(music)
When you’re driving in the city,
you may end up in heavy traffic like this.
In this video,
we’ll give you some tips on the things
new drivers need to work on to
master driving in busy city traffic.
When you’re doing a lesson in heavy traffic,
you’ll need to plan the route beforehand
rather than making it up as you go along.
(And then we’ll turn into Featherston Street...)
As well as being a good habit to get into,
planning your route beforehand
means the driver can concentrate
on dealing with the traffic
and selecting the correct lanes.
(...and I’ll be keeping my eyes open as well...)
Driving in heavy traffic
requires a lot of concentration;
there are a lot of things to watch out for.
You’ll need to be calm and patient
when the traffic is moving slowly
and you’ll need to be considerate
of other road users.
Remember that you’ll get where you’re going
in the end.
(...looking over your shoulder, checking your mirrors,
….um oh, so there’s a little scooter
went down on the inside, and one on the outside...)
When driving in heavy traffic
you need to be constantly aware
of what the traffic around you is doing -
to the sides and behind
as well as ahead of you.
Keep checking your mirrors,
including your side mirrors,
and your blind spot
in case people on bicycles or motorcycles
come through on your left or between lanes.
(...and a motor cyclist came between two cars…
So that's - did you even see him before he appeared?)
(No..)
You need to try to predict
what other drivers are going to do
to give you time to react.
Up ahead we can see you have got a side street
and there's somebody waiting to come out.
In heavy traffic,
other drivers will sometimes take smaller gaps,
giving you less time to react;
or they may make sudden lane changes or turns
without signalling correctly.
(...By looking at the other driver
you can see that he was really keen
to get into the flow of traffic
and so it is better that you take defensive action
and slow down...)
You can give yourself more time to respond
by looking for clues
about what other drivers might do.
Look at the speed and position of their vehicles.
If you can see them,
look at the other drivers themselves
to see where they’re looking
and to check if they’ve seen you.
Keeping at least a 2-second following distance
(or 4 seconds in wet weather)
is vital in heavy traffic.
Nose-to-tail crashes can happen
when drivers don’t notice quickly enough
that the car in front of them
has slowed down or stopped.
If someone is following too close behind you,
increase your own following distance to at least four seconds.
This will allow time for you and the driver behind you
to stop safely.
(So you’ve still got that car travelling pretty close...)
(yeah, it is quite unnerving actually,
having someone that close behind me...)
(Yeah)
(It is quite intimidating…)
(...ah, he’s in a hurry and he wants to …
to go...)
(...that’s fine…)
Another useful tip for heavy traffic is,
when you stop in a queue of traffic,
stop in a position where you can see the tyres
of the vehicle in front of you.
This gives you a safety buffer
in case the person behind you doesn’t slow down in time.
Traffic lights are a big part of city driving.
Red means stop.
Yellow means stop – if you can do so safely.
Even when a traffic light ahead is green,
it may turn yellow before you get to it.
Adjust your speed and be ready to stop
if you need to as you come up to the intersection.
As you approach an intersection or pedestrian crossing,
make sure that there’s enough room
for your vehicle on the other side.
If there isn’t enough room,
you’ll have to stop and wait until there is
before you enter the intersection -
even if the traffic light is green.
When turning right at traffic lights
you are allowed to wait in the intersection,
as long as there are no other cars
already waiting in the intersection to turn right
and you’re not in the way of oncoming traffic.
When it’s safe, you can complete the turn
even if the light has turned yellow or red
by the time it’s safe to go.
So, those are our tips for driving in heavy traffic.
Even if you don’t live near a major town or city,
it’s important for learners to get practice in traffic
once they have learnt the necessary skills.