How to Drive a Taxi Cab Safely?

Driving a taxi is a responsibility. The driver must have good health, patience, willpower, training, and concentration. Here are a few tips that can help drive a taxi cab safely:

Speed

The most important factor that affects the highway safety is speed. While it can be tempting to drive at a very high speed on an empty road, on a bright clear day, it could also be a cause of major accidents. Mastering the steering wheel at extremely high speed can become difficult. Hence, it is best to maintain a balance and not let the car go out of control.

Sitting Posture

To ensure clarity and perfect vision the taxi driver must stay in a state of alertness, for which maintaining a good posture is important. Sit comfortably erect. A sudden turn can easily be felt with the arms and the hips when attentive. Make sure you are comfortable but not too “relaxed.” Hold the car steering wheel at all times.

Weather

Weather can also have a great impact on driving. For instance, if the weather is dry and the taxi is at a high speed, application of emergency brake may make the vehicle skid approximately 40-45 centimeters. However, if it is raining, this distance can increase to 90 – 140 centimeters.

During the evenings, the driver may feel the vehicle moving slower compared to daytime, even if they are driving at the same speed. The main reason of this happening is because it is difficult to have a clear vision of the road passing by in the evening. Hence, drivers, particularly with less experience, end up accelerating when they are driving at night, leading to accidents.

Night driving

During night time, especially when the distance is too long, the driver may experience optical illusions or mirages. This kind of illusion may vary, sometimes they may see an animal running across, a building in the middle or even unknown objects. When this happens, most drivers as a natural reflex, hit the brake and turn the wheel quickly, only to realize they were hallucinating. 

Sometimes as a result, a lot of drivers start ignoring the mirages. Unfortunately, this can turn out to be a big mistake as the possibility of real roadblocks and obstacles is real. One of the best ways to prevent such a situation from happening is by getting proper sleep before the long drive. It is also a good idea to take a short nap by pulling over to feel alert again.

When drivers drive at high speeds, they may feel that the road is not broad enough for the vehicles coming from the opposite direction. The greater the vehicle speed, stronger becomes the feeling. Drivers that are less experienced fearing collision, normally turn the wheel, causing unwanted accidents. When you make way for vehicles coming from the opposite direction, make sure you hold the steering wheel straight. This is a very basic principle of safe driving. In case the wheels turn towards left, when the car is hit from behind, the cab can be pushed to the opposite lane causing an unavoidable accident.