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Speedie

Defensive Driving and the Smart - Tips

11 posts in this topic

Hi All,

One characteristic that the smart shares with my Jeep is the closely set headlights and front lamps (yes no longer recognized as a character judgement i.e. beady eyed).

The issue that arises out of this is that other drivers have a tendency to misjudge the distance when you are approaching them at night from the side or front. This is due to their perception that you are a larger vehicle and farther away based on the distance between the lights.

This can result in near misses (or not so near as I was unfortunate enough to find out with my first Jeep) as the other vehicle pulls out in front of you. This is further enhanced by introduction of alcohol into the picture on the other driver's behalf. :oh:

So the tip is - if you have side traffic at night - make sure you are extra careful of incurssions into your space. I have quit travelling in the slow lane when I approach side roads with traffic on the highway just so they won't be so tempted to pull out as well as using the fog lights on the Jeep (mounted on the bumper wider apart than the lights).

If anyone else has a safety tip or two specific to the smart it would be a nice community thing to do to share it. This includes Peep's tip about pushing the car resulting in a sore paw.

Be Careful Out There! :watchout:

Cameron

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The doors on the fortwo are large, but they do not have reflectors on the inside. So be careful about passing vehicles when parked on the side of hte road, whenever opening the driver's side door. This applies to all vehicles, of course, but the fortwo is especially disadvantaged for visibility: You could be parked closer to the curb than the vehicle behind you, making your car virtually invisible at night.

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Ah - another thing they share with the Jeep - I put some of the reflective type tape on the Jeep doors on the inside edges.

Thanks Spinner - oh you should get your package in a couple of days (Trivia prize)

Cheers,

Cameron

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Since the cdi is slow, don't pull in front of a fast-moving car from a sidestreet unless you have about double the distance you would require with a normal modern car.

If one drives the smart defensively, it is a massively rewarding experience. Trying to make it a Mustang GT is a lost cause ;)

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Some of you, myself included...

Have made the DRL adjustment to remove the low beams being on all the time...

When driving... Please ensure thatat bare minimum the park lights are on for the day time and that the proper low beams are on in darker conditions...

This is important especially on the highway... It was real annoying in the last 1300km or so to find a LOT of people not using any form of lighting whether it be an older vehicle, or a mod to the drl system...

Eddie

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Regardless of what you are driving, but especially when in the short smart, do not drive along in someone's blind spot. If they make a quick lane change, you will be off the road or into oncoming traffic before you can blink.

When waiting to make a left turn, keep your front wheels straight...if you are rear-ended, you will not be sent into oncoming traffic.

And if you're considering messing with your lights, as Eddie mentioned above, consider what you've got to gain against what you've got to lose.

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Back in my youth I drove a bike for about 15 years and I learned something to survive. You have got to drive like everyone is out to kill you (and they are when you are on a motorcyle). Never assume a motorist is going to do something because if they do the unpredictable you will be the one that gets hurt. And lastly be very vigilant at intersections because this is where the majority of collisions occur.These days it is rarely mechanical failures that cause the collisions it is human error.

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Raises another point - I am considering louder horns (meep meep is cute but not effective)- any one have any experience on horn usage - normal vs smart. I noticed the smart didn't get much respect on the test drive.

That and one of the active deer warning devices - we spend a lot of time on Saltspring and the deer there are pretty stupid and plentiful.

Ah for the days of my Ford 4x4 crew cab - with multicolour body panels - no one messed with it - including deer (the 16" grip tires were pretty loud) - mind you it had a 55 gallon fuel capacity too - and needed it - gee that would be about $250 to fill now a days.

Cheers,

Cameron

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Raises another point - I am considering louder horns (meep meep is cute but not effective)- any one have any experience on horn usage - normal vs smart. I noticed the smart didn't get much respect on the test drive.That and one of the active deer warning devices - we spend a lot of time on Saltspring and the deer there are pretty stupid and plentiful.Ah for the days of my Ford 4x4 crew cab - with multicolour body panels - no one messed with it - including deer (the 16" grip tires were pretty loud) - mind you it had a 55 gallon fuel capacity too - and needed it - gee that would be about $250 to fill now a days.Cheers,Cameron

A great number of people on my Miata forum are installing These Horns

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i drive a big truck, people dont notice horns anymore :( i dont know if it would be worth the effort as even when i use my big horn it doesnt affect traffic at all :puppy:

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