Teach yourself to judge your car’s changing speed
Good drivers can accurately judge how long it will take their
car to slow down and speed up. Not all cars slow down and speed up
the same. Hills make a big difference too - even small hills.
A good driver will also slow down and speed up very smoothly. As a
passenger you should hardly notice a change in speed.
You can learn to judge how a car will slow down and speed up
without even driving it.
Tune in to driving. Do this:
- Look at what the driver is doing, regularly glance at the
speedo and listen to the car’s engine
- When you notice the driver is slowing down or speeding up talk
to them about what they are doing and why
- When the driver begins to slow down, notice the difference
between gentle braking and firm braking
- Notice how long it takes the car to speed up. Judge what your
car’s speed will be at a certain point in the future
- Now try working out what to do on your own. Imagine that you
are the driver. If it’s OK with the driver, tell them when to slow
down or speed up
If you get good at this, you'll do it so naturally
that when you start driving, you'll barely notice just
how much it improves your skills.