Look through the corner, not at it.
Where your eyes go, the car follows. Pick the point you want to be at, not the obstacle in front of you.
Driving tips
Short notes from the passenger seat.
Practical reminders, mostly things students forget after the road test. New tip every Monday.
Mirrors before brakes.
Glance at the mirror before you slow down. The driver behind you needs the same warning you'd want.
Two seconds, minimum.
Pick a fixed object ahead of the car in front. After they pass it, count: one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two. If you reach it sooner, back off.
The merge starts before the on-ramp.
Match highway speed in the ramp itself. Joining traffic at 70 km/h on a 100 km/h road is harder than it looks — and forces everyone behind you to brake.
Don't fight a skid — steer where you want to go.
If the back end slides, look down the road in the direction you want the car. Hands and front wheels follow your eyes.
Park in the spot you'd want to leave from.
Reverse in. You're more alert pulling in than pulling out — and visibility is always better leaving forwards.
Use both feet at a stop on a hill.
Left foot on the brake while you find the gas with the right. Two feet for two seconds beats rolling backwards into the car behind you.
Check the shoulder, then the mirror, then signal.
Mirror alone isn't enough — every car has a blind spot. The shoulder check confirms what the mirror missed.
Slow in, fast out.
Brake before the corner, accelerate gently through it. Braking mid-corner unsettles the car and cuts grip when you need it most.
Read the road two cars ahead.
If brake lights flash three cars up, you've already won a second of reaction time. Don't watch the bumper in front of you.
Hands at 9 and 3.
The old 10-and-2 was for cars without airbags. 9-and-3 keeps your wrists clear if the airbag deploys — and gives you smoother steering on highways.
If a light has been green a while, it's a stale green.
Cover the brake. Stale greens turn yellow without warning, especially at busy GTA intersections.
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