How to Drive a Car

Learning how to drive is a lot easier than it looks. It looks intimidating from the passenger's seat, or in the movies, but once you get behind the wheel and gently put your foot on the pedal, the process becomes very intuitive. If you're a defensive driver and learn to take things slow in the beginning, you'll be well on your way to mastering the basics. This article assumes you'll be driving an automatic transmission vehicle.
If you're not driving an automatic, click here to learn the basics of driving stick-shift (manual transmission), although the general process will still be the same.

Adjust the seat so that your feet comfortably reach both pedals. You can adjust your seat forward and back, as well as up and down. Some cars will have electronic controls (usually on the left side of the seat), while older cars will usually have a latch underneath the seat that let's you control the position of the seat.

Familiarize yourself with the foot pedals. In an automatic car, the two foot pedals control acceleration and braking, respectively. The rightmost pedal (which is usually smaller than the other pedal) is the acceleration pedal, and pressing down on it speeds the car up.
The pedal to the left (which is usually larger than the acceleration pedal) is the brake pedal, and pressing down on it slows the car down.

Adjust your car's mirrors so that you can see through them clearly and effectively. Your car should have three mirrors: one rearview mirror, which allows you to see directly behind the rear windshield in back of you, and two outside mirror which let you see to either side of the car and protect you from blind spots.

Know where the parking brake, also called a hand or emergency brake, is and what it does. The parking brake is a longer lever with a button on its very tip. When the parking brake is pulled up, it helps locks the car in place, ensuring that it doesn't move. When the brake is let down, it is disengaged and the car can freely move. Make sure that your parking brake is disengaged before you start driving.

Get a feel for the shift lever. The shift lever is usually positioned in between the two front seats of a car, and it controls some of the car's gears (park, neutral, drive, reverse). Sometimes, the shift lever is on the right side of the steering wheel.


Understand your basic dashboard controls. These gauges help show the driver how much gas the car is carrying, how fast the car is going, how hot the engine is, and how many RPM (revolutions per minute) the engine is clocking.

Always start your car with your foot on the brake. When you turn it on, a car will move forward automatically if your foot isn't on the brake. With your foot on the brake in starting position, you're ready to start driving!

Reduce the Put on your seatbelt. In most places in the world, driving without a seatbelt is illegal. Seatbelts greatly rpossibility of serious injury or death if you happen to get in an accident.

Turn on the engine and release the parking brake, if necessary. Put your keys in the ignition, which is usually to the right side of the steering wheel, and turn clockwise. Note that in some newer vehicles, provided the keys are actually inside the car, all you need to do is push the "Power" or "Ignition" button for the engine to start. Fancy!

Learn how to back your car out. If your car is parked in a lot or a driveway, chances are you're going to need to back your car out in order to begin driving. Although it may seem intimidating, there are only a couple of things for you to remember:

• Put your car in Reverse and double-check. If your car isn't in Reverse, your car won't go backward.
• Look over your shoulder and turn your head to get a good view of where you're going.
• Gently remove your foot from the brake pedal and do not put your foot on the acceleration. For your first couple times backing out, don't worry about putting your foot on the acceleration. You can move your car simply by removing your foot from the brake. Your car will move slowly, but you won't risk accidentally running into something or someone.
• Remember that the steering wheel is "reversed" in Reverse. When driving your car forward, if you turn the steering wheel to the right, your car will also turn to the right, and vice versa. This is because your wheels turn that way. When going in reverse, turning the steering wheel to the right will make your car turn to the left, while turning the steering wheel to the left will make your car turn to the right. Keep this in mind as you back your car out.
• Use your brake whenever you need to slow down. Press your foot gently but firmly on the brake pedal to slow the car down.

When you're ready to move your car forward, come to a complete stop and shift the car into Drive. Put your foot on the brake pedal, shift your car into Drive so that it can begin to move forward, and then take your foot off the brake pedal. Slowly press down on the acceleration pedal with your foot to get the car to move forward. Accelerate until you've reached the speed limit, and then take your foot off the acceleration, hovering it over the brake pedal in case you need to start breaking.

Hold both hands on the steering wheel at the "9 and 3" position. Image that the steering wheel is a clock. Place your left hand where the 9 would be on a clock, and your right hand where the 3 would be on a clock. Especially for beginners, do not try to hold the steering wheel with only one hand.

Use your blinkers. Your blinkers are flashing red lights on either side of the car's rear, next to the brake lights. They are really important in driving. They let other cars know that your switching lanes or turning. The blinker switch is located on the left side of the steering wheel. Press it up to turn to activate your right blinkers (for turning or switching lanes to the right) or press it down to activate your left blinkers (for turning or switching lanes to the left).

Learn how to turn the car using the hand over hand method. Turning is quite easy once you get the hang of it. Like most things in driving, it's very intuitive. If you only need to turn the car slightly, turn the steering wheel in the direction you want to turn but try keeping your hands at the 9 and 3 position.
If you're making a harder turn, use the "hand over hand" method. Say you're turning right. Turn the steering wheel clockwise, leading with the right hand. When your right hand gets to the 4 or 5 position, release it and cross it over your left hand. Re-grip the wheel and continue your turn.

To straighten out the car after a turn, simply loosen your grip in both hands and the steering wheel will automatically begin correcting itself. Apply more pressure to slow down the correction; apply less pressure to speed it up. Your hands should stay stationary as the steering wheel moves back to its original spot.

1. Indicate with your blinkers for at least two seconds before beginning to switch lanes.This lets other drivers know what you are planning to do.
   Quickly scan your mirrors and look over your shoulder to check for any cars in your blind spot(s). Don't just rely on your mirrors to tell you where other cars are; use your eyes to quickly look for yourself before actually switching lanes.
   Slowly move the car into the other lane. Turn your hands on the steering wheel ever so slightly in order to change lanes. It's a very slight movement. It should take anywhere from 1 to 3 seconds for you to change lanes. Any less and you're doing it too quickly; any more and you're doing it too slowly.
    

Learn how to switch lanes. At some point in your driving, you'll need to switch from one lane to another, sometimes quickly. Doing so is easy, but you have to remember to indicate with your blinkers to let other drivers know that you're planning on switching lanes. Here are some things to keep in mind while you switch lanes.

Stay a healthy distance behind other cars (don't tailgate). How far you should stay behind the next car in front of you depends on how fast you are traveling. You want to give yourself and your car 2 to 5 seconds to react, depending on your comfort level. If the car in front of you were to abruptly come to a halt, at your current speed, would you have enough time to both react and calmly slow your car down without rear-ending the car in front of you? 

Drive defensively. Driving defensively is a very important concept that too many drivers either take for granted or don't understand. Driving defensively will help save you money, ensure a pleasurable driving experience, and — most important — help you stay alive. 

Stay in the right lanes for slower speeds and the left lanes for faster speeds. On highways, and to a lesser extent on streets, the leftmost lanes are usually reserved for faster traffic, while the rightmost lanes are reserved for slower traffic. It's rude (and dangerous) to tailgate someone going slower than you in the right lane. At the same time, it's selfish to hog the left lanes when you're going considerably slower than other traffic. Get in a lane that's going roughly your speed and stay there until you need to turn or get off.

Whenever possible, pass cars on the left side instead of the right side. Because the general speed of traffic increases going right to left, it's important to pass on the left. Your speeding your car up and going faster than the car ahead of you, so you want to pass using a lane that's meant for faster cars. Follow this general rule of thumb even if it's not a "law" where you drive! Remember: drive right, pass left.

Abide by the speed limits. Speed limits are there for a reason. They're not there to make driving less fun; they're there to make the road a safer place for all. Make sure that at most, you're only traveling 5 mph faster than the speed limit. At least in America, cops will rarely write a ticket for speeding if you're only traveling 5 mph above the speed limit.

Be extremely careful in abnormal driving conditions. When the weather acts up, tone it down a notch and drive even more defensively than normal. When it rains, for example, the water interacts with the oil on driving surfaces, making it very slick and slippery. In these conditions, it's hard for your tires to get good traction. In heavy rain, when small pools of water have accumulated on asphalt, you're especially at risk of hydroplaning.  

Be courteous on the road. Being courteous simply means acknowledging that there are other people on the road, each with his or her own agenda, and many of whom don't want to be stuck in their car. Make their life on the road a little easier if it's easy for you; the thought is that they'll pay it forward at some point, and you may be the beneficiary of their largesse. 

Have fun. Driving can be dangerous, and there sure are a lot of rules that you need to remember, but it's important to have fun while you behind the wheel. Even while staying responsible, driving can be incredibly exhilarating. Just remember that the road doesn't belong to you alone and you should be fine.

Related :
http://www.wikihow.com/Ride-a-Car