Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a motor vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to follow the established road and traffic laws in the location they are driving.
Kerala Girl driving a Private Bus [VIDEO]
A driver must have physical skills to be able to control direction, acceleration, and deceleration. For motor vehicles, the detailed tasks include:
- Starting the vehicle’s engine with the starting system
- Setting the transmission to the correct gear
- Depressing the pedals with one’s feet to accelerate, slow and stop the vehicle and
- If the vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission, to modulate the clutch
- Steering the vehicle’s direction with the steering wheel
- Applying brake pressure to slow or stop the vehicle
- Operating other important ancillary devices such as the indicators, headlights, parking brake and windshield wipers
- Observing the environment for hazards.
Mental skill
Avoiding or successfully handling an emergency driving situation can involve the following skills
- Making good decisions based on factors such as road and traffic conditions
- Evasive maneuvering
- Proper hand placement and seating position
- Skid control
- Steering and braking techniques
- Understanding vehicle dynamics
- Right- and left-hand traffic
Distractions can compromise a driver’s mental skills. One study on the subject of mobile phones and driving safety concluded that, after controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, drivers talking on a phone exhibited greater impairment than drivers who were suffering from alcohol intoxication. In The US “During daylight hours, approximately 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving according to the publication on the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.Another survey indicated that music could adversely affect a driver’s concentration.”
Seizure disorders and Alzheimer’s disease are among the leading medical causes of mental impairment among drivers in the United States and Europe. Whether or not physicians should be allowed, or even required, to report such conditions to state authorities, remains highly controversial.
The statistics are pretty clear and straight forward – women are safer drivers than men. But why is this? Experts say that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. They are more likely to take risks, and therefore, more likely to make mistakes. Many believe this is because of higher testosterone levels. This higher likelihood to take risks, fueled by testosterone, also might be the reason why men are statistically more likely to drive under the influence, not wear a seat-belt, and speed.
