Driving in heavily congested traffic requires a lot of skill, patience, and definitely a safe driving attitude.
What most drivers don't realize is how little time they actually save by all their rushing. In rush hour traffic, you're doing well if you average 30 miles an hour on your way to or from work.
It may be years before we solve the problems of rush hour traffic and congestion. Until then, the best thing each of us can do is be on our best driving behavior. Remember when you were a child how you tried to get even with some kid who cut in line ahead of you? Well, we're not kids any longer. And this is no place to try to get even with someone who's rude. So when you leave home, always take your safe driving behavior with you.
A FEW COMMON SENSE RULES
TO FOLLOW INCLUDE:
GIVE A SIGNAL AND A LOOK
Always signal your intentions to change lanes. And look to make sure the way is clear.
YIELD TO OTHER CARS
When you see someone attempting to change lanes, let them in. After all, this is not a contest or a test of will. Being courteous makes traffic flow a lot smoother for every one.
YIELD TO VEHICLES
When you're driving on a feeder road, give the right-of-way to cars exiting the freeway. Not only is it the law, it's the safe, courteous thing to do.
DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTIONS
Don't block intersections. This is a violation that can lead to gridlock, which slows down traffic even further.
STAY CALM
Above all, stay calm and be patient. It may cost you a little time, but it won't cost you an arm and a leg.
RURAL DRIVING
This is what rush hour looks like in some parts of the country--quite a contrast with the congestion in a big city. Rural driving affects driver performance by allowing the driver to be in a more controlled environment. There tends to be a lack of congestion.
But driving on rural roads and highways can have its own set of hazards. Things such as animals and farm equipment, unregulated roadways and crossings, poor road conditions and lighting, narrow roads with more curves and hills--each present unique hazards.
You also have to contend with unpaved roads of gravel and dirt, roadside hazards like signs, driveways, high-speed cross traffic, bushes and trees, and narrow or soft shoulders.
All of these things combined with a more relaxed attitude can make rural driving deadlier than city driving.
Animals present a particularly dangerous situation. To begin with, they're totally unpredictable. Whether it's a cow, a horse or a deer, you never know when the animal might spook and dart in front of your car. If you hit an animal this large at high speed, it can totally wreck your car and possibly cause serious injury or death.
But here's the most dangerous animal you might encounter -- humans may be smarter, but they're just as unpredictable.
Since there are no sidewalks along rural highways, you have to be alert for pedestrians walking on or across the road.
Slow-moving farm equipment is another element common to rural roads and highways. Because they usually are traveling at much slower speeds, it's tempting to pass them on a busy highway.
Remember, you never pass when there's a solid yellow line in your lane, or on any stretch of highway where your visibility is impaired. The best thing to do in this situation is just wait it out.
Farm equipment usually isn't traveling far, generally just from one pasture to the next. So be patient. It's not worth risking a head-on collision just to save a couple of minutes on the road.
SAFE SPACE
Driving on the freeway takes nerves of steel and most definitely a safe driving attitude. This is no place for the child in you to rear its ugly head. You're driving at high speeds and you have to make split-second decisions. So maintaining a safe space is absolutely essential.
A safe space entails time and distance. You establish this by having an adequate following distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. You may have to adjust your speed to maintain a safe following distance when speed or road conditions change. Note the distance for steering is much shorter than the distance for stopping.
Response time with the hands is close to 1/2 of a second while response time with the foot is normally 3/4 of a second. This does not take into account any lag in perception time due to fatigue, alcohol, drugs, or inattention. All time and distance relationships are designed for the best driving conditions. Another concern to note is that heavier vehicles require more distance to stop.
A three-second interval provides the driver time to steer and brake out of problems on a dry surface at speeds under 35 mph. A three-second interval also provides the driver time to steer and brake out of problems on a dry surface at speeds under 70 mph.
It is important to note that many passenger car tires are not designed to steer out of problem areas at speeds beyond 75 mph. High speed rated tires are required due to sidewall flexion at higher speeds and turning movements.
You should also build a good safe space for your vehicle in the back and on both sides, as well as in the front.
Sometimes you'll need to change lanes to maintain this safe space zone. When another driver is tailgating you, the best solution is to move to another lane if possible and let the tailgater to pass.
If you can't change lanes, lightly tap on your brake to let the driver behind you know he's too close.
If that doesn't work, another option would be to move left, pass the car in front of you, and when you've established a safe space between you and the car you passed, move back to the right.
When you're in the far right lane of a freeway, always be aware of cars entering and exiting. You should adjust your speed either upward or downward to allow cars entering to merge smoothly and easily. Timing is critical because the car entering the freeway should be doing so at a relatively high speed in order to safely merge with existing traffic. Cars on the freeway do not have to yield to cars entering the freeway.
The far right lane is usually the merging lane, since this is where traffic enters. When you're entering the freeway, you should increase your speed to match the flow of traffic. This maneuver has been compared to parking your car in a lane of traffic going 70 mph.
For some reason, you'll occasionally see a car stop on the entry ramp waiting for a large opening. Then they have to try to reach 70 mph from a dead stop. This is dangerous and causes congestion in the merging lanes.
The maximum speed limit on most freeways is 70 mph. However, many drivers routinely exceed the limit. In fact, it's so common that we often find the flow of traffic running at 80 mph or more. Many drivers have the mistaken notion that it's okay to exceed the limit as long as they're "going with the flow."
If you're caught driving faster than the maximum speed limit, you'll get a traffic ticket regardless of how fast other motorists are driving.
However, some vehicles, such as ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks, are allowed to exceed the speed limit when they're responding to an emergency.
These vehicles usually drive in what is known as the "fast lane" of the freeway, the one next to the center of the roadway. This lane is reserved for emergency vehicles and for all vehicles when passing. It is not reserved for speeders! Safe drivers use this lane only when passing.
Safe drivers who prefer to drive slower than the maximum will always use what is commonly referred to as the "slow lane," or far right lane. When you drive slower than the maximum speed limit in other lanes, you block the free movement of other motorists trying to drive at the maximum legal rate of speed. This causes tempers to flare and can lead to "road rage." Remember, when we get angry and frustrated, we tend to lose that safe attitude. And that can lead to a serious crash.
But don't forget, the far right lane is also the merging lane for cars entering the freeway. So from time to time it may be necessary to increase your speed to allow entering cars to merge smoothly. If you're driving the minimum speed, try not to reduce your speed to allow a car to enter unless that's the only thing you can do to avoid a collision.
The right lane is also for exiting the freeway. You should move into the proper lane well in advance of your exit. Exit signs are usually 1,000 yards ahead of the exit turn off. Slow down on the exit ramp until you are traveling at the correct speed for the street you will be entering.
Earlier in this segment, we discussed the necessity of good vision for safe driving. We also talked about how such natural elements as fog, rain, and mist can limit our visibility and make the roadway more hazardous.
LIGHT CONDITIONS
Certain light conditions can also impair our visibility, like driving directly into the morning or afternoon sun. At certain times of the day, the light can be totally blinding.
Dark sunglasses can help you see better in such light--so will the sun visor in your car. Both can also help diminish some of the effects of glare, reflected light from windows, and chrome.
But always keep in mind that as your visibility diminishes, so does your ability to react to emergency situations. To be on the safe side, it's best to reduce your speed until light conditions improve.
Dusk is one of the most dangerous times of the day for drivers. At this time of day, the light seems to take on an unreal quality. It's more difficult to judge distance because there are neither shadows from the sunlight nor enough definition from headlight beams to provide a good frame of reference.
Shapes also become harder to discern. Everything we see has a grayish appearance, and we lose the sharp contrasts of light and shadow that we had earlier in the day. We should always turn on our headlights at dusk. They improve our visibility slightly, but more importantly, they help other drivers see us. Driving at dusk requires an extra measure of concentration.
The same is true of night driving. The glare of oncoming headlights, high-beam headlights from the front and rear, overdriving our headlights---they're all problems of visibility we have to deal with at night.
When the headlights from an oncoming car blind you, you should look to the right side of the road. This accomplishes two things:
First, it allows you to steer your vehicle closer to the edge of the roadway well away from the oncoming vehicle. Your peripheral vision helps you see the approaching car. If it changes speed or direction, you can see it happen.
The second thing you accomplish by looking off to the right is that you avoid being blinded. And that's critically important since it takes from eight to 10 seconds before you can see well again.
During that amount of time, you could drive twice the length of a football field without being able to see!
In some states, the law requires vehicles to have low beam headlights that will clearly light up a pedestrian or motor vehicle 100 feet down the road. High beam headlights must project 350 feet down the roadway.
When you are driving so fast that you can't stop your vehicle in 100 to 350 feet, you're said to be over-driving your headlights.
But what happens on hills and curves? Your headlights won't bend around curves, so you won't be able to see 350 feet ahead. There could be an obstruction in the roadway, a pedestrian, or even a stalled car. And you might not be able to see it in time to take evasive action. To be on the safe side, drive at a speed that enables you to stop your car in one-half the distance that you can clearly see ahead. That's a good rule day or night.
Hills and curves pose visibility problems even during the daylight hours. It's physically impossible to see around or over them, so you never know what's coming up when you round a bend or crest a hill.
Remember: always anticipate the worst, and never make driving decisions based upon what you cannot see, especially when passing, accelerating, or changing lanes.
BACKING
This is also true when backing. Do not trust your rear and side mirrors. They have large blind spots. Always look back over your shoulder when backing, and keep one foot on the brake. Proceed slowly. Remember, you can't see below the level of your trunk, so be especially careful of small children who may wander behind you.
DANGEROUS ROAD CONDITIONS
As if it weren't dangerous enough to drive on good, straight highways, driving is made even more treacherous by a number of dangerous road conditions. Sharp curves, soft shoulders, potholes, narrow roads, railroad crossings, low water crossings, and construction work -- all affect driver performance.
The best course of action is to slow down when you encounter these dangers. You might have to maneuver around these problems, or -- in instances such as road construction, railroad crossing, and low water crossings -- come to a complete stop. By reducing your speed, you'll be better prepared to make sudden stops or direction changes.
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