Road etiquette and environmental awareness
Road etiquette and environmental awareness
This domain tests the habits that make traffic predictable and keep the vehicle's impact on air, noise and fuel as low as possible.
Courtesy that is also safety
Signal early enough for others to react and cancel the indicator afterwards. Do not tailgate or cut in after overtaking; keep your two-second gap whoever is behind you. Dip headlights for oncoming traffic and never use high beam in a built-up area. Use the horn only to warn of danger, and not at all in quiet residential streets at night. Wave a pedestrian across only when you can see the road behind you is clear - your wave can put them in front of another car.
Driving for fuel and emissions
Smooth acceleration and early lifting off the accelerator use far less fuel than hard braking followed by re-acceleration. Keep tyres correctly inflated, remove roof racks and unnecessary weight, and service the engine on schedule. Switch the engine off when stationary for more than a minute rather than idling, which burns fuel and produces pollution without moving you. Air conditioning raises consumption, so use ventilation at low speed. Never pour oil or coolant down a drain, and secure loads so nothing blows onto the road.
Worked example
You are queuing outside a school at 7:30 in the morning. Idling for several minutes wastes fuel and adds exhaust exactly where children are breathing it. Switching off is the better choice and it also keeps noise down for the houses alongside - etiquette and environment point the same way.
Traps
Believing a long warm-up is good for the engine; it wastes fuel and dilutes oil, so drive gently instead. Flashing hazards as thanks while moving, when they are meant to mark a stationary hazard. Using the horn to hurry a learner.