The essential guide to operating a motor vehicle with confidence and skill. This book walks you step by step through the intricacies of the Driving System the Driver, the Vehicle and the Driving Environment. You"ll learn how to maintain your vehicle and it s driver in optimum condition for taking to the road, and how to maintain vehicle control in both everyday and emergency situations in a variety of road and weather conditions. The text also features: How to recognize the five major accident situations and the human and mechanical failures that usually cause them; The basics of vehicle dynamics and why the vehicle sometimes does what it wants to do, not what the driver wants it to; The finer points of vehicle control in everyday driving (timing, maneuvering, spotting hazards) and in emergency situations such as when there are five seconds or less between the driver and a potentially serious situation; How to operate the controls with precision, accuracy, and in the proper sequence. The necessity of both mental and physical readiness and the adverse effects of fatigue and stress. Plus, Road Rage, Braking and Traction Systems, including Electronic Stability Control, Safe Driving and Auto Maintenance Tips from Shell Oil Company