Driving is an activity that really should be experienced with all of your senses. All of them.
The first sense is vision. You have to be able to see ahead of you. Good depth perception is important. You must be able to judge the distance between you and anything ahead of you. Peripheral vision is good - dangers can come in from the side, and it's good to be able to sense how close you are to someone next to you without turning your head.
The second sense is balance. You need to be able to sense changes in speed and direction without necessarily having other inputs. Practice... With your eyes closed: is the elevator going up or down, which way is the dentist's chair moving, can you keep your balance on the BART?
The third sense is feeling. Sense the feedback from the steering wheel. Is the vehicle trying to pull you in a direction? Can you feel the vibration from the tires at a certain speed? Understand that, it'll help you know how fast you're going without looking at the speedometer. Can you feel when the engine is bouncing off the rev limiter? That tells you to shift.
The fourth sense is sound. My tires make a certain noise when they slide to the side a bit. THey make a more intense noise when they really break loose on a corner. There's a certain squeal and thump noise when they break loose due to torque. The engine tells me when it's over 2500 RPM with a low growl. I know it's over 4000 when I hear the growl turn into a whine. Understand what the noises your car makes are telling you. Know the sound of a fire truck versus a police car - they're very different, and you need to know how to respond quickly without looking.
The fifth sense is smell. Memorize the smell of your vehicle. If it smells different, something is wrong. Be able to tell the difference between that and the smell of a bus passing by.
The sixth sense is taste. A metallic taste in your mouth? That means you did something that changed the chemical balance in your brain. You probably almost died. Avoid that.
Learn how to process all of this information into an almost instinctual response that keeps you out of trouble.
And then realize that sometimes shit just happens and you're gonna get fucked. Airbags are a lifesaver.
1 comment:
Senses? What senses are those? Meaning actually pay attention when driving? Yeah right.
Example, depth perception is lost on that ass behind me that is tailing and so I decide to teach the lesson of perception by slamming the breaks. No such thing as peripheral vision either. That's why they have those braile bumps so those with tunnel vision no their limits...well at times.
Not many are balanced. That's why you have those in the elevators that look at the person next to them and say "hey is this moving?" and then start pressing buttons in despair. Most people are to stunned at the dentist office to notice the 'chair of hell' move. And what the heck is BART? Maybe I shouldn't be driving.
Feeling, um the only feeling is the severe shake and rumble of either the road or the wheel when I hit 90. Speedometer...oh is that what it's called? I swear that 35 in 65 is the talk of the town. Shift, shift what? I have an automatic
Sound, well apparently you miss the fact that I have a stereo and so well sound is pretty much a mute point.
All I can smell at times is the nasty, icky, yuck of the dang truck in front of me and the smell of all the buffets on the strip cooking dinner..."is that oil buring or just some good old fat burger?" Lets cover up the car smell with those pretty little hangy thingys...spongebob is a good one. Oh, and by the way, close the window because the trailer next to ya has pigs.
Starbucks, Trident and Aim is all I can taste...Chemical inbalances are cool if you survive them.
I guess I must practice to be more instinctive...got lessons?
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