Learning to drive doesn’t stop when you receive your licence – it can take years of practice to get used to handling a car in various driving scenarios.
TopAuto was invited to Ford South Africa’s Driving Skills for Life workshop at the Zwartkop Raceway in Gauteng to test our mettle.
The event featured three different driving scenarios specifically designed to put drivers in stressful real-world scenarios, as well as a number of safety demonstrations.
Drunk driving
For this test, we were provided with special goggles meant to simulate the effect of being drunk.
The test was simple, requiring us to perform a slalom through various traffic cones in both directions while driving a Ford Everest.
The first run was a “dry” one without the goggles to get a sense of the course, which was handled with ease, and then the time came to see what it was like to drive whilst drunk.
The goggles, while ordinary looking, are extremely unpleasant, as they distort depth perception and blur vision, and I actually felt nauseous only a few moments after putting them on.
Doing the course again, it became extremely difficult to judge where the cones were in relation to the car, and I genuinely did not know whether I managed to do the slalom correctly on the second run.
I was able to avoid hitting any cones, albeit while taking the course at a snail’s pace with jerky braking, but the test goes to show just how dangerous it would be to drive while under the influence in an actual road environment.
Off-road
The off-road driving portion of the day was as much a chance to see how the Ford Ranger would handle the course as it was to learn more about how to handle a car when taking it off the tarmac.
The course included a steep decline which showcased the hill descent control of the bakkie nicely, and the accompanying instructor explained that the most common mistake people make when descending a steep hill is to fight the steering and overcorrect, rather than let the car do the work.
Next up was an 18-degree bank, which proved to be no issue even as the Ranger Raptor tilted to the point that the ground now appeared to be outside my side window.
Following this, the next hurdle was a series of concrete stairs meant to simulate driving up a large rocky surface. Many people tend to tackle these situations too fast and end up bending the steering or damaging the undercarriage, said the instructor, but it is recommended to take it slowly and carefully, step by step.
Navigating over a small ravine, the final obstacle was a series of sandbanks, which was little more than an inconvenience for the Ranger’s suspension.
The course also provided an opportunity to better understand the longer approach angles needed when facing a variety of off-road situations, thanks to the large wheelbase of the bakkie.
Skidpan sliding
We were given an opportunity to take a Ford EcoSport Active on Zwartkop’s skidpan after the sprinklers had finished turning it into a playground for sliding action.
A time trial event required us to navigate a course laid out with cones, including a slalom, tight lane change, circle navigation, and a sharp adjustment to avoid cones placed in the car’s path.
The understeer caused by the wet conditions was most noticeable when rounding the circle, as many drivers went far wide of the cones, kicking up a spray in the process.
It also demonstrated the need to plan braking further in advance, as the slippery surface meant the car continued to slide a few more metres than it normally would in the dry.
Safe driving habits
The event also featured a presentation on safe and economical driving habits presented by paramedics.
To increase safety when on the road, it is recommended to do the following:
- Adjust mirrors
- Adopt a relaxed driving style
- Avoid distractions like phones
- Maintain a safe following distance of three seconds
- Wear a seatbelt properly with the shoulder strap in front of your body
Fuel saving tips
In addition to the safe driving habits the paramedics outlined, Ford also laid out a series of tips on how to improve fuel consumption.
These are a few of the ways you can cut down on your fuel usage:
- Remove excess weight
- Switch off the engine when idle
- Change gears when the car is approaching 2,500rpm
- Check tyre pressure – poorly inflated tyres increase rolling resistance
- Use vehicle momentum to cruise to a halt, rather than constant braking and accelerating
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