Defensive driving

Editor's Notes

• #21: If you are not mechanically inclined , there may not be much you can do to check the brakes. You can check your fluid reservoir (if you don't know where it is, have someone who does show you). Brake fluid levels don't usually change much so a sudden change in fluid level is a red flag. You should have your brakes checked regularly since preventive work can save you money in large quantities. Let your brake pads wear down too far, and they not only won't stop you when needed, but they'll carve trenches into your rotors, and rotors are not cheap to replace. Don't scrimp to save money on tires or brakes; buy quality tires you can count on and don't let anyone install cheap brake parts. Your life depends on them. Last weekend, I passed by the wreck of a vehicle on US93, near Wickiup, Arizona. The vehicle had suddenly left the road to the right, cart-wheeled and exploded. It literally burned to the ground. I don't know why the crash occurred, but it's certainly possible it could have been brake or tire related, or both. If you lose braking ability or traction, you are no longer in control. Check your coolant level . Make sure you have the cooling system serviced according to the manufacturer's schedule. Like many others, I once thought the service interval for cooling system maintenance was "optimistic." I thought my mechanic was "optimistic" about making money because I would stick to the manufacturer's recommended service plan. Here's the lesson I learned: if you let your cooling system go too long without service, the coolant loses its alkaline nature and becomes more acid. Guess what "more acid" does to your engine parts? My failure to adequately service my cooling system (involving two or three service appointments at about $50 each over 100,000 miles) led to a more than $1000 repair bill later. I thought I was saving money, but my water pump, thermostat, radiator and heater core, as well as all the hoses, had to be repaired or replaced. A simple flush and fill every two years would have prevented most of that damage. Your mechanic says, "Pay me now, or pay me more later." Listen to the sounds your vehicle makes . They will often tell you when things are going wrong. A metallic scuffing sound (and feel) underneath your foot can mean your brake pads are worn and metal parts are scraping on those expensive rotors. Clanking and rattling can mean you have a steering problem. Whirring or shrieking noises under the hood can mean you're about to lose a water pump, a power steering pump, or maybe a belt. Ratcheting noises while turning may mean that your CV struts are about to go. When you hear a noise, get it checked. Waiting to see what happens next can mean lots of extra dollars spent, not only for towing, but quite often, an early repair means LESS needs to BE repaired. Check the oil, and make sure you keep good quality, fresh oil in the vehicle, at LEAST as often as the manufacturer requires. I don't use the most expensive oil out available, but I use the grade specified by my owner's manual and I make sure it meets the rating required -- SG, SH, whatever the maker says you need. The letter grades are printed on the oil bottle label. You should always use the correct grade or higher (SJ is later than SG, for example). Pay attention to your car's needs— and it will take you where you want to go on your roadtrip—safely! Keep the shiny side up!
• #22: One element of driving defensively is driving to save money. Taking good care of your vehicle can pay cash dividends, and you'll be much less likely to get stranded out on the road where you'd be vulnerable to a variety of calamities. "The devil is in the details"—ever heard that phrase? Most often, what stops you cold is a simple thing. Before a road trip or once a week (or whatever interval you choose), spend some time maintaining your vehicle—like your TIRES, for example. Your tires should have plenty of tread . If they don't, replace them. Use the "Lincoln Test." Insert the head of a penny into the tread of your tire—the top of Mr. Lincoln's head, first. (He won't mind, he's been dead for awhile.) At least part of the top of Honest Abe's head should disappear into the tread—if it doesn't, your tires likely need to be replaced. Not only does worn tread affect your vehicle's handling and increase your risk of hydroplaning, but worn tires pick up road hazard damage much easier than good tread. Worn tires equal more flats—that's the rule. Many newer tires have "wear bars" that show up when tread is worn, so watch for those as well. Correct inflation is extremely important for a couple of reasons. Your automaker designed the suspension and handling of your vehicle for a particular size tire, inflated to a specific pressure. Unless you are an engineer who's adept at understanding the physics of whatever changes you make, don't do it. Tire pressures should be set to the pressure specified by the manufacturer, NOT the maximum pressure embossed on the side of the tire. A tire is made for any number of vehicles and different pressures (up to the maximum) are required for different applications. Set them to what the maker says is correct. They've designed your vehicle for that pressure, and that's where it will handle best. Want to save a load of change? You can waste one third of the tread life of your tires by running with them 10% low on air. Take four tires at $130 each. If the correct pressure is 36 lbs., but you consistently run them 3.6 lbs. less than that, you stand to lose $43 worth of tire to excessive wear, each tire. That's $172 of your hard-earned cash you threw away for want of an air gauge and some initiative on a Saturday morning. Folks who know say most of us are running with lower pressure than we should be, often more than 10% low, because we don't check them often enough. How does low tire pressure affect vehicle handling? It's not a pretty picture! Low pressures adversely affect braking performance. Low pressures also can affect your ability to steer and corner. You can do yourself a huge favor by simply spending five or ten minutes each week with your tires. Remember that all tires lose air over time, and temperature affects the pressure. The colder the weather, the lower the pressure in your tires. Be sure to check them once every week or two. Use a good air gauge, and check them when they are cold—first thing in the morning when you haven't driven more than a mile or two.
• #29: If you are too trusting , you are relying on that other driver for your safety. Is he worthy of that trust? Every few seconds, some drivers in this country find out this is a poor bet. Maybe some of those other drivers are returning from a beer festival! Maybe they just lost a job, or worse, a loved one. The other driver might be an 11-year-old who found Dad's keys. Approach driving with the idea that every other driver is an unpredictable menace and out to get you. Most collisions occur when the "other guy" does something we don't expect, or when we do something they don't expect. If you accept that everyone makes driving errors , the next step is to drive with a wary attitude. Be careful of approaching red lights, because you know a light by itself never stopped anyone. Watch out for folks getting ready to pull out from parking beside the road. Look for gaps in lines of traffic which might be the result of someone pausing to let another vehicle cross in front of them. (I've personally witnessed three or four collisions in the past ten years that happened just this way). There are others: failure to signal a lane change or turn, or tailgating someone when they are poking along because they need to make a turn—a turn they suddenly WILL make when they see it at the last second. You can think of dozens of others. Be alert to the possibilities and have a strategy in mind for dealing with them.
• #30: Most drivers agree that courtesy is lacking on our roadways -- whether between operators of cars, cars and pedestrians or bicycles, between motorcycles and cars, or trucks and cars. I've often wondered whether the relative anonymity we have when driving leads us to behave in ways we'd never consider if we were meeting another person face to face. But courtesy is important -- not only in terms of interpersonal conflicts with other drivers and the problems those cause, but also in terms of keeping traffic moving. Here's an example: you're on a freeway, with three lanes of traffic that are narrowing to two lanes just ahead. Do you encounter drivers who stay as close as they can to the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead, so the folks in the right lane cannot merge? Have you done the same thing to others? I know there are times when my little green attitude "devil" takes over. The result is a sure bottleneck and backed-up traffic. Yet if even one driver allows someone to merge in front of them, it often sets the example for others to follow -- and traffic keeps flowing. Is there some big harm in letting someone merge into your lane in front of you? The only real cost is a split second of driving time -- and you lose more than that if traffic chokes to a stop. It's important to be courteous -- but extending courtesy to others must be done with conscious thought for unintended consequences. Here's a real world example: You are sitting in traffic, waiting for a signal light. You are in the middle of three lanes. A vehicle on your right wants to cut across traffic from a driveway and make a turn into traffic going the opposite direction as you. The driver in the right lane stops and leaves room for them to come across -- and you do the same, waving the person across in front of you. YOUR thought in waving them across your lane is to let them know YOU will allow them to cross in front of you, but in their mind, you are telling them it is safe to cross. They do not see another vehicle coming down the left lane at 45 mph -- and perhaps that driver doesn't see them either -- since they are hidden from view by your vehicle and the other traffic. In the past fifteen years , I have seen two serious collisions happen EXACTLY this way (and one near miss). In one of them, I was driving the vehicle that was oncoming in the lane and got hit by the crossing traffic (and yes, I should have seen it coming). The other occurred three cars in front of me when others motioned a crossing driver through traffic. The near miss was a high school boy, jaywalking between cars instead of using the crosswalk at the intersection nearby, and a motorist stopped short and waved him across -- where he was almost hit by another vehicle flying down the turn lane approaching the intersection. He was so shaken he collapsed on the sidewalk. Another example is when a driver unnecessarily and abruptly stops for a jaywalker or an animal, and forces someone following behind (who isn't expecting the sudden stop) to take dangerous evasive action. When being courteous , think about the big picture, and make sure that what you do doesn't contribute to a dangerous situation for the other guy. Keep the shiny side up!
• #35: Talk about helmets always incites vehement disagreement between folks that believe in their value and those that don't. My opinion? I haven't heard any arguments from the no-helmet crowd that make any sense, and my personal experience tells me differently. At about age 16 , I was thrown off a motorcycle at 45 mph and, after an absolutely graceful , parabolic trajectory, I landed on my head. I had a good helmet on and I was able to limp away (gashed leg, and I had back pain for ten years). "Uncle Bob" Schaller dressed to ride (and live to tell about it) My father was broadsided at an intersection in Bakersfield, CA back about 1973. He was thrown from his motorcycle, about fifty feet or so, and landed on his head. His helmet (a Bell Shorty) saved his life, but he got a concussion that laid him up for a few weeks. An acquaintance of mine , "Eric", was sitting in his driveway, on his shiny new Harley, polishing the gas tank. He lost his balance, fell over, and hit his head on the cement driveway (no helmet, as he wasn't going anywhere). He died 3 or 4 days later. You can suffer fatal head injuries in an impact as low as 4 mph. A helmet is not a cure-all —no safety device is. I know that in any collision with a four-wheeler, I on my motorcycle am going to be the loser. What would be a "fender bender" for an auto is often death for a biker. We can easily lose a leg, have our organs destroyed, and/or suffer paralysis. We slide across asphalt grinding rocks, glass and who-knows-what-else into our flesh, all of which must then be scraped out by a big strong medical professional who uses sharp pointy objects and no anesthesia to dull the pain. Since I love to ride , and cannot quit, I have a responsibility to protect myself as much as possible—I wear a good helmet (with both Federal Department of Transportation and Snell Foundation certification), eye protection, protective clothing, and good boots. Knowing what I know, not doing this just doesn't make sense. Keep it between the fence-posts!
• #36: Rule 64: What's the one part of the human body that doesn't heal quickly (or at all) if injured? Forty to fifty percent of brain injuries occur in vehicular mishaps and even in cases of minor injuries, the long term effects can be permanent and life-altering. For kids, 20% of head injuries result from cycling accidents. Legs, arms, ribs, and many other "parts" can heal, but quite often, brains don't, at least not in the way we want them to. If a head injury is classified as "minor," most victims fully recover in 3 to 4 months (still, some don't). For moderate head injuries, recovery more likely takes 6 to 9 months. If the injury is severe, recovery for "most" victims is much less likely at all. According to Headway, an association for brain injuiries in the United Kingdom, long term -- and even permanent -- effects for any level of brain injury can include: loss of sensations reduced perception, recognition and judgment loss of initiative slowed responses inappropriate behavior inability to concentrate personality changes physical disabilities and loss of basic motor skills poor memory poor cognitive and communication skills Without even considering the physical pain and headaches involved, does this sound like the kind of life you want to live? Once the brain is injured , complications (and further damage) can result from lack of oxygen through blood loss or blockages, and/or from rising pressure and swelling in the cranial cavity within the skull. According to Headway, "the only cure is prevention." It is not necessary to bang your head against something in order to sustain a brain injury - the whipping movement possible in a collision (whiplash, for example) can cause injury by twisting or stretching the thousands of nerve fibers and soft tissues in the brain, and also result in ruptures of the veins and arteries within it. Make certain your head restraints are adjusted properly, and wear your seat belts. The head restraint should be raised up where it is behind your HEAD, not your neck. In a lower position, it will actually make your injuries worse, as it acts as a pivot around which your head can rotate. Another source of head injuries is being ejected from your vehicle . In any wrecking yard, you'll find vehicles where people were thrown into the windshield, leaving a circular shatter-pattern in front of their position. Head injuries also occur when vehicle occupants are thrown headfirst into solid objects outside -- such as a telephone pole. Wear seat belts and shoulder harnesses to keep you inside the vehicle where you are afforded some protection. It doesn't take much force to cause serious brain injuries -- impacts as low as 4 mph can cause fatalities. I knew someone who died in a very low speed impact, and my friend's death has made this a matter of personal importance to me. Some other methods of transportation increase the chances of head injuries . Many years ago, I was flung off my motorcycle at about 45 miles per hour. During the accident, I recall that my body seemed to naturally gravitate toward a head-first impact. Hospital trauma center personnel know that a head injury is the likely result of a motorcycle collision -- and the same is true for bicyclists. I always wear a helmet, and not a cheap one, either. I buy the best money can buy. Bicyclists should take the same precaution -- a good helmet may be all that stands between a rider and life in a "vegetative state.“
• #39: Seat belts are the most significant safety device ever invented. They provide impact protection, absorb crash forces, keep you from being thrown out of the vehicle. Modern vehicles are built with "crumple zones," and seat belts are an integral part of the system. The belts hold you in place while the vehicle collapses around your "safe" zone. Belts help keep you in your place, in control, and better able to avoid a crash. Yet for all these benefits, folks have lots of "reasons" why they don't wear them. 1. "They wrinkle my clothes." Absolutely, they do. 2. "They're uncomfortable." Maybe so, but you can adjust them so they fit better. If you need to have your belts adjusted to fit, see your dealer. 3. "I want to be thrown clear of the vehicle in a crash." Oh yes, PLEASE , on my head ! By the way, that's the number one cause of death in vehicle crashes. 4. "I don't want to be trapped if there's a collision, or my vehicle ends up in the water, or on fire." Wearing belts increases the likelihood you will be conscious after impact, less injured, and more able to get out. Seat belt failure or jamming isn't common. 5. "The government can't tell ME what to do! It's a free country!" Yes, it is. But what about other people's rights? When you don't wear belts and get injured, what happens when your insurance runs out? The public pays your medical bills, that's what. In my state, this costs taxpayers around $35 million a year . 6. "I've heard of people who were in crashes who would have been killed if they'd been wearing belts." Who says so? Not any safety expert with whom I've ever spoken. If a collision can kill you with a belt on, then you're out of luck without the belt also, unless by a fluke. What I want is good odds. The statistics show that seat belts would prevent roughly 50% of deaths and injuries. What about others who ride with you—what if they won't wear belts? I would say no ride for them . In any collision, unbelted passengers become flying objects—you can be injured if you are struck from behind by an unbelted passenger, even with your belt on. Here's one last argument. If you are involved in a crash without belts, you may be held partially responsible for your own injuries, even if the other guy is mostly at fault in the crash. The insurance company or a court may rule that X% of your injuries were caused by your failure to protect yourself, and reduce any award by that amount. If your injuries are severe, that can cost you millions.
• #41: kids aren't born with perfectly formed and completed bodies! Their skeletal structure, for one thing, isn't fully grown and "put together" at birth. Their bones aren't as supportive and rigid as yours -- and crash forces and impacts can hurt them in different ways than they hurt us. It is therefore important kids get a little more help from their parents or caregivers in terms of how and where they sit in the vehicle. The safest place for a child is in the center of the rear seat , in a protective seat (for as long as you can keep them in it). The front-right seat in a left-hand drive vehicle is not a safe place for a smaller child (or maybe not even for you). The front-right seat in an American vehicle has sometimes been referred to as the "suicide" chair, although the driver's side is probably even a bit more dangerous, from a hazards point of view (given that the most common fatal collision in city driving is a left turn collision). But given a choice of evasive actions, a driver will instinctually turn away from a collision -- leaving it more likely the damage will be to the right front side. Couple that with the reality that a child doesn't "fit" the passive safety equipment at that location and you increase the likelihood of injury. Both seat belts and air bags can injure the occupant if they do not fit correctly. The safer choice is to put all children in the back seat. Let me state this more clearly -- children should NEVER be seated behind an armed air bag in the front-right seat. If the air bag fires, the child can be injured or even killed, the seat belt system may not secure the child well enough, and the chances of impact on that side and area are increased. If you've been reading my rules, you know I rarely ever say never. Most vehicles have center seat belts . Placing the child and/or the safety restraint seat in the center isolates the child from the potential of rear-door side-impact injuries. Make sure you belt the seat in properly and that it fits the seat at that location. Once a child is about five years old, many state laws allow them to be seat belted rather than in a child restraint seat. Again, keep the kid in the restraint seat as long as they'll let you. As long as the seat fits them correctly, they are safer there. Some states may still have a law that the child restraint seat is to be used until a specific age or weight. If you have a child that is heavier than other children of the same age, you might think that child can be taken out of the child seat. For example, in Arizona, the law used to be that a child had to be in the seat until they were older than 4 years of age, or more than 40 pounds. Remember what I said about kids' bone structure not being fully developed? That doesn't happen until they are between 4 and 5 years old. If a child is 2 ½ , but weighs more than 40 pounds, he needs to be in a restraint seat even more because of the extra stress and strain on his undeveloped bones. Many states are therefore changing these laws to simply state an age limit, rather than age or weight. Children are among the most precious cargo we carry -- keep them "safe in the center.“
• #44: Driving at a higher than reasonable speed increases your risk in two ways: it cuts your reaction time and results in more "stored" energy (that must be dissipated in any collision). You should consider if the risks are worth the gain. This is the science of math and physics —you cannot bend these rules. Each incremental increase in speed reduces your ability to react in time to hazards, because you may be covering distance in less time than it takes to react. Normal reaction time is between .75 second and 1.5 seconds, on average. Average reaction time distance at 50 mph would be approximately 83 feet. At 70 mph, it is over 115 feet (over 7 modern car lengths). These numbers do not include braking distance, just reaction time. The average difference in reaction-time distance from 50 mph to 70 mph is about 32 feet. If you were relying solely on braking, any hazard you encounter within the reaction distance is already a problem; you can't react quickly enough to miss it. This is particularly important at night, when darkness restricts your visibility. Do you know at what distance your headlights will illuminate a hazard? How is your night vision these days? When headlights finally light up a road hazard, it is often too late to avoid it. Many experts would tell you that even 50 mph is too fast for conditions at night, on any dark roadway. If you could choose the speed at which to hit a brick wall, assuming that it was a sure thing you were going to hit one, would you choose to hit the wall at 10 mph or at 100 mph? Not hard to decide, is it? Higher speeds also bring additional accumulated, or stored, energy. More stored energy means increased crash forces if you hit something. Here's a real-world example; a loaded semi traveling at 60 mph develops about 6.5 MILLION foot-pounds of force. Or, your body, unrestrained in the vehicle, could hit the windshield with about 16,000 foot-pounds of force, should your vehicle hit some immoveable object - like a tree. A defensive driver chooses a speed matching traffic as closely as possible without exceeding speed limits. If traffic is moving at higher speed than you should go, keep to the right and out of the way. This is often a legal requirement as well, if you are traveling at a speed less than the flow of traffic. Also, don't neglect to maintain the correct following distance. Consider that speeding often doesn't save much time. How many times have you reached a red light, only to find a "jackrabbit" waiting there that passed you a half mile back like you were standing still? Ever wonder why? Around most urban areas, signals limit overall speeds to what the system can handle (in terms of numbers of vehicles). In Phoenix, for example, that's approximately 40 to 45 mph. Drive faster than that and you'll simply spend more time waiting at red lights, wasting fuel, wearing down brake pads, and accumulating just a little more stress in your life for no good reason or gain. Even on the highway, you don't often gain much. Frequently, once you pass someone, you find them on your back bumper as you slow down to enter the next town. So you gained what, exactly? On an Interstate, where you truly can save some time by speeding (provided you don't get pulled over), the difference between 65 mph and 80 mph over 50 miles is only 8.7 minutes. Big deal.
• #45: Guard your safety by actively creating space around your vehicle, never allowing yourself to get "boxed in." Adequate space creates time and helps you avoid collisions. Maintain at LEAST two seconds of following distance, more if you can. Adjust your position in traffic as necessary to avoid driving in others' blind areas. Don't allow yourself to be tailgated—change lanes or adjust your speed to encourage tailgaters to pass you. Many of us were taught to use the car-length rule for following distance (one car length for every ten mph). That rule is no longer recommended because car lengths are difficult to visualize, impossible to visualize when moving, and the rule didn't provide enough space in the first place. For example, 6 car lengths at 60 mph provide roughly 108 feet of space. At 60 mph, the average alert reaction time eats 60 to 130 feet (and in the real world, closer to 135 feet for many), leaving little or no time to act. Two seconds of following distance at 60 mph, on the other hand, gives you over 176 feet of pavement to react and respond. Even at two seconds of following distance, you must respond quickly, but it can be done under normal circumstances. How do you apply the two-second rule? Watch as the vehicle ahead passes some object—I often use shadows or marks on the road surface—then count "one-thousand-one, one thousand two." If you pass that same spot before getting to "two," you're too close— back off! There ARE times when two seconds isn't enough . Leave more space when you can, and leave additional space if following a vehicle with different characteristics than yours—motorcycles or trucks, for example—or if the road surface is slippery. Motorcycles can often stop faster than you, and trucks (or trailers) impede your vision, which can cause you not to see hazards until too late. Ice can increase your stopping distance many times over, so leave lots of extra space if it might be present. Eight or ten seconds is not unreasonable around ice. It is an error to think you cannot leave the appropriate space in heavy traffic. Some don't try, because they think other vehicles will change lanes in front of them and fill the space. It is not as common a problem as you probably think, and heavy traffic is one time when you really need the space! If someone cuts into your space, simply back off a little and get it back! Lose the ego— "It doesn't matter" —what counts is your safety. I once counted the number of times other drivers cut in front of me over about fifteen miles of city freeway during rush hour traffic. Over fifteen miles, it only occurred three or four times. I have found that typical, and I use the two-second rule every day with no problems. Here's a tip —drive a mile or two per hour slower than traffic flow. This doesn't cost any appreciable time, and traffic will be slowly pulling away from you, helping you to maintain the space. If you do this, keep to the right and out of the way for courtesy's sake. In many states, this is a legal requirement when you're driving slower than other traffic. Pay attention to anyone driving next to your vehicle in other lanes. Adjust your speed to keep your vehicle "in the open," with no vehicles to the left or right, as much as you can. Be very uncomfortable if vehicles are "packed" around you. Traffic tends to move in packs, so watch out and try to occupy the spaces between the packs, so you have clear lanes on both sides. (This is an absolute necessity for motorcyclists!) It is important to leave space even when stopped for a light. Leave room in front so you can pull away if the car ahead stalls or doesn't move, or if you need to move because of danger approaching from behind. You also don't want to be boxed in and unable to move for personal safety reasons. Stop far enough back so you can see the rear tires of the vehicle in front of you where they touch the pavement—this will give you room to pull out and around when necessary. Remember, leave yourself an "out!" May all your roads be new, smooth, rubberized asphalt!
• #48: This means keep your eyes UP and looking down the road. Many drivers focus on the road only 5 or 8 seconds ahead. You should be looking about 15-20 seconds ahead of your vehicle, farther if you can. This gives you the time to recognize and avoid most potential hazards before they become a problem. You'll see lane restrictions or construction areas, traffic congestion, truck entrances, mishaps, etc. This technique is also useful for new drivers when learning how to steer. Keeping your eyes focused far down the road (instead of just past the end of the hood) creates stability in the roadway. In other words, it helps eliminate the unsteady weaving that is one characteristic of a novice driver. There are other important ways to use your vision as a key tool for safe driving. Drivers should see, and be mindful of, everything around them on both sides and for several hundred feet ahead (about two blocks) and also to the rear. Do this and you'll be able to see and avoid the immediate hazards others don't notice: balls rolling into the street followed by children, cars about to pull out from parallel parking, pedestrians hidden between vehicles, runaway trucks bearing down on you from behind, etc. Here's another tip . Don't concentrate on any one thing in your field of view for more than a second. Your focused field of vision is very narrow, less than 5 feet wide at 100 feet. Everything else you see is first picked up by your peripheral vision, which is effective at picking up motion but doesn't provide a clear view. If you don't believe this, hold your watch arm out to its full extension, and bend your wrist so you can look directly at your knuckles. Now, while staring at your knuckles, try to see what time it is without moving your eyes. While your watch is within your field of view, your view of it is unfocused. For the purposes of driving, you therefore need to keep your focused vision moving in a scanning "pattern" so that you clearly see everything that may affect your progress. The importance of your peripheral vision is that while it is not clear or focused, it detects movement—it is your "early warning" vision. If you allow your eyes to remain fixed on any one thing, your peripheral vision immediately begins to narrow down into "tunnel" vision—and you lose your ability to detect movement to the sides. Keeping your eyes moving prevents this from occurring. Your vision is perhaps the most important tool you have while driving. Use it effectively! Look as far down the road as possible, and use a scanning motion to take in and analyze everything that is happening around you or close enough to be a hazard.
• #50: Sleep deprivation or ‘sleep debt’ is a chronic lack of sleep that leads to the driver dosing off unintentionally while at the wheel. In all probability, people lose their lives or limbs and families are shattered by a life-long crippling effect dealt by accidents. Some studies indicate, the national highway traffic safety administration in the U.S. has estimated that it is the cause for 100,000 automobile accidents, 71,000 injuries and 1,500 fatalities. Drowsy driving accidents are more serious than other wrecks because they often occur on high speed highways. The driver maintains the same speed for a long period of time, there is no attempt to avoid the crash since the driver’s eyes are closed and he is usually alone with no one to alert him. Hence it is very important that the passengers in a long-distance travel must remain awake, as a group of sleeping passengers pre-disposes to the driver also falling asleep. In India, pilgrims on multi-stop temple visits generally fall asleep as a whole group and the driver is usually the only one awake through the whole night. There is a need to highlight the risks of ‘micro sleep’. “Micro sleeps are brief, unintended episodes of loss of attention which may occur when a person is fatigued but trying to stay awake to perform monotonous tasks like driving a car on a highway. The episodes mostly last only a few seconds and often the person is not aware that a micro sleep event has occurred. “What is interesting is that micro sleeps can occur even when a person’s eyes are open but he will fail to respond to outside information. This is very important as a driver susceptible to micro sleep will not see a red signal or notice that there is a curve on the road or an overtaking vehicle from the opposite side,” says the surgeon. “ Micro sleeps are also more likely to occur at certain times of the day, such as in the pre-dawn hours and mid afternoon hours - when the body is programmed by our normal circadian rhythm to sleep. Micro sleep also increases when there is ‘sleep deprivation’ or there is a cumulative ‘sleep debt’, one of the main causes of drowsy driving.” Studies show that people on an average sleep one-and-a-half to two hours less now than 50 years ago. For people who are very successful and on the ‘upward curve’, the sleep debt can be chronic and range from two to three hours’ deficiency a day. Most people require at least eight hours of sleep to avoid feeling sleepy the next morning. But they rarely get to do this because of their tight schedules.
• #52: First, let's define "impairment." Webster's New World Dictionary defines impairment as "making something worse, less, weaker, or damaged." Applied to driving, impairment means there is a factor present that decreases your ability to operate your vehicle safely. The first thing that comes to most folks' minds is impairment through alcohol or other drugs. There are others as well: impairment through fatigue, or as a result of disabling injuries or illness. There was a case a few years ago where a man attempted to drive with some broken limbs. He used a stick to operate the gas pedal, and ended up losing control, overran a sidewalk, and killed a person who was using a pay phone. Alcohol is a prime cause of impairment . Since it acts as a depressant, it begins to diminish a person's abilities with the first sip. Many people do not realize that even at very low blood alcohol levels, way before reaching any "legal limit," impairment of physical and mental abilities is occurring. In the USA, all states now have a .08% presumptive level -- the alcohol concentration at which a driver is presumed to be impaired, with no other evidence required. But impairment often begins at AC levels as low as .04%—less than half the "legal limit." What's worse, it acts on the very skills and abilities you need most as a driver: judgment, vision, and the ability to do several things at once. Since alcohol slows your mind and your motor skills, it has a dramatic effect on your reaction time and distance. If impairment causes your reaction time to double, for example, at 70 mph that can result in an additional 103 feet traveled. Obviously, this could mean the difference between a miss and a collision. Driving with other impairments could have similar results. One of my common themes in teaching this topic is personal responsibility . We all have the obligation to make sure we are able to drive safely whenever we operate our vehicle. Ask yourself, "Am I safe to drive? Am I rested? Am I ill? Have I taken medications that might affect my abilities? Are my limbs available for use? Has it been long enough since I had that drink for the alcohol to have worked its way through my system?" (Generally, the body can eliminate one drink per hour, and, contrary to popular beliefs, nothing can speed up that process.) Do I have my glasses on, if needed?" Only if you can answer yes to all these questions should you exercise your privilege to drive. I am convinced that if everyone would (1) not speed; (2) pay attention; (3) not drive impaired; and (4), wear seat belts (and use other safety systems such as air bags and ABS brakes), no one would ever get killed in a traffic collision. Just these four things, practiced habitually, would eliminate most serious collisions and save 50,000 lives each year. In the real world, though, we're human, and because we are, there will always be mistakes that lead to collisions. Since we do subject ourselves to hostile environments and physical forces that are incompatible with life, we should do everything possible to minimize the risks, yes? So, again, practice paying 100% attention to your driving, drive at a reasonable speed, never drive impaired, and buy and learn how to use safety systems correctly. These ideas are the foundation of any defensive driving "system." Keep the shiny side up!
• #53: It should make you uncomfortable if you are driving in other drivers' blind spots! Virtually all vehicles have blind areas—even motorcycles. (Motorcyclists are sometimes limited in how far they can twist their head to look behind them.) Yet, some drivers habitually change lanes without checking their blind areas for other vehicles. It's a good idea to adjust your position relative to other traffic to stay out of other drivers' blind spots whenever you can. Where are your blind spots? That depends on the vehicle. A car typically has blind areas at the sides near the rear of the vehicle, meaning you cannot see anything in these areas by looking in your correctly-adjusted mirrors. Other vehicles may be blind to anything that is directly behind. Vehicles in which the driver sits very high may have forward-quarter blind spots—they may not be able to see anything low to the ground in front or to the sides near the front. It is important to check your mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds while driving. At the same time, it's not enough just to check the mirrors. If you've been driving long, you already know the blind areas on most vehicles are large enough to hide other vehicles. Mirrors also will not reveal a vehicle that is changing lanes from two lanes away. Example: You are driving in the right hand lane of a multi-lane roadway, and signal to change lanes to the left. Another vehicle in the third lane changes lanes to the right. Both of you may be trying to occupy the same place in the second lane. And it is always possible that a lane that was clear of other traffic just a second ago may quickly be occupied—traffic is often fast-moving and fluid—and empty spaces tend to fill up. It is very important to turn your head and look before making a lane change. Tractor-trailer rigs have their own particular blind spots . These trucks are "articulated"—they "bend" in the middle. If you can picture a turning semi from above, as it jackknifes around a corner, you'll see that the side mirrors are the only rearward vision the driver has. As the tractor heads into the turn, the side mirror on the side to which the truck is turning has a view only of the side of the truck's trailer. His other mirror (away from the turn direction) is pointing off to the side, into space. In this situation, the driver cannot see anything happening directly behind him unless he sticks his head out and looks. Also, it is possible to "hide" completely behind the trailer of a large truck. Some drivers do this in order to "draft," using the suction created behind the semi to save on gas. It is not a brilliant idea to drive so close to the rear of a vehicle you can't see around or over when the driver may not even know you are there. When driving near large trucks, always try to make sure you are visible to the driver. If you can see his face in his side-view mirrors, he can see you, too. Finally, remember that even parked vehicles have blind areas . Kids often play around cars. Before you start up and back out of your driveway, take a quick turn around the vehicle to make sure nothing, living or inanimate, is under or behind your wheels. <Rule #16: Al
• #54: You want to know the other driver sees you , and this rule will provide you with some ways to make sure they do. Use your lights and horn when necessary to let others know you are there. If you make eye contact with another driver, there is perhaps less chance he will pull out in front of you or make some other error that infringes on your space (although you cannot count on that.) Even more likely, if you are looking at the other driver, and he is NOT looking at you, then you know there is an increased possibility he might not be aware of your presence. But WAIT, there's MORE! Back in the "olden" days , it was customary when you wanted to pass someone to quickly flash your lights to let them know you were coming around. In fact, that practice is still memorialized in law in many states: if a driver approaching from the rear flashes his lights or uses the horn to communicate his intention to pass, the driver of the vehicle being overtaken is often required by law to give way to the right, and not increase the speed of his vehicle until the other driver's pass is complete. I think it's funny how things change over the years. If you do that same thing today, the other driver will likely think you're a jerk, and often times go out of his way NOT to "give way." About the only folks that practice that kind of courtesy today are the truck drivers; they routinely signal each other when passing, and they even flash their lights—often in unique or "signature" ways—to say thanks. While you are driving , there are other ways to "communicate." Position yourself in a lane (left or right) so others can see you. Don't drive in other drivers' blind spots. When approaching a signal light, for example, move to the right side of your lane so that oncoming left turners can see you even if traffic ahead and in the lane to your left partially blocks the view. Make sure to signal ALL turns . Despite what you might think, signaling is not always required by law. In my state, for example, a signal is required whenever your turn or lane change might affect other traffic. If no one is around, you don't have to signal, legally. Of course, as a defensive driving practice, you should always signal. You want to create the habit so when you DO need to signal, you don't forget. Make certain that your brake lights are functioning properly (and all your other lights, for that matter). Much of another driver's reaction time might be consumed if your brake lights don't alert them to the fact you are slowing or stopping—and they may not be left with enough space to avoid hitting you once they see you are stopping. I often tap my brakes once or twice before I apply them, so that the flashing brake lights alert the following driver that I am about to slow. Any time I see someone coming up quickly behind me, I'll flash my brake lights a few times to grab their attention. Remember that many folks are not looking much farther than the end of their hood. Turn on your headlights in the daytime when you are driving on two-lane highways—this has been shown to increase your visibility to oncoming traffic. Turn on your lights in tunnels. Do this not so you can see (since most tunnels are well-lighted), but so everyone can see YOU. Think of the results if there were 100 cars in a tunnel, and the lights go out suddenly! If you already have your lights ON, then those other 99 drivers can see you well enough not to make you into a steel sandwich. Turn on your lights any time visibility is reduced. With all of these tips , you communicate your presence and intentions to other drivers, and help them avoid colliding with you. And that's ALWAYS a good thing!
• #56: When we assume our driving "duties," one of the most important is that we be responsible for our actions and the results of those actions. In almost every case, a driver involved in a collision had an opportunity to avoid the collision—even when the other driver was responsible for the errors that led to the collision. Officers will tell you that a very common "excuse" heard after a collision is, "I never saw him!" Why? Quite often, it's because they were not paying attention to their surroundings and situation - and many times, that inattention was because the driver was distracted. To be a safe and responsible driver, it's important to recognize this and make constant efforts to avoid getting distracted. Some of the most common driving distractions are: eating, drinking, applying make-up, talking on cell phones, adjusting the radio or changing CD's, dealing with rambunctious or misbehaving kids, or even just talking to passengers. Some drivers focus on single tasks (looking for an address, for example) and neglect all others. One of the most important skills for a driver is the ability to multi-task. Think about how much distance your vehicle is covering during the time you are distracted—at about 1.47 feet per second for each mile-per-hour you are driving, you can easily see how important it is to keep your mind and eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel! At 60 miles per hour, for example, every second that elapses you cover almost 90 feet (60 X 1.47 = 88.2)—all while you might be fumbling for the CD you dropped! You can help make the road much safer for yourself, your passengers, and the others around you if you make a habit of keeping the driving task as JOB ONE, and let someone else do the map reading or change the radio station! It's important to recognize your distractions—and make conscious efforts to minimize or avoid them. Keep it between the fence-posts!
• #60: Be cautious when passing stopped or slow-moving vehicles . They often hide dangers that are not immediately apparent. The first thing to ask yourself is why? Why is the vehicle moving slowly, or why is it stopped? This rule is about patience, courtesy and taking care for others. Stopped vehicles may have people around them who are preoccupied -- perhaps changing a tire, working under the hood, or even working under the vehicle with their legs stuck out into the road. It's not uncommon for someone stranded beside the road to forget where they are and be struck and killed by a passing vehicle when they inadvertently step into the roadway. If you see a vehicle stopped along the roadway, give them extra room. Change lanes if you can. If you cannot, at least move left in the roadway so if someone does get in the way, they will be easier to miss. In the same way, if you come up behind a vehicle stopped in the roadway (instead of beside it), be wary. Instead of automatically going around them, slow down (or stop), and figure out why they're stopped. Maybe an animal or a child is crossing in front of them. This is also a concern at a crosswalk; it is often against the law to pass a car going your way that is stopped at a crosswalk (even if you are in an adjacent lane), because that vehicle may be stopped for a reason that you cannot immediately see! Don't pass until you are SURE it is safe. Use caution when approaching a slow-moving vehicle . It creates danger when vehicles are moving at different speeds in close proximity to each other. If you are flying up behind another vehicle, the risk of a collision is increased if a conflict develops, plus another driver moving at a very slow speed should cause you to think that something might be wrong, so you could expect other erratic behavior as well. Be prepared to react and slow down until you see that it is safe to go around. Exercise care if you are coming up behind a line of slower vehicles . It is an error to take an immediate opportunity (if presented) to pass the entire line. Some of those drivers may have been in that line for awhile and they may be getting impatient. They may "bop" out in front of you, so plan for that possibility. Again, slow down. If you are determined to pass, do so safely by passing them one at a time -- and let them know you are coming around by a quick "toot" on your horn or flashing your headlights quickly. It increases your safety if they know your intentions. This same rule applies if the slow vehicles are in a lane beside yours -- you should remain alert to the possibility that any one of them might suddenly change into your lane, and be prepared to avoid a collision if they do. Keep it between the fenceposts! <Rule 35: Never Play Chicken with a Train! Rule 37: Practice Animal Avoidance! >
• #62: You can minimize the danger of collision at intersections by learning to stop defensively. First, make sure your deceleration to the stop doesn't surprise the guy behind you. You already know how to identify a "stale" green light -- by watching the pedestrian signal. Typically, when there are only a few seconds left, the red "Don't Walk" signal light will flash to let the pedestrians know to get out of the street. Plan ahead by starting to slow down then -- this keeps you from making sudden stops and gives the guy behind you ample warning that you are stopping (so he doesn't hit you). Next, pay attention to WHERE you stop . Leave space in front of your vehicle. When driving a normal passenger sedan (not a van), stop so that when you look out over your hood, you see either the painted stop line on the pavement in front of you, or if you are behind another vehicle, you can see its rear tires touching the pavement. This gives you about a car-length of space between you and that vehicle or the stop line. If you drive a van, try to stop about the same distance back -- about one car length. Stopping with space in front of you gives you room to pull forward if another vehicle comes up behind and is about to rear-end you (you're still checking those mirrors every five to eight seconds, right?). Sometimes, all you need is three or four feet to give that rear-end guy enough space to miss you. Second, if the vehicle stopped in front of you stalls or breaks down, this leaves you room to pull around, and you won't get stuck there at the light. Third, it helps you reacquire your two-second space cushion when it's time to go. And, it helps keep you out of that intersection for a moment when the light turns green, and helps you miss the red-light runner. Don't enter intersections for the first four seconds after a light change. When the light does change , make sure you clear the cross street (look left, right, and left AGAIN) before you enter the intersection. It is not legal to enter on the green light until the intersection is clear of traffic and pedestrians (and you do want to avoid those pesky red-light runners). Finally, do you know WHERE you have to stop? You can stop sooner if you choose, but remember this: a signal or stop sign tells you that you HAVE to stop, the pavement markings tell you WHERE. If there is a painted stop line, stop prior to crossing it. If there is only a painted crosswalk, stop prior to crossing that. If there are NO painted markings, then your stop position is at the closest place to the intersection that you have a clear view of approaching traffic -- without entering the intersection. Keep the shiny side up!
• #63: One of the misconceptions that people have about traffic law is that it is illegal to change lanes in an intersection. Quite often, it isn't. (Check what the law actually says in your state). One of the laws here in Arizona requires that a driver not pass another vehicle (left of the center line) either within 100 feet of an intersection, or while passing through one. Over the years, people started remembering this as a prohibition on changing lanes, rather than crossing the center line. These are two separate things. At 3:00 a.m. on a deserted city boulevard , it may not be unsafe to change lanes in an intersection. But one of the elements of safe driving, and driving in compliance with law, is that we make a habit of doing the "right" thing. Here's an example. In my state, you must signal a turn at least 100 feet in advance. But there is an exception; if no one else is nearby that would be affected by the movement, you need not signal. If you think about this, however, it is better to always signal the turn, making it a habit rather than trying to decide in each instance whether anyone will be affected by the turn. If you practice the latter approach, eventually you will make a mistake; you won't see someone coming and NOT signal a turn you should have. You may cause a collision, or get a citation for failing to signal. So, we say ALWAYS signal, and it will be more likely you WILL signal when it is necessary for safety and legally required. For the same reasons in reverse , you should make a habit of NOT changing lanes in intersections. Think about all the potential conflicts and the possible high speeds of traffic approaching and transiting intersections (remember the average speed of traffic through a controlled intersection is about 52 miles per hour). Think about everything that is going on out there -- turns, red light runners, people heading toward you that may be distracted by internal or external factors, pedestrians. Why add another complicating factor to that mix? It may not be illegal to change lanes in intersections, but perhaps it should be. Practice holding your position relative to other traffic and staying in the same lane until you are safely through. Make it a HABIT. Also remember to slow down before entering the intersection to give yourself extra space and time.
• #64: One of the most frequent factors behind collisions is the "jackrabbit" driver. He's the guy who's constantly changing speeds, changing lanes, tailgating, and otherwise not fitting into traffic. Other often interrelated causes of traffic collisions are "disparate" vehicle speeds (when one driver is driving much faster than others), impatience, and frequent lane changes. If you observe traffic way out in front of you , you can visualize what the "flow" of traffic is, as a whole. Visualize traffic as a single, giant organism, like a river. There will be vehicles within the overall picture (or flow) that are traveling faster, and some slower, but you can see what the overall pace of traffic is. You may be surprised to know that the actual pace of traffic is not that much faster than the speed limit. One of the principles engineers use when setting a speed limit is to consider what speed a normal, reasonable driver actually drives on that particular stretch. Try to match your speed to the overall flow (without exceeding the speed limit by more than a few miles per hour). That said, you must be willing to accept the fact that traveling faster than a posted limit puts you at risk for a citation. But usually, if you are within just a few miles per hour of a speed limit, officers will not bother you, with some obvious exceptions like school zones and construction areas where a posted limit is viewed as an absolute. Practice my "tortoise" style of driving! Pick your lane, and stay in it. Bopping and weaving from one lane to another, trying to pass every car on the road doesn't gain you much, and every single lane change you make increases your risk of collision . As I commute each day, I know which lane is the best for travel under normal circumstances. This may be the lane that I know becomes my exit ramp 5 miles up the road, or it may simply be the lane that flows better most of the time. Often, I choose on the basis of safety. On my motorcycle, for example, I ride in the far right lane (at a slower speed) or in the "car pool lane" for its faster flow, and the "escape" path afforded by the left (or right) shoulder. (In my state, it is legal for motorcycles to use the car pool lanes). Relax, resist the urge to make frequent lane changes , use the two-second rule, and stay alert to the dangers posed by the jack rabbits around you! If someone needs to merge into the lane, back off a bit and let them in smoothly. In doing this, you are not only maintaining the flow, but you also set an example that others will follow. When you refuse to allow another driver to merge, the person behind you does the same thing. When you act courteously, the driver behind you ALSO will, and that helps keep traffic moving. I've seen repeatedly how discourtesy causes many of the bottlenecks that gridlock traffic every day. Practice my "tortoise" style of driving , and, nine times out of ten, you will arrive at your destination just as quickly as the "jackrabbit." You will also not be nearly as stressed by the trip, whether it is a commute to work on Monday a.m., or a road trip to Shangri-La! Keep the shiny side up! Next week: Test for hydroplaning
• #70: First, there are two basic types of red light runners— there's the daydreamer or distracted driver who just doesn't see it, and then there's the driver who's impatient and accelerates on the yellow signal instead of stopping and waiting the average 45 seconds of a signal cycle! Some of us are guilty of both offenses. Are we really in that much of a hurry? Running red lights kills hundreds of us every year. Don't be fooled by painted lines: "The box" starts at the "lateral curb line," indicated here by the dotted black line. What constitutes running a red light? It means your vehicle entered the intersection after the signal turned red. In order to know whether you've entered an intersection, you must know where the intersection begins. The boundary is farther out than you might think, and that causes part of the problem. Here's the definition in my state: the intersection boundary (in Arizona) is the extension of the lateral curb lines (of two or more cross streets). The lateral curb line is an unpainted line drawn from corner to corner—just imagine a line drawn from the "point" of each corner (where the outer edge of the sidewalk meets the outer edge of the cross street sidewalk) across the street to the next one. The painted stop line and crosswalk are typically several feet nearer to you than the boundary, and many drivers erroneously believe the last crosswalk line marks the edge of the intersection. This error can result in an extra bit of time for the light to turn red before you actually enter the intersection, resulting in a violation. PLEASE NOTE : The definition of intersection varies from state to state and the differences can be significant—you need to know what the law and definition is in YOUR state. In my state , if you entered the intersection legally (on a green or yellow signal), you have the right to clear the intersection even after it turns red. You will find that most states have similar provisions so that left turning traffic doesn't get bogged. In all of this, though, the legalities are not the most important issue. In the defensive driving world , we say, "the green light anticipator met the red light procrastinator." The collision of these two is usually a "T-bone" - where the two vehicles meet at a 90 degree angle. It's not a "nice" collision. The typical speed through an intersection is over 50 mph! You'd find this is one of the most commonly fatal collisions - one in which seat belts and normal rear-firing air bags won't help you much. Be careful around intersections . If you get a yellow light, stop. You can anticipate when the light is about to change, so it is no excuse to say it was too late. If you have the green light, watch for the red-light runner—look left, right, then left AGAIN to make sure the intersection is going to be safe before you enter it, even on one-way streets (because somebody might be going the wrong way AND running red lights). Red light runners are often speeding as well, so make sure you look down the road far enough to see them coming. Running red lights is too dangerous , both for you and for others, no matter how pressured or late you are. Slow down, grow some patience! Pay attention to your driving so you aren't one of the oblivious red-light runners. And live to drive another day!