Thirmal Roy on Automobiles

In an earlier post, I wrote about rules every driver must follow. On that theme, I want to create a new series of posts in which I share advice about different aspects of driving. This post is directed towards learners and offers tips on one of the most crucial elements of good driving: steering control. From my personal experience, this advice has benefited many learners and I would like to extend it to a broader audience.

• Hold the steering gently (using just the weight of your arms) to keep the car straight. The car always goes straight when you leave the steering wheel. Sometimes, because of road curvature, some cars go left or right depending on the road surface. This slight pulling to the left or right keeps the driver awake!
• Always keep in mind which side of the steering wheel you are applying more pressure. You need to keep the car straight by applying more pressure with one hand. For example, if the car is pulling left, you have to apply more pressure with the right hand to keep the car straight and vice versa.
• If you know that the car is pulling to the left side, and you want to turn towards the left side, you just have to release pressure on the right hand, and the car turns left automatically. If the turn is sharp, apply a little pressure on the left hand to turn the steering and vice versa.
• If you know that the car is pulling to the left side and you want to turn right, you need to put a little extra pressure on the steering wheel with your right hand, because you are already applying some pressure to keep the car straight. Consequently, you have to apply a little extra pressure on the right side and vice versa.
• If you understand this point, you can control the steering with one finger – that much pressure is enough.
• You just have to hold the steering with your grip. In an emergency if you hit a pothole, speed breaker, wet patch or slush, the steering goes haywire. At that time you have to hold the steering firmly in a straight position.
• If the road surface is perfectly smooth like a runway, and if the car is in excellent condition, and if the wind direction is also perfect, then the car will go straight even without holding the steering.

All learners must internalize these points. To some, it may come intuitively, and to others, with practice. For all, learning these points can make driving significantly easier, and I hope these tips prove useful the next time you are on the road.

In the future, I will share tips about other aspects of driving as well.

In early 2014 I began working on a project that leveraged my automotive knowledge to convert manually operated cars into semi-automated ones. The project grew into its current form where the car is operated via remote control. It can be further enhanced to run with GPS and proximity sensors, which is presently a work in progress.

I am aware that Google, Audi, Tesla and a few others have already come out with their automated car versions and have spent millions on R&D and testing. Mine in contrast is a very low cost solution that I will work on continuing to enhance.

I hope you enjoy the video and I welcome any suggestions! To clarify, that is indeed a real car and not a toy one!

Did you know you can hold onto your motor insurance policy even after you sell your vehicle? No one tells about you this.

If you never make  any insurance claims – be it for accidents or otherwise – you are eligible for a no claims bonus (NCB). This will progressively reduce your premium when you go for renewal.

For example:

___________Value of Car ______NCB_______Approx Premium

First Year             4 Lakhs                      0                          Rs. 12500

Sixth Year            2 Lakhs                     50%                     Rs. 3500

Say after the sixth year you want to buy a new car worth Rs. 8 lakhs. The premium for the new car will be approximately Rs. 28000. However, if you retain the old car’s policy and get it transferred to the new vehicle, you will be paying only Rs. 14000. For a long time I was unaware of this because no-one told me, neither showroom sales executives nor insurance agents. Perhaps it’s because they may lose commissions. I don’t know.

One other point: Please go through your policy thoroughly to understand exactly what is covered and what isn’t. You might otherwise be misled into taking the cheaper option only to realize later that natural disasters like earthquakes and monsoon damages are not covered. This would be a disaster made by you if your car has just suffered a hydrolock. (How to avoid hydrolocks)

Most importantly: If you are eligible for NCB, please retain the old policy and don’t give it away with the car. You can make significant savings, enough to pay for the education of a child if you are so inclined.  Keep this point in mind when you are buying a car and perhaps you can contribute to reducing the illiteracy percentage in our country.

“Use Dipper at Night”

At this point in time, driving on Indian roads is neither safe nor enjoyable. Too many drivers are ignorant of basic traffic rules, while even more do not even know what traffic rules are. It is a pitiful situation, one that requires more than a blog post to rectify. Nevertheless, here is a set of guidelines, as yet incomplete, that everyone driving on Indian roads should follow, not only for their own safety but also to improve the driving experience for everyone. Think of these as fundamental rules which you must be aware of. Some might appear to be very basic, but given what I see on the roads everyday, I think these are absolutely worth mentioning. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

• The fast lane in the new 4 and 6 lane highways is on the right. From what I’ve observed, it seems like 70% of drivers think it’s on the left lane. Furthermore, truck drivers switch on the right indicator when they want to signal for you to overtake. Those unfamiliar with this idiotic habit might find themselves stuck behind the truck for the entirety of the journey.
• Use hazard lights only in an emergency, such as if your car stalls in the middle of the road, if you are changing the spare tyre on the road, or if visibility is poor due to fog. They are called hazard lights for a reason, yet I see some drivers using them to indicate that they are going straight at a cross road. What is going on in their head I cannot comprehend – surely having neither the left nor the right indicator on means you are going straight? What’s worse, these people are setting a trend. I see other drivers also following this, thinking it is correct.
• Do not change channels or CDs on the music system while driving. As basic as it might sound, I’ve made this mistake in the past, and traffic in the city is too chaotic to take your eye of the road for a second.
• Please don’t use high beams in city limits. This might make the road clear for you, but it blinds the oncoming driver, creating the possibility of a head on collision.
• Those on two wheelers – please use your hand to indicate a turn like in the old days, in addition to the indicator light. In mid afternoon, even if you think you may have the indicator on, the light isn’t always clearly visible to rear vehicles. Alternatively, safety regulations must make it compulsory to use high visibility reflectors.
• If at any time the situation arises when you must use the indicator switch and change the gear simultaneously, which one would you use? Such an instance might come about very rarely, but I would use the indicator first for the reason of safety. This situation applies to new generation manual vehicles, in which the indicator switch is on the left side. I’m not sure why any safety department is not looking into this.