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Defense Driving Tips From A Parked Position For The Novice
By George Gabriel, Fri Dec 9th

Leaving a parked position can be quite the hazard, if your notsure of the proper procedure.

You are about to move forward from a parked position. Positionyou're hands at ten o'clock and two o'clock on the steeringwheel. If you let go of the steering wheel, you're hands shouldcontinue to rest on the wheel. Some drivers prefer the 3 o'clockand the 9 o'clock position. If your driving an automatic, theright hand should not have to go too far to change gears,placing it back to the 2 position. The left hand should slidedown the steering wheel without leaving the steering wheel tosignal. Place your hand back to the ten position when youfinished signaling. One hand on the wheel is not the safe way todrive a vehicle.

Now your ready to drive forward and you have done all the safetychecks before you roll forward and signaled out of you're parkedposition. Safety checks include checking your mirrors andshoulder depending on the direction your pulling out of. If youdo not pull out right away after your checks, you will have torecheck again. Keep in mind that you are leaving a parkedposition and you are hardly moving. Traffic behind you can bemoving fast. Check you're shoulder just before you think you aregoing to accelerate and glance a second time, after you havelooked forward to check you're path ahead. Checking a secondtime gives you that option to go back to the brake, in case avehicle comes around some corner and surprises you. Use you'rereview mirror as much as possible to avoid this situation.

When you're parked between two vehicles. Position you're vehicleso you are clear of the vehicle in front of you, by inching backfar enough. Position the nose of your vehicle forward, in aclearance position ahead of you. When you

are on a wide roadway,you typically have a couple of feet without obstructing trafficand cyclists. Make sure you are not entering the nose of yourvehicle into a potential hazard! Keep in mind the amount youturned the wheel. If you have cranked the wheel quite a bit.Make sure you do not end up on the other side of the road. Toavoid this potential hazard, ease off the gas pedal when out ofthe parked position and gain control of direction by correctingthe steering wheel position.

Reviewing the proper procedure of leaving a parked position froma curb.

(1) Path ahead (2) Mirrors (3) Signal (4) Shoulder check (5)Path ahead (6) Recheck shoulder (7) Proceed when all is clear

The first thing you check is your path ahead to make sure it'sclear.

Check your mirrors to see if it's safe behind you.

Signal to traffic behind to let them know your intentions. (Handsignal if you think other drivers can't see you're signal. Alsobring you're hand back in before you start to maneuver thevehicle out of the parked position.)

Glance over to your blind spot just in case another vehiclepulls out from across the road, just before you make themaneuver.

Recheck your path ahead and proceed forward with one more glanceover you're shoulder. Do not release the brake pedal until afteryou have looked forward. A pedestrian may have approached you'revehicle while you were looking the other way.

I hope these defensive driving tips will help you in you're goalin becoming a defensive driver. Have an expierenced driver, or arecognized defensive driving school help you for furtherinstruction on this topic.