Chief Mason

Many drivers develop an almost hypnotic stare at a point on the road not far in front of them. Others stare at the line between lanes. Both of these types of drivers can be identified by their sudden braking as they notice dangerous situations at the last moment. Instead, the eyes should be constantly moving up and down the road, to the sides, and...

2. . . . to the rear view mirrors.

Keep the eyes moving up and down the road in back of your car a number of times each minute. A driver should always know what is happening behind her vehicle and to the sides of her car. Again, there should be no surprises.

3. Always leave yourself an out.

At all times, you must try to place your vehicle where your safety is not determined by other drivers. You want to have a place to head if danger appears. This is called looking for "space cushions", places where you can go in order to avoid collisions.

• For example, on a six lane highway with three lanes in each direction, your automobile is in a very unsafe position if it is directly behind another vehicle in the centre of the three lanes going in one direction, and there are cars next to you in the two adjacent lanes.
  
  In this situation, what happens if the car in front of you suddenly brakes? You have no space cushion. You have no place to move if you cannot brake in time.
  
  What happens if the car on your left or right suddenly moves toward your lane because the other driver does not look carefully?
  
  Your escape is blocked. You have not left yourself an out. You are not in control of the situation.

Think about the positions of vehicles a driver is less likely to notice. Not at his front. Not at his back if he is using is main rearview mirror. Yes, at his sides, especially at the side and slightly to the rear.

These are the "blind spots" when driving. And, the right side is worse than the left. Unless his mirrors are adjusted perfectly or he turns his head, he will not notice vehicles to his right or left and slightly to his back. If he is suddenly changes lanes, we must watch out if we are one of the adjacent drivers!

When we have a space cushion, we have already avoided this accident.

Therefore, if we must pass, we do not want to linger next to another vehicle. We should rush to its front as soon as possible. And, as mentioned, we do not want to follow too closely, especially if we cannot move to the right or left if the car in front of us slows suddenly.

Think about this: When are we most likely to hit something? When there is something to hit! Therefore, avoid the packs. Hang back. If we must pass, we should rush ahead of the mass of vehicles as soon as possible, without going so fast that we get a ticket in the process.

4a. Make sure the other driver sees you, and

4b. Never presume another driver will do something unless you are certain he or she will do so.

On freeways, where improper lane changes are one of the most frequent causes of serious accidents, and on two-lane roads, where vehicles going the other direction are frequently passing slower vehicles, using your headlights can help. This helps other drivers notice you.

Rain and fog, too, are a time for headlights, as well as twilight. Some drivers have a very limited view of the role of headlights or a misguided desire to conserve power, as they delay turning on car lights in the evening as long as possible. "I can see just fine!"

But, a critical issue is how well others can see us.

Twilight is the time of most accidents. Drivers are tired after a day of activity. Some have stopped for an after work drink or two or three and have impaired focus. Others, anxious to get home, rush too quickly. The rule is to help these people to see us and to avoid us. Be amongst the last to turn off lights in the morning and amongst the first to turn them on in the evening, if not driving with lights on all the time.

If another driver does not seem to have noticed us, and it looks as if she might hit us, blinking the headlights may be a big help. And, moving the right foot off the accelerator to be ready to brake will speed reaction time, if our best reaction is not rushing ahead to avoid collision.

We should be particularly careful at intersections when a driver approaching from a side road or already stopped on a stop sign on a side road does not seem to be looking right or left for other traffic as we approach.

The horn, by the way, is almost useless in most driving situations as other drivers are usually too far away to hear us or they are focused on their music systems with their windows rolled up due to air conditioning. Using horns in anger, by the way, has been banned in New York City with a $300 fine.

• Rear end collisions can be prevented or made less serious, if we do not have time to rush ahead, by repeatedly lightly (so as to not slow down) stepping on the brake pedal to cause the rear red lights to blink in warning when another vehicle approaches too rapidly from behind.
  
  The great danger, as mentioned above, are drivers who do not look far down the road as they drive, and thus miss seeing slowed or stopped vehicles ahead of them until the last moment. Blinking the brake lights should attract attention of these faulty drivers, and allow them time to stop. Or, at least decease the impacts of the collisions.
   

Proper use of turn signals, too, lessens the chance of accidents. Turn signals attract the attention of other drivers. All too often we see signals turned on at the same time as turns or lane changes are initiated, which is not safe driving. Making a decision at the last moment certainly shows that a driver has not been paying attention.

Using signals is far more than a courtesy; it is a key safety technique.

5. On freeways or other multi-lane roads and their on-ramps, maintain average traffic speed.

A vehicle going slower than other traffic sets up too many opportunities for collisions. If a more relaxed driving pace is desired, find another type of road.

We should be at average traffic speed when we enter a freeway and be at average speed when we enter the exit ramp. Before rushing up a freeway entrance ramp, we look back and gauge the average speed. We also look for a break in the traffic in the lane closest to the right. We want to enter the freeway at the same speed as those already on the freeway. Other cars should not have to brake or swerve to avoid us.

We avoid driving directly behind a vehicle on the ramp in front of us, as we want full control over our speed. By the time we reach the end of the ramp, we are at normal freeway speed. On all but the most poorly designed freeways, we have time to gain needed speed on the ramps.

The proper etiquette, by the way, for drivers already in the right lane of a divided highway is to move one lane left when they see drivers coming into traffic from an entrance ramp. If it is not possible to move over, we should slow down or speed up to give the entering driver a comfortable space. This is for our protection as well as theirs.

We want to avoid being a stationary object or semi-stationary obstacle on a freeway. No situation is more dangerous than the one caused when a car stops at the end of an entrance ramp because the driver misjudged the opportunities to enter traffic (or was just too timid). From this stop, the vehicle must enter traffic as an obstacle as dangerous as a large boulder in the road. A boulder, however, can better defend itself than a car made of thin metal, plastic, glass, and the bodies of the driver and passengers.

In addition to entering and exiting busy freeways at normal speed, we want to avoid stopping on freeway margins, except in extreme emergencies. If possible, exit a freeway before stopping. Otherwise, we become a danger to ourselves and others when we pull into high speed traffic again.

6. Respect the weather.

Readers of this lesson do not need to be lectured on the importance of caution in icy or snowy conditions. During these it may be better to check into a hostel or hotel for the duration, even if we are used to this type of driving. Otherwise, we may be on the road with drivers who are not as careful and skilful as we are especially in places like Portland, Seattle, Vancouver (both), Victoria, the California mountains, and the southern United States where most drivers that we meet will not be used to driving in snow all winter.

Many readers may not know that even a light rain may be as dangerous as the worst winter weather. In much of Canada and the U.S., rainfall is very sporadic during Summer.

This allows oil residue and dirt to accumulate on roads, especially at intersections and on inclines where large vehicles must strain to maintain speed. When the first rain comes after a period of dryness, roads become every bit a slick as in the midst of winter because of the slippery mixture of oil, dirt, and water.

Use great caution at the start of a summer rain, and be careful any time driving on slick roads when braking takes longer.

7. Be aware that our reaction time and general driving skills deteriorate as we get tired.

The old adage that rest is the basis of dynamic, successful activity applies to driving as well as to every area of life. Driving without having had sufficient sleep is highly dangerous.

We need not always sleep to freshen our mind. Sometimes, merely walking a bit will revitalize our focus. Therefore, follow the guideline to stop every two or three hours while driving long distances.

In addition, we must modify our behavior as we grow older or if we drive amongst older drivers (as is very common in parts of Arizona, Florida, southern California, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in Winter, and to some degree nearly everywhere).

As we age our peripheral vision--the distance we can see to both sides without turning--grows narrower and narrower. Consequently, we need to turn our heads more to see what we had seen in the past without turning.

Unfortunately, we have developed a habit of turning only so far, which can be dangerous both for us and for other drivers as we grow older. All too often we may find ourselves pulling into oncoming traffic, unless we take extra care. And, as mentioned, younger drivers must watch for our mistakes

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