Judging distance when driving,changing lanes?

ive been driving around with my dad for a while now,and i can handle the car pretty well now. HOWEVER, i swear, im terrible at judging distance.thats what im always fearful about when im on the road with no one beside. When i change lanes, i cannot tell how far the car i see in the side mirror actually is. so most of the time i end up craning my neck to the back to check which is really dangerous coz then i forget abt the car in front.



how do i learn how to judge how far the car behind actually is?or should i refer more to the rearview mirror to judge distance?Judging distance when driving,changing lanes?
You've gotten some great mirror advice.



For changing lanes, I'm going to share a tip that I learned in driver's ed, back in the day:



If you want to know if you have enough room to move in front of a car, view that car in your rear-view mirror. If you can see the headlights, and the car isn't moving faster than you are (coming closer), then you have enough room. Of course, you need to make sure that you check all of your blind spots. But if they're clear, the car's not moving faster than you are, and you can see both headlights, then you have enough room.



Also, craning your neck to check your blind spots shouldn't be dangerous. It should just take a quick second, so you look back, then resume looking forward. I slow (not brake, just take my foot off the gas for a second) when I do it, just because that make it feel safer for me. And it's also safer when you remember to stay at least three seconds behind the car in front of you.



And in time, you'll get better at this, too. It will very natural to glance back, check the rearview mirror for headlights, move to the next lane. It's actually one of the hardest things when you're learning to drive, but you'll be surprised at how quickly this will become routine for you.Judging distance when driving,changing lanes?
(Method 1): You can judge a car by how fast you're driving. For example: I'm driving 70mph on the freeway and just by judging a car in front of me, i look at the distance of the car from my car, if the car in front isn't picking up speed or slowing down, it tells me that the car is doing 70mph. If the car gets bigger, it means that you're picking up speed or the car in front is slowing down. If the car gets smaller, it means that you're slowing down or the car in front is picking up speed.



(Method 2:) The distance between cars is a ';3 second rule'; while driving. Look at an object on the road; let's use the speed limit sign as an example, once the car in front pass the speed limit sign, start counting and when you get to ';3'; when your car reaches the speed limit sign, the distance from the car in front to your car is excellent meaning that you have enough room/space to stop in case of an emergency



(Changing Lanes): Always have enough space for your car and the car on the other lane. When you have space, turn on your left or right signal, look at the mirrors, TURN your head to check blind spot and proceed to change lane
Use your mirrors and you should invest in a spot mirror for the outside ones...



Here is one example but you can get these at any auto parts store..



http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http
You SHOULD always turn your head for a quick peek in the blind spot. Side mirrors on your car only look down the side and a few feet away. A car 6 feet from yours in the next lane may not be visible, so checking there with a turn of the head is imperative. Also, mirrors distort distance, making things appear further than they really are.
First off, you should *never* just rely on what you see (or don't see) in your mirrors.



Has your dad spoken to you about blind spots?



You might not think so but there is a huge one on the left side of the car and a slightly smaller one to the right. A blind spot is an area where you cannot see the following vehicle using only your side and rear view mirrors; this is why you should *always* get into the habit of looking over your shoulder (both left and right sides) before making that lane change. While most cars have two mirrors, there are a few that don't. If a car doesn't have a right side mirror then you must turn your head to look over your shoulder to clear your right side.



Part of the ability to effectively and easily look over your shoulder is to have your seat back adjusted properly. If you drive around with the seat back laid down at a lounge chair angle, trying to look super cool like so many young (and some older) drivers, then you *will* have trouble being able to crane your neck around to effectively clear the sides and back of your car. Adjust your seat back so you sit comfortably *upright* in the vehicle.



Along with your ability to look over your shoulders it is equally important to keep good spacing on the vehicle in front of you. For each 10mph your traveling, you should have at least one car length between you and the next car; going 40mph there should be 4 car lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you. Having the proper spacing to the front will allow you to *quickly* look (don't take all day to do this) over your shoulder to gauge your spacing on following traffic for your lane change. You will be much better able to tell distances by looking back than relying strictly on your mirrors. And like anything else new, it just takes practice and time. Develop good habits early in your driving career.
The possible reasons for bad judgement of distance might be:

1. Inexperience: With time it will quickly dessolve.



2. Distortions: Are you using any mirror other than those supplied by the manufacturer? These mirrors might create disortions that make it harder to judge distances. Use the original mirrors!



3. Bad use of mirrors: Check both the central mirror and the relevant side mirror. This helps in knowing where a car is in reference to you. Getting into the habit of checking the mirrors constatly (every 20 seconds or so) will help. Get used to glance at the mirrors (no head movement) and train your eyes to get the picture during a split-second glance. Look through the mirror to the distance.



4. Bad mirror setup: Adjust the main mirror to show you the whole back windsield. Now, tell your dad to stand about one car length behind your car. Tell him to move to the right untill he is just bearly still seen on the right edge of the central mirror. Now, open the right mirror as far as possible without losing sight of your dad in the right mirror (I.E. you see a part of your dad's body in the main mirror, and part in the side mirror).



Now, tell him to move to the left untill he is just bearly still seen in the left corner of the main mirror and than open the left-side mirror as far as possible without losing sight of your dad. While this adjustment will take some getting used to, you will find out you see more and you have to dedicate less time to look at each mirror.



You do not need to look all the way behind and over your shoulder, because than you lose sight of what is going on up ahead, and you might find yourself steering the car to that direction. At most, tilt your head slightly to the side and look besdies you, that it all you need.

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