| SECTION
1.3
Right-of-Way
(Continued)
The
failure to obey laws governing right-of-way is the second
most common traffic violation among US drivers.
Each year, right-of-way violations are responsible for
over 6,000 deaths and another 500,000 injuries in the
country.
Nearly
90% of all drivers involved in accidents claim that
they had the right-of-way. Obviously, they can't
all be right. The right-of-way is a slender thread
to hang the lives of your family on.
Risk
Acceptance and Time/Space Gaps
Whenever
you are faced with choices while driving, there is an
element of risk. Be sure to always weigh these
risks carefully before following any specific course
of action. Remember that your actions can create
dangerous situations just as easily as the actions of
other drivers moving into your path. Any poor
decision you make can easily lead to a collision.
It is your challenge as a safe driver to minimize the
number of dangerous situations to which you expose yourself,
thereby minimizing risk.
A
key skill for minimizing risks is the ability to accurately
judge what are known as "time/space gaps".
Time/space
gap problems can develop whenever you enter a street
with traffic. They can arise every time you pull away
from a curb, change lanes, merge, or turn at an intersection.
You can reduce time/space gap problems by communicating
with other drivers in order to influence their behavior.
Before you make any changes in your path of travel,
let other drivers know what you plan to do by:
 |
Using
your directional signals (your turn signals) |
|
Waiting
after signaling to be sure that other drivers understand
what you intend to do |
|
Using
your horn in dangerous situations |
Warning
other drivers of your intentions will allow them to
identify any conflicts with their intentions, thereby
reducing the chances of a collision.
By
obeying the traffic laws that regulate lane changing,
you will enable other drivers to anticipate where you
plan to go, because you will have clearly communicated
your intentions to them. For example, when you signal
your intention to pass well in advance, the car you
are intending to pass will be able to move to the right
and give you more room to maneuver.
Be
particularly sure that you make other drivers aware
of your presence in hazardous or emergency situations.
You can increase other drivers' awareness of danger
by driving with your headlights on during the daylight
hours, or by using your car’s emergency flashers.
These warning signals can reduce the chance of trouble
arising from other drivers' unawareness of a dangerous
situation.
Using
these methods to ensure that other drivers are aware
of your intentions will not only reduce the number of
hazardous situations to which you are exposed.
It can even provide a cushion for your occasional errors
in judgment. But keeping other drivers adequately
informed can never substitute for proper control of
your vehicle's speed and position.
Speed
and Position
Any
potential collision event that develops in front of
your car may only require you to make minor changes
in your speed and position to safely avoid it. With
practice, these minor changes in speed and position
will become routine.
|
Practice
visually scanning the road at least 12 seconds in
front of your vehicle. Effective mastery of
this visual search technique is an essential part
of managing your response time. |
|
Learn
to anticipate dangerous events, so that your speed
and the position of your vehicle will permit you
to respond. The sooner you are aware that
you are on a dangerous course, the sooner you can
respond. |
|
Increase
the time you have to respond to a hazard by keeping
as much distance as possible between your car and
all hazards, including other vehicles, pedestrians,
animals and stationary objects. |
|
When
driving near parked cars, keep a reasonable distance
between your car and the parked car and slow down
slightly. This will give you extra time to
adjust your speed and position should any of the
parked cars suddenly pull out, or should someone
open a door. |
|
Make
speed and position adjustments as early and as gradually
as possible. Overreacting to hazards causes
nearly as many accidents as hazards themselves. |
In
most cases slight adjustments in your car's speed
and position are better than major adjustments of one
or the other.
Vocabulary
Words
Some
traffic safety vocabulary:
| "Stale"
Green Light |
Lights
that have been green for a while and are likely
to change soon. |
| Aiming
Point |
The
target that precedes your car by eight to twelve
seconds. |
| Billboard |
A
large vehicle that obstructs vision |
| Tailgater |
A
vehicle in unsafe close proximity to the rear of
another car |
| Trawler |
A
slow moving vehicle. Usually a driver looking for
an address, street name or a parking place. |
| Deceptive
Signaler |
A
driver who signals for one direction and then turns
another, or doesn't turn at all |
| Eye
Contact |
Making
sure that other drivers see you by making them look
at you. Your horn or headlights may be used to help
in this. |
| Blind
Spot Driving |
The
unsafe practice of placing your car where a driver
ahead of you may have difficulty seeing you, or
allowing another driver to drive in your blind spot. |
| Point
of No Return |
The
point where it is too late to change your mind and
alter your course of action. |
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