How to Judge the Distance When Turning a Car?
3 Answers
Methods for judging the left and right distance when turning a car: Judging the distance between the front of the car and pedestrians: When the driver can see the pedestrian's feet through the rearview mirror, the distance is about 5 meters; Judging the distance of the rear car through the right rearview mirror: When the rear car occupies half of the rearview mirror and the entire body cannot be seen, the distance is relatively close. Car turning techniques: High-speed sections and wide sections: On highways or roads with gentle slopes and wide surfaces, take shortcuts when turning. That is, try to drive the car close to the inside when entering the turn, and try to drive the car close to the outside when exiting the turn. This can change the arc of the car's travel, delay the degree of the turn, effectively reduce centrifugal force, and make it easy to turn without significantly reducing speed. Uphill turns: For uphill turns, release the accelerator before entering the turn, let the vehicle enter the turn at a relatively high speed close to the outside of the turn, then lower the gear by one or two levels, then choose the route and correct the direction, while lightly pressing the accelerator; After passing the apex of the turn, cut back to the outside of the turn, confirm the road conditions are safe, increase the accelerator, and finally quickly drive out of the turn close to the outside of the turn. Downhill turns: When passing through downhill turns, release the accelerator and press the brake before entering the turn, let the vehicle slow down significantly, and lower the gear by one or two levels, then enter the turn at a slower speed close to the outside of the turn, then release the brake and choose the route and correct the direction; After passing the apex of the turn, cut back to the outside of the turn, while lightly pressing the accelerator, and finally quickly drive out of the turn close to the outside of the turn. During this process, the turning route of first outside, then inside, and then outside should also be selected.
I've been driving a taxi in big cities for over a decade, and judging distances when turning comes entirely from accumulated experience. I always slow down in advance, reducing speed to below 30 km/h, then check the rearview mirror to see how close the car behind me is, usually leaving a space of two to three car lengths to prevent rear-end collisions. I'm even more cautious when turning at intersections, using the lane lines on both sides as references to ensure there's enough space for a car to pass. Speed is crucial when navigating curves—too fast and you risk losing control, so I maintain a slow, steady approach. In the city with heavy traffic, I anticipate other drivers' intentions, like yielding in advance if someone cuts in; on rural roads, I stay alert for animals or obstacles in blind spots. Safety measures include checking blind spots by turning my head every time and doubling the following distance in rainy conditions. I've made mistakes before, like taking a sharp turn too quickly and nearly sideswiping another car, so now I've developed habits: check mirrors, signal, and proceed slowly. It's the details that determine safety—not about being timid but about avoiding accidents.
When I first started learning to drive, I was always nervous about judging distances during turns, afraid of scraping other cars. My instructor taught me to first brake and slow down before turning, estimate how close the following car is through the rearview mirror, and use the three-second rule: choose a landmark when the car in front passes, count one-two-three, then I go, but reduce it to two seconds during turns to save time. Lateral distance is harder to gauge—I learned to check the gap at the rear of the car in front and leave enough space when turning. It took practice to get used to the changing sightlines. Now I have a routine: slow down, signal, check mirrors left and right, then move. In complex urban areas, I leave a small gap to prevent congestion; in the suburbs, I leave a larger buffer for safety. Once at night, I almost rear-ended a car because I couldn’t see clearly—since then, I remind myself to check blind spots at every turn. Practice makes perfect; driving steadily and slowly builds reliability.
