How to feel the dimensions of the car: practical recommendations and features

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

The dimensions of the car is a parameter of the car that you need to get used to on the first trip. If the owner had a car of similar size, then the adaptation process will take place quite quickly. It is harder for those who drove a compact subcompact and moved to a huge pickup truck. A dented bumper and scratched fenders are common in early driving without a habit.

Why is this happening?

The first step is to evaluate the dimensions of the car when buying it. It will take someone an hour or two to figure out how to drive into a parking lot or estimate the turning radius. Some take months to develop confidence during a maneuver.

Dimensions of the car are perceived by sight through mirrors and glasses. There is a refraction of real objects. Therefore, it will take a lot of time to correctly assess the true distances to the rear bumper and the maximum projection of the nose of the car. With parking sensors and a camera, the task becomes much simpler, the criterion of habit is no longer so important.

However, you should not completely trust the sensors. Often they "swallow" the signal and are treacherously silent. And getting used to the dimensions of the car, there will bea feeling of anxiety in the wrong situation, when a pole or a high curb is very close, and the parking sensors are completely calm and there are no objects.

Workout options

Wishing to figure out how to feel the dimensions of the car, you should not forget about a simple rule: each driver has individual characteristics, and the approach is selected by him. It all depends on driving experience, the ability to focus on one problem. The visual organ of everyone differs in the degree of vigilance and depth of perception of objects.

There are classic workouts for getting used to your own transport. The first instructive lesson is exactly on the mirrors without parking sensors to drive backwards into the garage. The room can be imitated with bottles, ropes, travel caps. The second way to consolidate your skills is to accelerate and decelerate within given limits. It is required to stop the wheels exactly between the lines located half a meter apart.

The second exercise helps to evaluate the front departure of the car and carefully stop at traffic lights when a reckless driver suddenly stands in front. So you can understand how to feel the dimensions of the car in front / behind. And what about when changing lanes on the highway or in heavy city traffic?

Rebuild workouts

To help you figure out how to feel the dimensions of the car, the repetition of the exercise "parking in a confined space." Plastic high objects come to the rescue. On an empty site, they imitate the lines of the curb and the dimensions of standing cars,between which you have to squeeze. The best option, of course, is a real check-in to the courtyard or to the parking lot near the hypermarket. But for beginners, it's better to practice in desert areas first.

For example, take the model "Tiida Nissan". The dimensions of the car are the same as most popular sedans. For training, choosing a smaller vehicle is not recommended. The selected type of car passes to all classic garages, helping in the future to quickly assess the sufficient size of the parking space from the car.

Workouts should be done at different times of the day. At night, distances begin to be perceived differently because of the headlights. On a bright day, there are fewer accidents, according to statistics. Even professionals make mistakes from fatigue or after a stormy evening. Similarly, it is worth training constantly so that in the future you do not spend money on expensive repairs.

We got into a new car and we have to go right away: what to do?

The question often arises of how to learn to feel the dimensions of the car, if there is very little time, and there is no time to train. In this case, it is important to remain calm and follow the planned plan. First, you need to provide optimal visibility by adjusting the mirrors, seat height and distance from the steering wheel. It is strictly not recommended to recline the seat, the backrest is as vertical as possible. You can relax after getting used to the dimensions.

The first maneuvers should be minimal. Rent backonly in case of emergency, avoid changing lanes until you feel confident. And most importantly - you need not be afraid, but immediately sit down and drive slowly, gradually assessing the distance. Experienced drivers will only need a few minutes to appreciate all the dimensions. Beginners will need more time. Experience definitely comes after the start of the trip.

Perception problems

The dimensions of trucks are not easy to accept even for experienced drivers. But there are some tricks that allow both beginners and truckers to perceive the distances to neighboring cars in more detail. To assess the departure of the hood, they are maximally extended to the steering wheel. But there are cars where even in this position the nose of the car is not visible. Here decorative elements on the hood come to the rescue: flags, an antenna, a figurine.

Upgrading cars, they try to install decorative elements on the very edge of the hood. After such an innovation, there will be no problems with parking in front. Rearward maneuvers are facilitated by the installation of parking sensors. Fortunately, their cost is already low. Models from China will cost several hundred rubles, installation is simple, and you can do it yourself or give the service half of the cost of the gadget for installation.

To improve visibility, many drivers stick convex round mirrors on top of regular ones. Change the mirror in the cabin to a survey. They put a similar one above the trunk glass in station wagons and minivans. You can use the rear view camera if you have technicalopportunities.

An easy way to park safely is to help a friend. The passenger can go out and lead the process.

Parking in the side clearance to the curb

The ideal way to get into the available parking space is to drive a little further than the front car by 50 centimeters and turn the steering wheel 3/4 to the right. The car will enter the space if the distance from the bumper to the car standing behind is at least 1.5 meters. Then your transport will not interfere with the rest when leaving.

Gradually it is worth taking back, moving obliquely to the curb. When there are about 20 centimeters left before it, which we look at in the side mirror lowered down, we turn the steering wheel to the maximum to the left and, controlling the distance from the front bumper to the neighboring car, we park in reverse until the rubber of the front wheel touches the curb.

Do not forget to constantly check whether the vehicle standing behind will be hit. Ideally, you should get only two movements of the steering wheel, but in practice you have to work hard to get up straight the first time.

Reverse movement practice

To get used to the dimensions of the car, a platform is organized with the actual dimensions of the garage, 20 cm wider than the size of the car on each side. It is important not to touch the stretched lines and stop before the installed cap on the mirrors. Looking out the rear window is not recommended while exercising. However, it will be useless, the caps are much lower, and they are simply not visible in this way.

It is important to set hanging lines at the levelmirrors. They imitate the opening of the gate and should be slightly narrower than the clearance of the garage itself. The experiment can be carried out on a real object, but the cost of a mistake will cost a pretty penny due to the repair of mirrors, bumpers, doors.

Action plan

The first rule of an experienced driver: "If there is any doubt due to lack of visibility or due to poor visibility, poor condition, then you need to stop and not be lazy to go outside and look." Intuitively, while driving, there is often a desire to wait a few seconds and check what is overboard.

This rule must always be followed, with any kind of maneuver. This achieves the highest level of aerobatics, the safety of your car and the he alth of passengers. Even passing through a green light immediately, it is worth once again making sure that traffic is safe by turning your head left and right. So when parking, it is worth constantly monitoring three viewpoints at once. At any second in the yard under your bumper, a restless baby can sit down.