to sense whether the car is moving in the right direction or not. sometimes you might feel the car is wide enough, but actually it's not, or vice versa. Inside the car, on the drivers seat (it is on the right side in Indonesia) i can hardly see the car's left side. So my passenger (in this case, the friend who kindly teach me drive) constantly turn my steerwheel rightward because i am unconsciously (?) moving the car too left-sided i might crash on the other cars parked along the leftside of the road haha. i think the car just will not hit that car, but actually it will, if the friend do not turn the steerwheel on that very moment :p
5. pay attention to your surroundings
6. be gentle with the pedals. do not push too hard, it will help you drive smoother.
Actually i've also learned how to turn 180 degree, and that's difficult to explain haha. i miyself have difficult time on learning it, but thanks to my tutor i now can drive (although still on 20km/h average speed). hope i can learn again next time. you know, what's really important in improving your driving skill is: PRACTICE. experience is the best teacher, know that?
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