I got my LMV (light motor vehicle) driving license in 2002 –
a good decade back. It’s only since the last 5-6 days that I’ve actually been taking
my new car to my office and have a sense of actually driving. For people
accustomed to the Indian car market and road conditions – I used to own a Tata
Indica and now have a Tata Nano. I tried taking the Indica about 5 years back,
but was not too confident or comfortable. That stint lasted for exactly a week
at the end of which I realized that I was better off just bargaining with the
auto drivers and then sitting back comfortably for the rest of the journey.
But with the new car a lot has changed. I think it has to do
majorly with a few factors:
·
It is a new car and I bought it for full cash.
So the fact that it just stands there and rots is bound to cause you tremendous
pain. So you will take the car out just so that you feel you haven’t wasted
your hard earned money.
·
It is relatively cheap – it must be the cheapest
car in the Indian market currently @ 2.67L fully loaded and on road. The biggest
fear of a novice driver is that they will bump the car. With a car which is so
cheap, the heartache caused by a bump is not too painful. Of course, you have
to be prepared for the fact that there will be a few dents and scratches before
you could graduate to a better / bigger car.
·
It is really small – and hence is quite easy to maneuver.
In my view if an auto can get into a gap, so can a Nano. For a novice driver
who doesn’t have mastery over steering control, this is a very big boon as a
small change in direction really doesn’t cause much disruption on road. But you
do have to be careful and have to look at the mirrors when you try this.
With my new found confidence in driving ( and I’m writing
this at 6 days into my driving stint), I thought I could share a few tips and
tricks for those who have licenses, technically know how to drive but are
scared of practical application of their knowledge.
1.
Get familiar with the car – how to operate the
windows, the signals, the wipers etc. Will give you some sense of comfort. Ask
someone who has operated the car before about pickup. Nano is not a very
powerful car, so when you try driving it after you have driven a 1.2 cc or 1.6
cc car, you are bound to have a lot of trouble keeping it from shutting down in
the middle of the road because you expect it to behave like the more powerful
car. So knowing how much gas should you press, when and how much to let the
clutch go etc are things that you will obviously get to know when you drive,
but it is always safe to get a sense of these factors from experienced folks.
2.
Practice while still – The biggest challenge
that most people face is shifting gears. So practice with the car switched off.
Just keep shifting gears, try all possible combinations – in normal order
1-2-3-4 and back, then jump between gears, 4th to 2nd, 3rd
to 1st etc. Don’t forget neutral and reverse – very important gears
indeed.
3.
Drive on empty roads – find a stretch of road
close to your house where you can practice. Try shifting gears, going for a
long distance in 1st gear at really low speeds, imitating bumper to
bumper traffic i.e. stopping and then going a few feet and starting again. If
possible find a stretch with an incline and practice stopping and moving ahead
on this. This is extremely critical and one of the most commonly used skills on
Indian roads where leveled roads are extremely hard to find.
4.
Find a friend to drive with you – when you do
these practice sessions, get someone whom you trust (not necessarily someone
who knows driving) to sit with you on the passenger seat. This person will give
you confidence that in case something happens you are not alone and also can be
a good sounding board. Avoid know it all kind of friends who try correcting
everything you do or the ones who will undermine your confidence i.e. who tell
you to go uber slow, keep extreme left and at the 1st sign of
trouble tell you that you are not ready
5.
Go on familiar roads at early hours – When I
decided to take my car to office, I took it for a trial run to my office on a
Sunday at 7.30 am. What this did is made me familiar with the road, give me
confidence that I can do it (even if it is at very minimal traffic conditions)
and make me aware of common mistakes that I commit – jumping over speed
breakers, slowing without shifting gears, moving on inclines etc. Be sure to
take your friend with you.
6.
Start driving – make up your mind to take the
car to office or some place that you frequent. Start early. I used to leave
home at 7 am for the 1st 3 days. Even at 7 am on working days there
would be medium traffic. I remember the 1st day when my left leg (the
one on the clutch) shivered in fear the whole way through a busy stretch. I
also remember that the car stopped in the middle of the road at least half a
dozen times. Don’t let this deter you. Do this for a few days – start early
from home and office. This really gets your confidence high!
7.
Find your leader – When you are just starting to
drive, my biggest advice on getting it right in traffic, especially unruly /
unorganized traffic is find a vehicle in front of you (preferably one without a
L board) and follow it closely. The vehicle in front of you will do the navigation
for you, all you need to do it follow it closely and not allow anyone else to come
between you. For those few hundred meters, this vehicle is your best friend.
8.
Use the mirrors – I always knew technically how
to drive. But I had zero road sense. I have never really used the mirrors
effectively before. I realized in the last few days, that looking at the mirrors
is actually required. I am yet to learn how to effectively use the passenger
side mirrors but I believe it will come in time.
9.
Don’t be bothered – Don’t be bothered by small things
– small dents, scratches etc. Also ensure that you never try multi-tasking
while driving – don’t pick calls (put your phone on silent to avoid distraction),
don’t try changing music channels etc.. Remember you are still learning and
have your hands full just keeping the car on the road and keeping yourself
alive.
10.
Measure yourself – if there are speed breakers
that you jumped over yesterday, evaluate what you did wrong and try to do
better today. You will realize that everything which looked like a big uphill
task on day 1 start slowly getting demystified by day 3-4.
11.
Don’t worry about fuel efficiency – Nano is
supposed to give a mileage of ~20KM/L in city traffic. My last full tank of
petrol gave me around 16. I am good with that. There are a lot of inefficiencies
when you are learning. For ex: the whole stretch of nearly a kilometer and half
which is the most crowded on my way to and from office, I drive the vehicle in
1st gear. An experienced driver would effortlessly shift between
gears, but I’m still building confidence. My aim is to keep my vehicle moving…
so there will be some loss of fuel, but it is collateral damage in your effort
to be a good driver – it’s an investment.
12.
Build courage but don’t be stupid – slowly try
and take the car out at medium traffic times or to reasonably congested areas
to build your confidence. But beware of being over confident. Remember, you are
still learning – don’t try tricks like weaving between vehicles, speeding,
driving with one hand, overtaking from the left etc. These are dangerous in the
best of circumstances and can land the best of drivers in trouble. You are easy
bait.
Hopefully these
practical tips will be useful for all those new, under confident drivers out
there.
