What should be on your mind when driving? Part 2 of 2

Hello Steemians!

And here's the second part of What should be on your mind when driving?, an article that focuses the important guidelines on road management and traffic awareness.

When driving, you should always look after on your vehicle's speedometer and keep the minimum distance of your vehicle to others. You should follow traffic signages and observe and practice the rights on the roads. The rest are as follows:

Counter-flowing & Overtaking

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Overtaking is not bad at all, as long as you as a driver, knows how to maneuver the vehicle well on the road. Who would enjoy himself/herself following a slow moving car on the road? No one!

There are many things to consider when overtaking a vehicle in front of you. This includes the following and note that these become irrelevant if drivers are abusive and does not follow traffic rules.

1. Overtaking is prohibited on lanes with solid yellow lines.

2. Don't overtake if you're not so sure in doing so and if you doubt that the clearance to take over is not enough. Also, if you're taking unfamiliar curvy streets and streets that lack proper lightings, think again and avoid overtaking.

3. Overtaking on intersections is prohibited unless you're given the previlege to do so like on an emergencies etc.

4. Important signages and precautions on the road should be considered enough reason not to overtake on vehicles i.e "men at work".

5. Be observant and be sure that the side you're over taking is clear. Look on vehicles behind you, they might be overtaking you as well.

6. You can only overtake on left side of the lanes or left side of the vehicle. Make some appropriate signal, like signal lights and honking. You can use your hands in doing traffic signals.

7. After taking over a certain vehicle, go back to your lane and position your vehicle properly. You should maintain the distance of your vehicle to any other vehicles on the road.

Taking Left/Right Turns & U-Turns

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There are three things to remember when taking turns on the road. These things should be done first before taking a left or a right turn or a u-turn.

First, have a concrete decision when taking turns and before you take a turn. Avoid sudden turns to prevent accidents. Second, look at the tracks of other vehicles on the road, from right to left and front to back. Lastly, don't consume to much time taking turns as it will cause congestion on traffic or worst, accidents. Don't forget to make the appropriate signal before doing so.

The following are the different scenarios of vehicles taking turns:

• Vehicles from a one-way lane going to another one-way lane.
• Vehicles from a one-way lane going to a two-way lane.
• Vehicles from a two-way lane going to another two-way lane and lastly,
• Vehicles taking u-turns at intersections, corners and islands.

In most cases, be observant on the road and add extra care in changing your vehicle's position. You're not just avoiding accidents for yourself but also to other public riders and drivers.

Stopping & Parking

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A vehicle is considered a stopping vehicle if it stops at a certain place for more or less than 5 mins. On the other hand, it is considered as a parked vehicle if it stops at side streets for long. According to the law, a parked vehicle should have no driver/passenger inside, the ignition is off and the handbrake is on.

Some drivers don't know where are the appropriate places to park or to stop thus, violations on traffic rules is still an existing problem. The following are the places where you shouldn't be parking your vehicle:

• Near railways unless 10-meter distance is well observed upon parking or stopping.
• On one-wat lanes and streets.
• On tunnels, under footbridges or underpasses
• Near "Safety Zone" i.e schools
• Pedestrian lanes
• Near fire hydrant on establishments or important structures where water can be extracted immediately.
• On intersections.
• Road repair sites or near under construction buuldings.
• Entrance and exit of public transport locations.

And lastly, to all places, streets and corners where "no stopping or no parking" has been put up.

There are some cases where you'll encounter problems on the road. If your vehicle broke in the middle of the road, make use of early warning device or using street signs. Take actions quickly or else you'll be fined by a certain amount or penalty.

In parking your vehicle, instead of parking your vehicle on secluded and unfamiliar places, go for public parking areas and parking zones. Follow parking rules and secure your vehicle.

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That would be the last guideline for road management for drivers, for public or private vehicles. I hope you find this article useful and informative. Thank you for dropping by. Stay tuned for more tips and write ups about traffic awareness and road management related topics. Happy Steeming!

Image Sources: 1 2 3 4
Reference: C. S. Canonigo Driver's Manual

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