Driver's Education: Module 2 [VADETS]

Topic 1: Highway Transportation System

• Over 3.9 million miles and 23.8% of passenger miles are accounted for by the National HTS(Highway Transportation System)

  • It’s important to know how it works, even though we have Global Positioning Systems now!

• The international symbol for the HTS is a blue and red shield, as depicted below:

  

• Even numbers on highway interstate shields indicate east to west routes, while odd numbers indicate north to south routes.

  • As numbers increase, odd routes start in the west coast and move to the east coast, while even routes start in the south and move to the north.

    • For example, Interstate Route 5 would cross California, while Interstate Route 91 would cross Virginia. Likewise, Interstate Route 10 would cross Texas, and Interstate Route 90 would cross Washington.

• In Virginia, the number 511 will give real-time traffic information and warnings about road conditions. Very useful!

• There are three components of the HTS:

  • People,

    • pedestrians, biciclists, drivers

  • Vehicles,

    • bikes, mopeds(less than 35 mph), motorcycles, cars, tractors, trucks, etc.

  • and Roadways

    • interstate highways, country roads(take me home…)

    • Paved roads, dirt roads, gravel roads

Topic 2: Approaching the Vehicle

• Vehicles are high-maintenance, so you have to make sure your car is safe when you head out to school, work, the store, or anywhere else!

• When approaching in a parking lot, VADETS reccomends approaching from behind to get a view of all hazards/potential dangers:

  • shrapnel/broken glass

  • anything in the way of your vehicle

  • any scratches/damage

  • suspicious people inside or outside

• When approaching from the curb of a street, VADETS reccomends approaching from the front:

  • to see incoming traffic from your side of the road

  • to see what’s behind your car to pull out safely

• Aside from environment, hazards to look for in general include:

  • any fluid leaks,

  • or direction of wheels

    • (this will influence how you pull out of parking)

• There are tips to entering a vehicle:

  • Always be aware.

    • Generally good advice for driving

  • Stow away valuables.

    • Having them in the seat of your car is essentially a car thief magnet. That’s why we have the glovebox. (You could also try the trunk if you’re in a sketchy place)

  • Watch your door.

    • You don’t want to ding someone’s car; that’s easily a few hundred dollars if you hurt the paint job.

  • Key in Ignition.

    • Allows you to adjust your seat, steering wheel, and stow away other items. Speaking of which…

Topics 3 & 4: Adjusting and Starting the Vehicle

• Again, vehicles are high-maintenance, so you have to make sure it’s maximized for your comfort and ease when you start driving!

• The VADETS Handbook reccomends adjusting your vehicle in the following order:

• Make sure the parking brake is set.

  • Make sure to differentiate between the Park gear shift and the brake pedal. The parking brake(a.k.a. emergency brake, hand brake, located in various places depending on the car) should be set with the park gear in automatic transmissions, especially when parking on inclines, to make sure your car doesn’t go rolling away while you’re getting ready to drive.

  • Though, it is a good idea to be in park, too.

• Put the cell phone away, dawg.

  • In VA, anyone under 18 must put cellular devices away while driving(for reasons I hope are obvious)

• Adjust the seat position, height, and angle.

  • You want to make sure you have enough leg and arm room to maneuver quickly between your two pedals, your steering wheel, your gear shift, and anything else you need to pay attention to what’s ahead of you. Here are some general guidelines:

    • At least 10 inches between your chest and the steering wheel(you don’t want an airbag colliding with your face at 100 mph, do you?).

    • Your right foot should be able to pivot between the accelerator and brake pedal

    • You should be able to see as much as you can through the windshield

    • Your knees should be slightly bent, so that you don’t have too much space between yourself and the controls.

• Put your left foot on the dead pedal.

  • Do not try using both feet. It’s much simpler to use your right foot, especially in an automatic.

• Adjust your steering wheel position and angle.

  • Again, you want plenty of room to maneuver as need be, so adjust it so that your hands can rest comfortably at 4 and 8 o’ clock.

    • You want to keep your hands out of the way of the airbags. Again, they come at 100 mph, and no one wants their arms crushed.

  • Make sure the airbag is aimed at your chest(NOT YOUR FACE, MAN)

• Adjust your rear-view mirror and side mirrors.

  • As usual, make sure you can see the most you can with your rear mirrors, as they give you the most view.

    • You have to be able to see at least 200 feet behind you(ample time to react) and give your rear-view window a wash and wipe by flicking the windshield-wiper control stick towards you!

  • As for your side mirrors, you want a special setting called Blind Zone Glare Illumination(BGE for short), where you can only barely see the edge of your car’s rear

• Adjust your headrest/head restraint.

  • No more than four inches of space between your head and the headrest, which should be level with your ears.

    • In an incident, whiplash can occur, which is not good for your neck, spine, or for your body in general.

• Buckle up!

  • In VA, it is required by law to drive with a seatbelt, punishable by ticket.

  • As for how it helps, it distributes force across the sternum, rib cage and hip bone, the three strongest bones in the body. It’s the single best thing you can do to reduce impact.

• Don’t forget about children.

  • Infants should be in rear-facing seats(prevents injury if you suddenly brake forward), and those less than 12 should be in the rear and in booster seats, depending on height.

• Double-check surroundings.

  • In the time you prepared to drive, something could have appeared around the car, so be careful before putting into reverse. Turn on headlights whn you need to. Once you are sure of your environment…

• Disengage the parking brake, and shift into reverse

  • or drive, depending on how you’ll pull out. Either look over your shoulder or use the reverse/back-up camera.

• Pull out with caution, shift into drive/1st gear, and go forth!

  • Except, how exactly do you use all the other tools in the car?

Topic 5: Location and Operation: Vehicle Controls

• Vehicle Gauges:

  • Speedometer

    • Your speed(not velocity) at this given momentum

  • Odometer

    • Total miles traveled(used to measure intervals between service times, wheel switches, etc.)

  • Trip Odometer

    • Total miles traveled in a given trip(reset by holding the odometer stick)

  • Tachometer

    • Measures revolutions per minutes(rpm) of the engine(specifically the crankshaft, helpful to know car anatomy)

      • You’ll notice a red line past 7000 rpm; this is called the redline, when an engine’s rev(aka rpm) count is high enough to sustain damage to the engine(this is why you hear announcers say “rev up your engines!”). It differs between vehicles.

      • Your revs differ on different road surfaces, as well, so watch out for that, too!

  • Thermometer

    • This thermometer on the dashboard gives the temperature of the internal engine(modern automobiles do have thermometers for outside temperature, as well; make sure to differentiate). In cold seasons, you want to make sure you leave the engine running for a bit to get it to a nice temperature(but not too long).

  • Fuel Gauge

    • Simple, shows you how much fuel you have for your engine!

• Pedals

  • Accelerator

    • Accelerates/decelerates the vehicle, or maintains speed. In automatics, the gear shifts automatically depending on the speed, but in manuals, you have to shift gears if you want to go faster.

  • Brake

    • Slows/stops the vehicle.

  • Clutch(Manuals)

    • Disengages the connection between the transmission and the engine when depressed without killing the engine, allowing for a smooth gear shift while driving.

      • To get a smooth transition, ease of the pedal until you feel the transmission and engine reconnect, then fully release the clutch pedal.

• Cruise Control

  • Lets the car cruise at a constant speed without depressing the accelerator button. SHOULD ONLY BE USED ON DRY PAVEMENT.

  • Typically located to right of the Horn/SRS Airbag/center of the steering wheel:

    • Rightmost button initiates it

    • Bottom button sets cruise control/reduces cruising speed set

    • Middle button cancels

    • Top button resumes cruise contol/increases cruising speed

• Ignition

  • Where the key is placed to start the car. Ignition is always in the following order:

    • Off

    • Accesories(abbreviated as ACC, powers only accessories, but drains your battery)

    • On

    • Start(Starts combustion engine)

  • (But starting the car requires brake to be depressed)

• Transmission Gear Shift Lever:

  • The huge handle: controls transmission of engine power to wheels.

    • Automatic: Automatically shifts gears for the driver while in drive.

    • Manual: Gives more control, but requires driver to manually shift gears while driving. Older models require depressing the clutch pedal while driving to switch.

  • P = Park(Automatic Only)

    • Engages the parking prawl, but should be accompanied by the parking brake

  • R = Reverse

    • Car moves backward automatically, allows for backing out of driveways, garages, etc.

  • N = Neutral

    • Rare gear shift, used for towing, car washes, straight up pushing cars

  • D = Drive(Automatic Only)

    • Allows for the car to take control of gear shifting as speed increases/decreases

    • (Computer also decides whether to enable Overdrive Mode)

      • Overdrive allows for higher gears at lower speeds, resulting in lower revs and fuel efficiency. It used to be manually enabled in cars, but in automatics the car takes care of it.

  • L = Low/First Gear

    • Highest gear, highest revs, lowest speed. Built for carrying heavy loads/powering up steep inclines.

  • M = Manual(Automatic)

    • Allows for the driver to take control of gear shifting, similar to a manual, but without a clutch pedal, as the computer takes care of it.

  • S = Sports(Automatic)

    • Similar to Manual mode with driver gear shifting, but the engine uses fuel quickly to provide higher revs for a more “sporty” feel.

• Turn Signal Stick

  • Used to display the car’s turn signals, left of the steering wheel:

    • Up is right, down is left.

    • There are additional settings, as well, like DRL(Daytime Running Lights), but those aren’t usually on the stick.

• Hazard Lights

  • A big button near the radio/center of the car. Should be on in non-ideal conditions(fog, rain, snow, etc.)

• Windshield Wipers/Washers Stick

  • The stick on the right of the steering wheel. In most cars, there’s a knob to turn on the rear wipers and you can reposition the stick to turn on the main wipers. If you pull it towards you or push the knob, you can enable the washers!

• Horn

  • Located right above the SRS airbag on the middle of steering wheel.

  • Should be used as a warning device…but unfortunately incites agitation(in America, at least)

• Headlights/Taillights Stick

  • Usually on the same stick as the turn signals. Can be altered by a knob.

    • Remember, if in doubt, use your low-beams.

• Hood Release

  • Typically to the left, under the dashboard, near the dead pedal. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE.

  • Pull/Engage it, and then pull the second latch. This second latch under the hood prevents the hood from flying up on accident. Thanks, manufacturers!

• Trunk Release

  • The normal trunk release is in the glovebox(or on your car keys) while the emergency trunk release is in the trunk in case of kidnapping, mandated since 2002.

• Fuel Door Release

  • Some models still require manually opening the fuel door, but modern cars have a fuel release lever down and to the left.

  • There are labels to differentiate between the emergency brake, hood release lever, and fuel door release lever.

• HVAC

  • Short for Heating, Ventiliation and Air Conditioning.

  • This system controls the air you breathe through those vents on the front of the car, as well as the car air temperature through the vents near the dashboard and car radio.

  • Modern cars have climate adjustment knobs on the middle of the car, but most cars have defrosters for the front and rear windows.

• TPMS

  • Short for Tire Pressure Monitoring System

  • Monitors tire pressure, as the name suggests

    • Alters the driver on the dashboard when pressure is less than or equal to 75% of the manufacterer’s reccomended amount.

  • Has been put in all cars since Sept. 2007.

• Backup Camera

  • Modern cars have backup cameras activated when the car shifts to reverse.

  • Helps with the huge blind spot right behind the driver.

• GPS

  • Modern cars and phone come with a Global Positioning System

    • Uses satillites and hueristics to determine the optimal route from point A to point B.

    • They used to use highway maps back in the day!