[Do you know] 10 common bad driving habits | Manual car must-see tips | Bad habits damage car damage insurance

When driving in Hong Kong, you will often see various safety driving instructions. From road signs to advertisements on flyovers, most drivers will do their best to follow the safety instructions on the road. However, no matter how careful we are, sometimes some bad habits are still unavoidable. Over time, these bad habits will not only damage the performance of the car, but also Car Insurance Make an impact! Today Kwiksure Let me tell you some common bad driving habits.

Here are 10 common bad driving habits to help you avoid costly repairs and maintenance, as well as unnecessary extra insurance premiums.

1. Not using traffic lights

Considering the driving hours of the average Hong Kong driver, the turn signal lights are basically not in danger of being completely worn out. However, many drivers still do not have the habit of turning on the lights when turning or cutting lanes. This is probably the most common bad habit among Hong Kong drivers, and it is extremely annoying to other drivers and road users.

What impact will this bad habit have on your vehicle? As mentioned earlier, the wear rate of the indicator light is very low, and when the car's life is over, it does not even need to be replaced. Because the function of the indicator light is only to warn other drivers and pedestrians and let them know what you are going to do.

If you do not use turn signals, the risk of an accident will be greatly increased. If it is ultimately ruled that the accident occurred due to not using turn signals, the insurance company may refuse to pay compensation, and you may have to pay a very expensive Repair costs。

2. Reckless driving attitude

Hong Kong is the place with the highest concentration of sports cars and expensive cars in the world. These cars have high horsepower, so drivers often can't help but step on the accelerator hard when starting, as if Car Stealing After the crime is committed, you should flee the scene quickly! The same is true when slowing down. We often see people driving at high speed to a red light and then braking hard to stop.

This driving style may be very stylish (at least for the driver), but it will increase the stress on the car. For example, when the car engine is just started, starting at high speed will increase the wear and tear of parts because Engine oil Still has not had a chance to play a role. In addition, tire It will also rotate violently due to high-speed starting, thus reducing its lifespan.

Likewise, sudden and hard braking will increase the wear of the brake system, requiring you to replace parts prematurely.

Besides, reckless driving also increases the incidence ofAccidentWhen you are about to step on the gas pedal before turning the light, you should first consider whether you have enough reaction ability to deal with various possible situations.

3. Avoid misuse

There are many intersections and traffic lights in Hong Kong, and vehicles often need to start and stop. For drivers of electric vehicles, they naturally step on the throttle more often. In order to speed up the operation, many drivers like to quickly step on or release the throttle. However, this can easily cause the vehicle to become blocked, affect the ride comfort, and even cause damage to the throttle and gearbox. Therefore,It is best to slow down the speed of pressing and releasing the clutch when starting or changing gears, so that the vehicle can start and stop smoothly. In addition to maintaining a comfortable ride, it can also reduce wear on the clutch plate.

4. Press the brake as hard as possible first

When you want to brake, most people step on the brake pedal first. However, for drivers of manual transmission vehicles, they prefer to step on the brake pedal first, so that the vehicle "loses power" before stepping on the brake. In fact, this is a very dangerous way of driving. Because when a moving vehicle needs to stop, in addition to using the brake system, it also relies on the traction of the engine to slow down the speed. So when you want to brake, step on the brake pedal, which means that the engine's rotation power is completely disconnected, which is equivalent to letting the tires "idle", which will weaken the vehicle's braking ability and easily cause the vehicle to fail to stop in time and hit the vehicle in front.

5. Impatient people change gear

Whether it is a stick or automatic transmission, many drivers have the bad habit of changing gears too early. The most common one is when parking, when the vehicle is not completely stopped, they can't wait to change to R gear or D gear (or 1st gear). You should know that when the gears in the gearbox are still rotating, forcibly changing the direction of rotation will cause serious damage to the gears. At the least, the gears will make a "clicking" sound, and at the worst, the gears will be corroded or even broken, and the entire gearbox needs to be replaced, which costs tens to hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. For the sake of your wallet, it is better to stop the car before changing the gear!

6. Long-term extremely low oil level

When a car is refueled, the gasoline is first stored in the fuel tank and then pumped to the engine by the fuel pump. Although gasoline will leave sediment at the bottom of the tank, in general, the fuel pump only pumps clean gasoline from the top of the tank.

However, if you often leave less than a quarter of the gas in the tank, the fuel pump will pump up more turbid gas. Although most of the sediment will be filtered out, it will still increase the chance of sediment entering the engine and causing serious damage.

Therefore, most mechanics will recommend leaving more than a quarter of a gallon of gasoline in the tank, because if the car breaks down on the way, you will not only have to pay expensive towing fees, but it will also increase the chance of an accident.

7. Parking Handle

When the vehicle is parked on a slope, even if the gear is in P, if you do not pull the handbrake, the weight of the entire vehicle will be placed on the transmission, which is called the parking brake lock (Parking Pawl), a small metal piece about the size of an index finger! As you can imagine, it is very dangerous to rely solely on this small piece of metal to support the weight of the entire vehicle.

Therefore, whenever you park your car on a slope, you should remember to pull up the handbrake to avoid accidents caused by the parking brake lock failing. At the same time, if you park your car on a slope, you also need to turn the tires to 45 degrees after stopping. In case the car rolls away, you can also rely on the roadside curb to prevent the car from rolling away. For details, please refer to【Slope parking】Three steps to prevent slipping after turning the steering wheel: turning the steering wheel, pulling the handbrake, shifting gears。

Finally, if the accident is caused by your negligence, your insurer may refuse to pay compensation because the insurance terms usually state that the driver must pull the handbrake when parking on a slope. If you do not do this, the insurer will think that you have not taken sufficient measures to reduce the chance of an accident.

8. Ignoring warning lights

Many new generation cars have multiple built-in sensor components to detect the operating status of different electronic and mechanical components. If there is any abnormality, most of them will be indicated by warning lights on the dashboard (such as ABS Light) to inform the driver. However, many drivers have only a vague understanding of the meaning of warning lights, or even no idea at all, so when a warning light comes on, the driver will take it lightly, thinking that the warning light is just a minor problem. The correct approach is to take the vehicle to a repair center for inspection as soon as possible unless you are very clear about the meaning of the warning light.

9. Driving over speed bumps

Many parking lots or housing estates have speed bumps installed on their roads to slow down vehicles. However, many drivers only use one side of the tire to drive over the speed bump in order to reduce the impact. Although this can reduce the bumpy feeling, the suspension system is often in an unbalanced state, which will not only shorten the life of the suspension system, but also damage the frame, causing noise that is difficult to identify. This is a very serious bad driving habit.

Similarly, if you park your vehicle with one tire often placed on the curb of the sidewalk, causing the vehicle to tilt, the above problem may also occur.

10. Frequently enter N gear

Hong Kong oil prices Being at the top of the world, many drivers have their own ways to save fuel, such as switching the gear to N gear when going downhill or driving at high speed. In fact, the principle of N gear is the same as stepping on the throttle, which separates the engine power from the gearbox. Since N gear is used for idling when parking, the engine releases more fuel when in D gear, which makes the driver feel that he is saving fuel.

In fact, many car manufacturers and experts have said that there is almost no difference in fuel consumption between D and N gears. Driving in N gear is not only unhelpful in saving fuel, but also very dangerous, because you cannot control acceleration in N gear, and you cannot use engine traction to brake. When you encounter an emergency, you will not have time to react. Therefore, it is never recommended to switch to N gear while the vehicle is driving.

How Bad Driving Habits Affect Car Insurance

If you haven't noticed the bad habits mentioned above, now is the time to change them. By changing these bad habits, you can save money - not only can you reduce repair costs, but also avoid insurance premiums being increased due to accidents. Moreover, drivers with good driving habits who have not filed accident claims for many years can get a No Claim Discount (NCD) from the insurance company, which can save up to 60% of the premium!

Please visit the No Claim Discount page of Faster Insurance for more information.

Frequently asked questions

What are some common bad driving habits?

Common bad driving habits include being lazy in using signal lights, reckless driving attitude, hasty gear changes, long-term low fuel level, parking without pulling the handbrake, ignoring warning lights and improper use of N wave.

What are some common bad driving habits for manual transmission cars?

Common bad driving habits for manual transmission cars include misusing the throttle and pressing the throttle before braking. Such operations cannot use the engine's traction to brake, and when encountering an emergency, there is no time to react.