Driving schools teach you how to drive, right? Well, not totally correct, as there are stuff you will never get from any driving school. The clincher is, some of these things are really important. Even if you went to the best driving school in Nigeria or abroad, there are chances that your teacher didn't teach you all the car tricks that he or she should. This is not a case of your drive instructor intentionally withholding from you. There are two scenarios that might account.

1. It’s not in the syllabus, so it gets missed out.
2. The instructor just might not know!

Well, buckle your seat belt as Naijacarnews takes you on driving school 2.0 - 10 essential things they don't teach us in driving schools. These simple but very effect tips will make you so much better as a driver.

Understand that your driving lessons are never quite done, as you will learn every day

1. Understanding your wheels

Your driving school teacher will teach you how to apply the brakes, but won't teach you how to escape potholes. Are you are a new driver without much experience in handling potholes, and so are always slamming into them?

Then you need to start learning how to listen to and understand what your wheels tell you. You can start by laying down plastic bottles, and then try running over them with your tires. Little routines such as this will have you weaving between those potholes in no time.

>>> Does your driving instructor teach you this? See why traffic lights, tyres and planes have standard colours

2. Total awareness of your environment

Your side mirrors are used to know and see the incoming cars approaching from behind you but you can also use it to monitor the environment behind you. The road is unpredictable and things happen in a flash. Being alert and fully aware of your environment can help you avoid dangers.

3. Watch the behavior of taller vehicles

When you see that vehicle trying to maneuver, chances are that something is up. On the road, taller cars are always able to see the road clearly because of their height advantage. When you see that vehicle trying to maneuver, chances are that something is up as this kind of vehicles are likely to see a potential road accident coming from a long distance away. Though not all their actions indicate danger, it's always good to be alert for their signals.

Use the taller vehices beside you as a watch tower to tell you what trouble is ahead

4. Lowering the rearview mirror at night

The car rearview mirror has day and night functionality. It has both day mode and night mode. At night, you can easily change the angle of the rearview mirror by pulling down the lever under it. This prevents you from being blinded by glare from the car lights behind you. Don't forget to reposition it in the day.

5. Do as other cars

When a car in your lane is slowing down without an indicator light, slow down too. Do not rush and try to overtake them, because pedestrian or animal might be crossing the road then. Be guided by the behavior of the cars in front.

Learn car behavior, it will give you advance warning when things are out of order

6. Make use of the hand brake regularly

In normal weather, not making use of the hand brake can make it less functional. The only time you might avoid using it is in extreme cold weather. Then, constant use of it can freeze your car brake pads. However, this might not be too applicable in parts of Nigeria such as the down South part, but if you live up in Jos or the North, do take note.

7. Adjust your side mirrors

When your side mirrors aren't probably placed, they can deceive you into thinking you are seeing a blind spot. A blind spot is the area around your car you can't see and it's likely you miss an incoming car in that spot. The right way to adjust your side mirrors is to position them in such a way that you can't see your car in them but instead see the almost back view of your car.

There are many techniques to doing this well. Many prefer remaining the driver's seat and do it, but you might not get the best results that way. A better method is to stay in the center and adjust the passenger mirror until your car is not visible, and then lean towards the widow on the driver's side, and do the same until you dont see your car. Make sure your rear view mirror is set dead to rights directy showing your rear windscreen.

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8. Turn on the air conditioning regularly

Always do this, even when the weather is cold; turn on your car AC for few minutes before turning it off. This little practice helps you prevent the coolant from seizing and tubes from drying out.

9. Knowing all your car buttons' functions

Your driving school won't teach you the function of all the buttons in your car. Though there are standard buttons in all cars, like the AC control, Radio, window buttons, etc, cars are different and come with different functionality and infotainment systems. So, it's left for you learn what works in your car. You can use your car’s manual and learn the function of each particular button but if your car doesn't come with manual, for instance if it is a good used car, try to find out what each button does. If you are reluctant about it, you might be missing out or that tiny particular button might be saving your car from crashing.

It's a self-help task to learn about your car buttons

10. Don't litter

When you are driving on the road, you are not the only one making use of it. Throwing things out of your car is not right. Apart from littering the environment, it could also obstruct or distract the driver behind you.

There you have it. Minding the tips above will give you an edge other drivers do not have.

>>> More Safe Driving Tips at Naijacanews.com!