Holiday Travel

I wonder who the lucky person is who will guess the number of fatalities for a holiday time period. Not really all that lucky, wouldn't you agree?
Driving during a holiday period can be stressful enough, without the added misery of an accident.
The best way to avoid an accident during this time is to drive as little as possible. That means, plan your trips, consolidate them, share rides, arrange for home delivery.
If you are traveling, leave early, even doing this, you will not arrive very early, coz so much will slow you down. Traffic, longer lines at the gas pumps, banks, grocery stores, etc. Share the driving.
There are and always will be road hogs.. in a great big hurry, try to avoid them.. keep to the right and stay cool.
Now is not the time to rant about bad drivers. They are there every day, so you have plenty of opportunities. Make up your mind, before you drive, that you will 'be cool'.
A good audio book can make all those annoying drivers seem inconsequential.
take care, have a safe week
P

In Passing

I'm out here in sunny California this week, and some things have come to mind while driving. There are signs on two lane roads which say Do Not Pass. Some people think this is a bit of friendly advice from Caltrans. To the kind drivers who have moved over to the right to allow faster drivers to pass safely, Thank You! To the unkind faster drivers who choose to take advantage of the slower driver's kind act, shame on you.
grrrr... take care

Still Passing

Many states have signs similar to'' left lane for passing only" , or " slower traffic keep right", etc. Not many people take it literally. A bothersome trend I've noticed is when everyone just stays in the left lane... not passing anymore, just driving along like there are Not a couple dozen frustrated people behind them. Well, it is frustrating, and what's more, it is an impediment. If an ambulance driver is trying to get someone to a hospital, every second counts. Every single second counts. The second it takes for all those vehicles in the left lane to get the message is a second lost forever. Who knows if it makes a difference? We probably will never know, we can be cynical and think it has no effect, but how do we Know? later

More Passing....

So, are you ready to do some safe passing on the freeway? This is one place where a mistake can cost you dearly. I have great tinted windows on my car. So well tinted that, if I only make a quick glance to the side, I might not see the vehicle in the lane next to me. I learned from a few near misses about this potential problem, and now, I really Look, even looking twice in heavy traffic. This isn't much of a brainstorm, but it can make a real difference. I still like tinted windows!
take care,
P

Passing

It sounds like a no brainer, if you can go, you go! Not always so though. It is hard to judge distance no matter how much driving experience we have. It is just one of those things that some people do better than others. That being the case, it is very important to know your own abilities. The green mile markers along side highways can help you somewhat, although not so much on curvy roads. (You wouldn't be passing anyone in a curve anyway...would you?) Until you have tried several times in a 'practice' mode, it would be best to avoid passing if you can. To practice, simply encounter a situation in which you might pass a vehicle.. but don't do it. Decide, based on your best judgement, if you could safely pass this vehicle. Then count to, maybe 15. Where is the oncoming traffic? Have you already met another vehicle, or are they still a decent distance from the vehicle you might have passed? Doing this a few times may seem silly, but if it makes a difference out there, who cares?
Take care, more on passing to come...

tailgaters anonymous

well, not so anonymous. sounds good anyway. why do drivers tailgate.. what does it accomplish. Not a thing. However, many accidents are caused by this bad habit. Sitting in traffic, waiting in a turning lane.. a guy was rearended. He got a ticket too.. because the officer said he was following too closely to the vehicle in front of him. He was Sitting Still.. but he still got a ticket. Okay, that seems like a make money quick ploy to me too... it doesnt make the roads safer, just makes the drivers a little more cynical, do you blame them? Following too closely while moving can be a whole different story. One glance away from the vehicle ahead of you, and wham, what happened? Or you see you're about to crash, and you jam on the brakes and smoke em? Then sometimes there is the major slow moving traffic jam and no one wants to give an inch. It is so rude.. it is so useless.. no one gets ahead this way.. the only way to get anywhere is to give a little.. everyone needs to give a little. I leave a space in front of me, I don't care who jumps in there, I just leave that space.. I keep moving forward, and eventually, I get where I'm going.. so what harm did it do? Will I be arriving at my destination any later? How would I know? I will never know, that's the whole truth right there.. drive safe, see ya later...

The Fog

Zero visibility fog is the pits for drivers. Have you ever been in zero visibility? It is all at once-creepy, terrifying, and disorienting. Of course the best and most obvious thing to do is slow down immediately. If you can get off of the road safely, do that too. If you are moving slowly, at less than the minimum speed, please stay to the right at all times. There are some drivers who will drive fast in any conditions, and often as not, they cause the most fog related accidents. If you can see the taillights of the vehicle ahead of you, great, but don't assume the driver knows what he/she is doing! Keep a safe distance between you.
Question: You are driving in heavy fog, you wish to pull over onto the shoulder of the road for whatever reason. You pull as far as you safely can onto the shoulder(good for you!). Would you leave your parking lights on or off? Think about this one before reading on.


The answer is.. off!! In fog, that disorientation I mentioned can trick you into believing that is a Moving vehicle, not a parked one. Before you know it.. you could be in a life threatening situation, if not a terrible accident. Check this tip in your state's driving manual for confirmation. That is where I found it! (Georgia)

have a great week, commute safely!
P