Driving in the streets of Kuala Lumpur (or any Malaysian state for that matter) can be pleasant at most times, but when it comes to a traffic jam, or a slow driver at a junction, even the sweetest old lady can turn impatient and become agitated. So how can we drive in the streets of KL stress free? Let’s have a closer look.
1. Relax
Are you always tense? Calm down and relax. Driving should be stress-free, as many have already gone through enough stress at work, you need to chill before getting behind the wheel. Grip the steering nicely (don’t hold the steering too tightly) and sit back on your driver seat. Relax your shoulders, breathe. yes, it may sound like you’re doing Yoga, but in actuality you’re preparing your mind and body to drive.
2. Drive At Your Own Pace
By driving at your own pace, we don’t mean that you can hog the right lane at 60 km/h. Road hogging is wrong, and dangerous. If you feel like driving slow, keep to the far left lane, because the middle lane is where drivers doing the speed limit should be on. The right lane is only for overtaking. Also, by driving at your own pace, you don’t have to play catch-up with the car ahead, and also not needing to worry about cars following behind you. It’s the same for a 2-lane highway, keep to the left, but remember this time, you must be doing the speed limit, or just slightly below. Driving at 50kmh on the left lane of a 2-lane highway is still considered road-hogging.
3. Keep Cool
See someone flashing their lights behind you? For most of us, we get irritated, and start to react irresponsibly. But to keep yourself stress-free, why not just merge to the left lane? If it is a single lane road, then just continue to drive at your own pace (But please don’t drive too slow). Take a deep breath and focus on driving. Tailgaters don’t last forever.
4. Your Destination Is Not Running Away
In reality, your destination is not going to run away. A lot of times, drivers drive very fast to their destination, seemingly like their destination is going to grow a pair of legs and run further away. Cool down! Plan your journey ahead, allocate sufficient time for travelling and you will save time, and also, remain stress-free.
5. Take a Break
We all get tired sooner or later, so if you feel yourself getting drowsy (one tell-tale sign is you keep fidgeting and moving around in your seat restlessly) pull over to a safe place like an R&R and take a break, have a drink, wash your face. Drowsiness causes lack of concentration, and promotes irrational behaviour, so rest a bit, and then continue.
In our next installment of AF’s AT&T, we’ll delve into the best way to tackle a long-distance journey! Got anything to add to this article? Hit us up in the comments below.
