T I D B I T S    F E A T U R E

Alex Yoong probably knows it better more than anyone else on this planet.  Imagine this: letting close to five million people around the world watch you not qualify for the German Grand Prix.  Not a pretty sight, is it?  Now, think of yourself being Mister Yoong rather than teammate Mark Webber—not good either, right?

Despite both running limited machinery, you’d see Webber battling it out occasionally with the Toyotas and the Jaguar-Cosworths, while Yoong is probably more relaxed watching a Grand Prix race from the comfort of the Minardi motorhome.  The bottom line here is driving ability.  Webber has tons of it, while Yoong has it optimistically in limited numbers. 

As the slip-and-sliding Alex Yoong knows by now, proper driving techniques need to be mastered to get most out of any car, whether it be a Ferrari or a lowly Minardi.  Similarly, it doesn’t matter if you’re driving a Kia Pride or a BMW 3-series—what’s important is that you learn to handle your car the proper way to avoid accidents.  During the typhoon season, accident rates could actually go up by a huge figure.  Besides blaming some faults to ill-prepared vehicles (read You’re Not Michael Schumacher for that one), half of the equation always boils down to the driver and poor driving habits. 

So, if you wish to save on insurance premiums for both on your car and your life, then stick around and read on—and try to remember that life isn’t one big Formula One race.

Lighting Your Way Around 

Think about it—even God created it first.  Ever since ancient man discovered the many uses of light, they’ve been mesmerized by it.  It has evolved a long way from the candle-and-lantern technology of the horse-driven 1880s.  Now, lights come in all sorts of shapes and sizes as well as varying levels of technology imbedded.  The careful use of lights is the key to safe rainy day driving. 

The general rule of thumb is to turn on the ‘park lamps’ whenever the sky starts to darken.  Of course, this is not limited to merely rainy-day driving, but to any occasion where visibility is impaired such as sunrise and sunset.  Believe it or not, this simple gesture could reduce vehicular accidents by as much as 30 percent based on a study conducted in the United States. 

Park lamps provide some reference point, especially for drivers immediately following you.  These lamps provide more increased awareness. Usually, a good sign to follow is to turn on your park lamps when any of your instrumentation becomes slightly unreadable.  Cars with manual odometers for instance, should turn on their park lamps when the digits on their trip meters can’t be read without squinting.

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