lazybee
Well-Known Member
There's been a few threads on here recently about towing. I thought I'd pass on some tips about keeping safe. The company I work for do a defensive courses every so often. Some of these methods have been excellent for towing. Some of the tips are really useful.
For example. The instructor told us we would drive all the way through the city (Norwich) without stopping at any lights or roundabouts. We all thought yeah right, but we managed it. The way it's done is to think way ahead and adjust your speed long before you arrive. He also taught us to drive in our own space and deliberately drive slightly out of sync with the rest of the traffic. This is truly amazing. The streets appear to be empty. Obviously driving through the city is a bit extreme using these techniques but we all did it. Another good one is if you see a car approaching a junction who will eventually enter your lane. Either slow down to let him out first or speed up a bit to get past before he gets there. That way there can't be a collision point. If you stand a watch road for a few minutes you'll see cars in groups apparently it's human nature to stick together. You see maybe four cars then a big gap then maybe another 4 or 5 and so it goes on. The trick is to put yourself in the big gaps. If someone wants to pass let them. If someones in front drop back a bit. You will also be surprised how much time you save when you have the road to yourself. It's all about the average speed over the whole journey. I did my first one of these courses 18 yrs ago and it really sunk in.
When I have horses in the back I also try to imagine myself standing in the trailer. That helps with the smoothness.
PS I ride a motorbike and I'm still here so it proves these methods work.
For example. The instructor told us we would drive all the way through the city (Norwich) without stopping at any lights or roundabouts. We all thought yeah right, but we managed it. The way it's done is to think way ahead and adjust your speed long before you arrive. He also taught us to drive in our own space and deliberately drive slightly out of sync with the rest of the traffic. This is truly amazing. The streets appear to be empty. Obviously driving through the city is a bit extreme using these techniques but we all did it. Another good one is if you see a car approaching a junction who will eventually enter your lane. Either slow down to let him out first or speed up a bit to get past before he gets there. That way there can't be a collision point. If you stand a watch road for a few minutes you'll see cars in groups apparently it's human nature to stick together. You see maybe four cars then a big gap then maybe another 4 or 5 and so it goes on. The trick is to put yourself in the big gaps. If someone wants to pass let them. If someones in front drop back a bit. You will also be surprised how much time you save when you have the road to yourself. It's all about the average speed over the whole journey. I did my first one of these courses 18 yrs ago and it really sunk in.
When I have horses in the back I also try to imagine myself standing in the trailer. That helps with the smoothness.
PS I ride a motorbike and I'm still here so it proves these methods work.
