Safe Driving with Driverthink

Driverthink has spent much time and verbiage discussing Road Hazards.  One of the most serious problems with a Road Hazard is that it can distract you from noticing other exciting events taking place around you on the road.

The Road Hazard itself is obviously important.  It isn’t a Road Emergency yet, but it is a situation (often another driver) that can quickly become one.  The reason to try to identify Road Hazards is, once again, because they’re a whole lot easier to deal with while they’re hazards, than when they become emergencies requiring immediate, heart pounding action.

But there’s another devious little threat from the road hazard.  It can become a distraction.  Even though you’ve identified the hazard and are taking any number of actions to avoid it, it has an uncanny way of monopolizing your attention.

The Road Hazard doesn’t have to “clock you” himself to ruin your day.  All she has to do is divert your attention – so someone else can!

So you’ve got this guy about 150 feet ahead of you who just can’t seem to keep it in the lane.  You were pretty quick to identify the hazard, because he happens to be driving one of the makes of cars that you’ve profiled as “Uh Oh, – Watch out”!

Yup, true to form he’s not disappointing you and he’s having an obvious problem keeping it on the road. 

Is he drunk?  Simply unable to control the car?  Maybe he’s sick or something.  Couldn’t possibly be text messaging at limit plus ten, could she?  You really begin to zero in on her, keeping a safe distance and allowing yourself plenty of room for escape if she finally chooses to lose it – right in front of you!

You begin obsessing over this erratic type person.  Suddenly he, and you back behind him, close in on a Bobtail (a Tractor Trailer without the Trailer component).  He's boogying along ahead of both of you.  The Bobtail boy is driving fine but you know he doesn’t have the control he would if he was towing his trailer, so now you’ve got two hazards requiring your attention.

Besides, your original Road Hazard type person is really coming up quickly on the Bobtail type person and who knows what’s going to happen when they actually get within speaking distance.

As you focus in on the dual problems, don’t forget to take a glance in your rear view mirror.  Were you so focused on the puppies in front of you that you failed to notice the Road Racer in back of you, weaving in and out of lanes, and bearing down on you at ninety per? 

If you quickly decide to change lanes in front of this happy boy, to get away from the kiddy cats in front of you, it could get real interesting – real quickly.

I’ve never had the privilege, but I’m led to believe it’s just not a really fun thing being carted off to the hospital on a stretcher, immobilized by a neck brace – with that annoying IV stuck in your vein, bright flashing lights and obnoxious sirens interrupting your la-la land serenity

The point to be made here is that, even after you’ve identified a Road Hazard and positioned yourself defensively because of it, don’t continue to fixate exclusively on it.  Don’t let it distract you.  There are plenty of additional hazards that can show up to make your life interesting, and if you’re zeroed in on just the one, the others will have their way with you!

Road Hazards may also require your fellow drivers to adjust.  You have to be ready for these boys and girls to react.  They may be compelled to change position or speed, and you just might need to accommodate them – kinda’ quickly.

It’s real easy to become distracted by a Road Hazard.  By definition, it is a risk to your life, limb, and the continued breathing of any passengers that may be tagging along with you.  When we’re threatened with bodily harm or worse, it’s almost unnatural not to give that risk our absolute attention.

But safe driving requires we overcome the temptation.  If you’ve identified one hazard, there are probably one or a few more zeroing in on you – and you better be ready for them also.

The experienced driver knows this.  She’s developed a conscious driving skill.  While keeping a Road Hazard under surveillance, she continues to monitor her ever changing surroundings.

Make it your conscious driving skill.  As soon as you’ve identified a Road Hazard, use it as a mental prompt to ask yourself, “where is the next one?”  Then start looking for it.

Road Hazards are dangerous enough in their own right.  Don’t let them distract you to the point where you fail to keep watching for others. 

If we’re really going to get serious about reducing the carnage on our highways, we may need to take some dramatic measures as a society.  Is it time for a Highway Driving License?

We hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.  For those of us who spent considerable time on the highways over the last two weekends, we hope all survived without any seriously traumatic incidents.

Holiday driving really seems to bring out the worst of our highway drivers.  As I cruised the highways I sat back in almost complete disbelief.  Can it be that almost no one knows how to drive our highways anymore?  Or is it just that the minority who don’t, stand out so vividly that it just appears that almost everyone is a risk?

Younger, inexperienced drivers off to college.  Senior drivers poking along, seemingly unable to see four cars in front of them.  Drivers from all walks of life who only take to the highways a few times a year to get to Grandma’s or their chosen holiday destination. 

Drivers who drive so seldom they don’t even own a car.  They rent one, dust off their driver’s license and take to the highways placing themselves and all of the rest of us at extreme risk.

Rolling roadblocks on cruise control almost everywhere – being cut off by faster drivers who haven’t got a clue about throttle steer, or what kind of suspension they have and how it affects their handling.
 
Countless citizens who have no idea how their cars will react under an emergency maneuver and worse – wouldn’t have the faintest idea of how to control it if it did start to go sideways.

“Pow!”  Right into a ditch or worse, another vehicle.

Cars weaving back and forth in their lanes, wandering from side to side, totally incapable of keeping their buggies centered or worse, not even aware they're weaving.  Same drivers totally unable to take the slightest curve or turn without sliding completely out of their lane and dangerously close to other drivers, nervously avoiding them in the adjacent lanes.

Tailgaters without a clue as to what’s happening on the road anywhere past the bumper in front of them.  Drivers practicing the masterful art of being road hazards almost everywhere you look.

Driver’s who’s only polished highway driving skill appears to be the innate ability to hang in another driver’s blind spot for miles on end.

And unfortunately, yes – as a result?  Accidents all over the place, holding up traffic for miles.  It’s not very pretty.  And "Hey!"  It's always the other guy's fault.


Now Driverthink has never been an advocate for more rule and regulation but let’s get serious.  We simply cannot tolerate these drivers on our highways any more.  They’re simply way too dangerous.

It’s time for a Highway Driving License.  So how would it work?

Stuck somewhere between our regular (Class D in New York) drivers license and a commercial license, would be a Highway Class driver’s amendment or license.  It would simply become illegal to drive designated high speed roadways without one.

While we wouldn’t advocate road blocks to determine if the driver is properly licensed, penalties, when found driving on the highway without one, would be severe – perhaps even temporary revocation.

So how would we qualify for such a license?  There would be two basic qualifications.

First, drivers would have to pass a much more comprehensive written test.  The study for this test would cover basic highway driving fundamentals.  Look past the bumper in front of you.  The danger of tailgating.  Blind spots.  How your car’s suspension affects the vehicle.  Smooth driving.  The danger of disrupting traffic flow.  Identifying road hazards.

Silly stuff like that.

Next would be some kind of realistic, periodic physical test.  A vision test to see if you can still see.  A reaction test to test basic reflexes.  Is the driver at least physically capable of driving in a high speed environment?

How about a highway road test?  Nah!  Never happen. 

In order to realistically have such a test, drivers would have to be tested to see if they’re capable, on roads where speed limits are fundamentally meaningless.  To drive safely on the highway you’re almost forced to break the limit and it would be politically incorrect to fail drivers for not breaking the law!  Such a truly meaningful and life saving exercise would be completely unacceptable to the powers that be.

Never the less, safe highway driving isn’t about going fast or slow.  It’s about having the skill and ability to drive a high speed boulevard safely – at whatever speed you choose to boogie.

If we’re really going to be serious about stopping our highway carnage, it’s time for drastic measures.  Perhaps it’s time for a Highway Driving License.  What do you think?

So you’ve passed the written test and driven around the block with that stone faced testing type person.  You managed not to blow any stop signs or get clobbered by another vehicle and now “Stone Face” is writing away feverishly.  Suspense builds.  Finally, you get the desperately desired “You passed” response!

Yup!  The long arm of the law says you now know how to drive.  Hmmm.  You may have the basics, but your driving journey has only just begun.

If you’re going to be a proud, skilled, and most importantly, safe driver, you’re going to have to learn more than “just the basics.”  Driving around the block or down a safe, slow street a few times, just isn’t going to get it.  Nope!  Now you’re going to be on the roads with thousands of other drivers, many of whom may not even be as good at it as you already are.

So whatdaya gotta’ do now?  How do you get from just a basic driver to a truly proficient “road master”?  How do you get comfortable and confident at any speed, and with any of the myriad of other drivers you may end up tangling with?  Let’s make it simple.

There are two basic traits of a really proficient driver.  He has experience and she has finely tuned physical driving skills.

Lets start with the Experience thing first because this is the most intimidating problem for the newer driver.  You can’t just hop out on the road and get ten years of experience.  Or can you?

The word “experience” insinuates that one has been through, well – experiences!  But maybe you don’t have to actually experience driving situations to be aware that they can happen.  You just have to focus on what can happen – and be ready for it.  You have to spend a little time Driverthinking about it.

Awareness is an essential part of driving experience.  We have to be aware of what’s around us.

Learn how to adjust those rear view mirrors – and use them constantly.  Don’t just focus on the car in front of you.  Stretch your vision out and Forward Look past that car, as far as you can see.  Being aware of what is around you is critical when you’re on today’s roadways.

Learn to identify Road Hazards.  A Road Hazard is something that can quickly turn in to a Road Emergency.  They’re a lot easier to avoid as Road Hazards than when they become Road Emergencies.  Learning to identify the multiple Road Hazards you will face, will be one of the most important driving skills you will ever develop.

Finally (under the “experience” category) is the Anticipation of problems.  Learn to anticipate the unexpected – and prepare for it as you boogie along.  Just because that driver looks like she’s stopped to make a left turn, doesn’t mean she will.  If you’re blowing by her on the right when she changes her mind and suddenly swings back into traffic, you just might plant your left front bumper firmly into her passenger side door.

Always expect the unexpected, and prepare for it.

Driving skills are a prerequisite for really proficient driving.

The skilled driver knows not only how her car is handling at the moment, but also how it will handle if an unexpected maneuver is required.  Knowing your vehicle is critical.  Does it over steer?  Under steer?  How does it handle curving roads at speed?

If you’re leaning hard and fast into a curve on the highway, how will your car react if you suddenly have to slow down or stop?  Will it Throttle Steer you right into the center median?  When will it break loose and skid because of instant over steer?

There are many situations your chosen buggy will have to react to.  Knowing how it will react, will make you a much more skilled driver.  The only way to learn how it will react is to gradually push it to greater limits – preferably on a lonely road without other traffic to interrupt your escapades.

Looking ahead as far as you can, will automatically center you in your lane.  Learning how to “hit an apex” will make you a more skilled driver.  Learning not to hit it on the highway because that driver on your side just may not hit it with you, will make you a more skilled highway driver.

A great way to learn driving skills quickly is to read articles about driving.  Read car reviews.  They’re written by driving experts and those experts will talk about handling characteristics you need to know about.

Experience and driving skill will make you a smoother driver.  Smooth driving at any speed, is one sign of a proficient driver.

Driverthink about your driving.  It won’t be long before you have “more than just the basics.”

I just finished reading Change Your Brain Change your Life, by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Three Rivers Press, New York.  It rapidly became one of the most important books I’ve ever read.  It’s a very positive book but it’s also very scary, particularly from a Safe Driving point of view.

The crux of Dr. Amen’s book is that a lot of us are struggling with deficiencies that are caused by the physiology of our brains, either defects caused by inheritance, or perhaps as often, by a long forgotten brain injury.  We can see ourselves and almost anyone we ever knew ...<< MORE >>

One of the most important things we can do to avoid mishaps on the road is to identify Road Hazards.  One of the tools in our arsenal that helps us do this, is Profiling drivers and the different types of vehicles that they’re driving in.

Over the years I have read countless articles, tips and suggestions about what to do when you’re driving and you start to feel drowsy.  Most of them are the typical excellent ideas.  For myself, however, since way back when the ink was still dripping off of my brand new driver’s license, I’ve followed a simple, basic rule.  It has always kept me alert and very much alive.  I drive the car!

Independent Rear Suspension, or “IRS” for short, can take turns, curves and throttle steering to a far higher level.  A quick Google of the subject will suggest it’s not a topic of insignificant interest — to serious drivers.

It always fascinates me.  When someone is talking about the “go fast” attributes of their car, I’ll ask them, “What kind of rear suspension do you have?”  Inevitably, I’ll get a blank stare.

If you’re a “go fast” — and don’t really understand your car’s suspension, something’s kinda’ suspect.

There have been volumes written on IRS and suspension issues but for the sake of brevity we’re going to cut right to the chase.  For a more detailed explanation, an article on Everything2 covers the subject really well. 

Independent Rear Suspension, or IRS for short, is ...

Whoops?  Where’d the Yellow light go?

When we boogie up to an intersection with a traffic light, its always nice to know that a Yellow light will briefly advise us that our “Green Go” mode is about to transition to “Red, all Stop”.  Trouble is, that Yellow light can sometimes turn Red pretty quickly, leaving our right foot in a bit of a quandary.  So what’s a right foot to do?

The laws for Red and Green lights seem pretty straight forward.  Green means “Good to Go” and Red means “No.”  Not really a problem.  But the Yellow?  Not quite ...

Back when we first started driving (way back for some of us), we used to slip behind the wheel, check everything out, then cautiously move out onto the highway.  We thought about everything we were doing.  We paid attention to everything.  Why?  Driving was new to us.  We had to.

Soon after that, however, driving became routine.  It was like slipping on an old pair of shoes.  We laced them up and never really thought about wearing them as we went through the day.

We can’t “not think” about driving – even if it does get to be routine.  It’s not ...