9 Things To Bear In Mind When Reversing Your Car
Reversing your car is one thing you cannot avoid while driving. You won’t move in forward direction forever while driving; you have to reverse at some point.
The way you reverse your car has a crucial role to play in your safety and the safety of other road users. When you take the wrong approach to reverse your car, you may end up putting your life and the life of other road users in danger.
Below are what you need to bear in mind before or when you reverse
1. Make sure that there are no pedestrians particularly children or physically challenged persons or physical obstructions on the road behind you. Do your 360 Degree Check; check your entire surroundings. Don’t forget to look behind and under your car before getting inside it if you’ll be driving in reverse.
2. Be especially careful about the ‘blind area” behind you, that is, that part of the road you cannot see from the driving seat either through the mirror or by looking backwards.
3. Do not fail to adjust your side mirror when necessary, especially to see the ground. Some cars are programmed to automatically adjust the mirrors once the reverse gear is engaged.
4. Do not reverse if you cannot see clearly behind. Get someone to guide you when you reverse. Otherwise don’t so you don’t have to stop only after you’ve heard ‘gbosaaa!!!‘.
5. Never reverse from a side road into a major road. A good example is reversing from a road in a street into a major road. You may not be lucky enough to avoid being hit by an incoming car.
6. According to Nigeria Highway Code, while reversing at night, always put your headlight off and ensure your reverse light is working. You may switch on your HAZARD lights.
7. It is advised you reverse as slowly as necessary while using your mirrors, rear view camera as well as checking all around you (Unless you’re running from danger, do not move too fast like you want to do Formula 1 race using reverse).
8. Do not reverse your vehicle further than necessary so you won’t be like some people that won’t stop reversing until they hit the curb or enter the gutter.
9. Do not rely solely on the reverse camera of your car.
Are you among those that usually find it difficult to reverse a car? Tell us in the comment section below if reversing a car is always difficult or easy for you.
