3 Things A Good Driver Should Never Ever Do

To date, I have written over 400 articles for Driving School Malaysia Blog.

I have in fact nearly run out of good articles to pen on. While lying in bed this morning, I decided to write upon a few important things that a good driver should not do.

Hopefully, when these things are highlighted, drivers, irregardless of whether they are inexperienced or those who already possess years of experience, will take note of it and refrain from committing such offences. In fact such offences are indeed dangerous and unfortunately, many unwarranted incidents have transpired because of them.
Amongst some of the dangerous antics which many drivers seem to do now and again, are:

1) Putting an arm out of the driver’s window while driving.

Nowadays, most new vehicles are air-conditioned. Such being so, drivers these days do not have opportunity to place their right arm or hand out of the driver’s window.

My instructor, who instructed me driving, in the 1970s, used to advise me, never to place my arm or hand out of the window while the car is in motion. Such action, my instructor, Mr. Tew Hock Lai, reiterated, is very dangerous.

Why do some drivers insist on doing these things even though it is a dangerous thing to do? You see, some drivers “smoke” as they drive. Drivers who wish to smoke a cigarette, should in fact stop momentarily at the side of the road, if they yearn to have a puff.

By putting your arm or hand out of the driver’s window, you are in fact inviting “trouble”. A vehicle passing you by, might accidently crash into your hand or arm that has been left dangling outside your driver’s window.

A few years ago, an Indian driving school instructor friend of mine, from a well known driving school in Jalan Langat, Klang, had an accident, and lost his right arm when a lorry accidently knocked into him.

The said instructor had a bad habit of dangling his right arm outside the driver’s window. This driving instructor had his driving school days curtailed as a result of this unfortunate accident.

Kindly take note of what I am trying to imply. Do not put your right arm or hand out of the driver’s window while the car is in motion. It is very, very dangerous action.

Believe me, as you are liable to lose your arm! You can however put your arm out to give “hand signals”. But please, take your arm or hand into the car as soon as possible, especially when traffic is heavy.

2. Not checking your vehicle surroundings before driving off.

A good driver should ideally take a walk around the vehicle which you are about to drive. Couple of months ago, a young man, roughly in his 30’s, decided to drive some family members out for some supper.

The driver was in fact about to drive a big vehicle, an “Unser”, which is a 4 wheel drive vehicle. What he failed to do was he made a mistake, which many drivers usually do. He did not take a walk around the vehicle, before he ascended into his car.

His small niece, less than 5 years old, had without anybody’s knowledge come out from the house and had gone behind the “Unser”. The man, had a shock of his life when suddenly he felt he had knocked into something as he was doing his reversing. He had in fact knocked into his young niece!

The young child died instantly. She suffered extensive injuries. In fact, the little girl had no chance at all. If only the man had taken note of what I am advising, I’m certain such unwarranted and unfortunate incidents would not have occurred at all.

So let me implore you once again, before you reverse the vehicle you are about to drive, especially out from your porch, do take a quick walk around the back of your vehicle. See the obstacles which may be behind.

Judge the distance you have. This will go a long way in helping you to do your reverse. It may only take a few short minutes, but believe me, it might save you a lot of miseries later on. It may even prevent you killing some members of your family whom you love dearly.

3. Leave your vehicle engine running on the road shoulder.

Some motorists have the habit of leaving their vehicles, with the engine running on the road shoulder. They then disembark to carry out some errands such as running into the house to fetch some things or buying a newspaper from a nearby stall. They fail to realize that their actions can be deemed as very dangerous.

Motorists, especially those who own new vehicles, and expensive ones such as Perdana, BMWs, Altis and Prius for example, a very high risk of getting their vehicles being stolen. There are presently “bad hats” dubious characters constantly watching our every move and antics on the road.

What better opportunity for such characters mentioned above, than for them to jump into an unguarded, new vehicle, with the keys inside and the engine running and driving it away. It’s like an invitation for them to drive away our vehicles easily.

Maybe, the majority of motorists feel that their vehicles have first party insurance coverage. And that the insurance company will be responsible and reimburse owners should their vehicles be lost or stolen. But have you ever thought of the difficulty, the trouble, and the hassle you would have to undergo, should your car be stolen?

By the way, insurance companies do not always pay for stolen cars. As far as I am aware, a motorist should take reasonable care and precautions to prevent his or her car from being stolen or lost.

Leaving your vehicle on the road shoulder, with doors fully ajar, with its engine running and keys inside, while you run into your house to secure something important, believe me, is not being very responsible and definitely not taking reasonable precautions to prevent your vehicle from being stolen at all.

Also take note, that you have to understand that insurance companies have the right to reject or disclaim indemnity of vehicles stolen. As such, drivers should refrain from doing such stupid things as has been reiterated earlier on.