Driving "rules" that they don't teach you in driver's ed

In My Humble Opinion
21

How 'bout pulling into the intersection while waiting to turn left?
(Though I don’t know if this is regional, and don’t really remember if they taught this in driver’s ed.)

Anyway, almost all drivers in NJ will do this—they pull half way into the intersection while waiting for a gap to make their turn. This way, when the light changes, at least one or two cars will make the turn.

Occasionally I’m behind somebody who doesn’t use this technique, and it is a frustrating experience, especially if they wait through a couple light cycles waiting for the gap that never comes.

22

Are you saying that drivers should or should not do this? I was always taught to pull way into the intersection (and technically you should keep your wheels straight), this allows you to have time to get through that small gap or when the light changes to yellow or red you can then continue.* Also it’s easier for the left turners in the on coming traffic to see around you that way.

*Contrary to what some people think, when the light turns green, right of way first goes to people that are still in the intersection from the previous green. I see a lot of jackasses that will floor it and then stomp on the brakes almost hitting the people that are finishing their left turn, pisses me off when you KNOW that they saw the people there and they were just trying to ‘teach them a lesson.’

23

Not in California.

Which brings to mind another thing they don’t necessarily teach: each state has its own driving laws, and they may be different than yours.

24

If you’re driving on ice or snow with ABS brakes, you have almost no stopping power in an emergency.

25

It’s possibly regional. Here in Ohio, everyone does it. But back in New South Wales there’s a general principle that you should not enter an intersection unless you can clear it, so my habit is not to do it.

26

Don’t trust your mirrors when changing lanes, etc. Turn your head and look so you don’t miss something in the the blind spots.

Don’t trust someone’s directional blinker. They might have not turned it off from a previous maneuver or changed their mind.

Don’t ride over something in the road–i.e., like a paper bag (there might be something in it) or a piece of wood (there might be nails). You’ll get a flat or otherwise damage your car.

Always be ready to hit the brake unexpectedly:
(1) Especially that parked car you see that guy sitting in; he might open the door suddenly, right in your path.

(2) In an intersection. Other drivers may not yield the right of way.

(3) If a ball rolls into the road. The kid who dropped/threw it might be chasing after it right into your path.

All of those courtesy of my dad who taught me to drive 43 years ago. Those things stuck in my mind and I can still hear his voice when I drive.

One from me:
Keep your windows rolled up, no matter what the weather. Use your HVAC system instead. Something (pebble, stone, piece of ice, a cigarette, something falling off a truck, etc.) can hit you in the face/eye.

27

That law in California is stupid and dangerous, then. There is a perfectly valid safety reason to not change lanes in an intersection - imagine I’m driving straight through the intersection in the left hand lane; someone waiting to make a right turn into the right lane beside me does so, because I’m in the left lane. If I change lanes in the intersection, I might drive right into someone who thought the right lane was available. As experienced drivers know, there might be only two cars on the entire road, and you will both be at the same damned place at the same damned time.

I learned all the things in the OP from my driving instructor (and still do them - I figured early on that good habits were as easy to develop as bad habits). I don’t recall if I learned them in driver’s education at school. This is yet another reason for people to take proper driver training before attempting to operate a motor vehicle regularly.

As for not trusting other drivers’ signals (a good idea), you have to watch both - what they signal and what they do, and just back off if they’re too contradictory. My most pesky fender-bender came from a new driver who was driving erratically in front of me; after a couple of frustrating blocks following her, she signalled left and turned right - I thought she was going to park, but she was actually turning into a driveway across the street, and was doing a big farmer turn (swing right, turn left) into the driveway. I drove past her on the left, and she swung around and hit the passenger side rear panel of my car. What I would do now in that situation is just back off until she has herself sorted out - there was no win for me driving around somebody unpredictable like that.

That’s another thing - don’t do big farmer turns. Unless you’re driving something like a semi, you only need to drive straight into openings, not do a big, swinging turn.

28

When a lane of traffic is going to be closed ahead and signs forewarn “right lane closed ahead, merge left” both lanes should be used all the way up to the merge point.
I am not being an ass because everyone is stopped bumper to bumper for a 1/2 mile in the left lane and I drive past you in the right hand lane up to the merge point. I do this because it’s the correct thing to do.
I realize most people are not aware of this from all the middle fingers and unwillingness to let me merge going on but I am still correct.

29

“Slower traffic keep right” or “keep right except to pass” is not emphasized enough in traffic school.

The duty to keep right has nothing to do with the speed limit but is based solely upon whether you are going slower than someone else. If you are “slower” than someone else, then you “keep right.”

If you are going 10 MPH over the speed limit and someone else is going 20 MPH over the speed limit, then you are going “slower” and must “keep right.”

The rule, as stated, is a matter of relative speed.

30

The not changing lanes in an intersection is taught here as well - I think it’s illegal within 100 feet or something like that. This also applies when you are turning from a one or multi-lane road on to another multi-lane road. If you are in the left most lane for your turn, you must end up in the left most lane after your turn (there are some exceptions, but here they have the lanes painted through the intersection if that is the case). For example, if you are in the left lane of a two lane for a left turn, and you end up in the right lane of the road following your turn, that is an illegal lane change in the intersection. You turn into the left lane, then change lanes into the right.

31

100% correct, and I too get a lot of pissed of looks and middle fingers when I do this as well.

32

{Calgary Hijack}There is a t-intersection downtown with triple left turn lanes - I used to work in an office overlooking that intersection, and enjoyed watching the carnage. Drivers here can barely deal with dual turn lanes; triple turn lanes fry their little melons.{/hijack}

33

It’s a good idea to turn on your headlights when it’s raining enough that you want to use your windshield wipers. It won’t help you see, but it will help other drivers see you (which is just as important). It’s the law in some states, but it’s a good idea everywhere.

If you leave a huge amount of space in front of your car, more than most other drivers are leaving in front of themselves, don’t be surprised when people merge into it.

Don’t ride with your foot on the brakes, tapping the brakes periodically, unless there really is no other option. It wears out your brakes and annoys the person behind you. I actually did learn this one in driver’s ed, as well as that brake-tapping is often the result of driving with one foot on the brakes and one on the gas, and that’s why you shouldn’t use your feet that way while driving.

Driving when you’re really tired is a bad idea.

Unless you are in a police car, it is not your job to make sure that other drivers obey the rules of the road. Nor are you the road mod- it’s not your job to punish other drivers for being jerks. You’re not a driving instructor, either- it’s not your job to teach another driver a lesson.

In the spirit of those rules, don’t go the speed limit in the far left lane, or try to keep people from passing you when you are going the speed limit. It’s not your job to enforce the speed limit.

You don’t want to annoy other drivers, no matter who they are or what they do. People’s driving generally doesn’t improve when they are annoyed.

Driving near somebody who’s driving unpredictably or driving like a jerk is generally a no-win situation. If you see someone driving like that, you should try to get as far away from them as you can. If they’re driving like they’re drunk, call the cops on them by all means. But after you do, get away from them. It might be interesting to see the cops pull them over, but it’s very dangerous to drive near a drunk or otherwise unpredictable driver.

34

:confused: You have a lot more “stopping power” with ABS brakes than a vehicle without antilock brakes. That’s kind of the point.

35

On ice, unless you have good snow tires, you have no stopping power regardless of the type of brakes you have. With ABS, you can at least steer during an emergency, limited by the amount of traction you have with the road surface.

ABS is a win in pretty much all situations except deep snow, at least for anything short of an expert driver. 99.9% of drivers are not expert drivers.

36

I’m guessing you should go back and re-take your driver’s test.

http://www.lacantdrive.com/2008/05/30/is-it-legal-to-change-lanes-in-an-intersection/

37

A little tip I learned when I was a lot younger is when driving an automatic transmission car, is to shift into neutral, when trying to stop on ice or snow. While in neutral, if you have anti-lock brakes, just brake normally. If you don’t have anti-lock brakes, pump the brakes, do not stomp on them. You should be able to stop easily. If you are driving a standard transmission, just put the clutch in, and brake as noted above.

38

Where in that law does it say anything about intersections?

39

It’s not a race, or any other kind of a contest, out there, people. If somebody else acts if it is, just let them go. Your responsibility is to do your part to help keep traffic flowing smoothly and safely.

One corollary is that safe and legal aren’t synonyms. Go the same speed as everyone else, and you’ll not only be safer, you’ll avoid attracting the cops’ attention.

Speaking of cops, if you see one, it’s already too late.

The effective speed limit is 10-15 mph over the posted one, except on quota days.

40

Why shift to neutal?

I drive in a lot of ice and snow, and would agree that there are times when I know I could stop much better if I could completely lock up the brakes and dig into the snow. Has to be a very specific type of snow pack though.

I just wish CDOT would be consistant with the way the manage 2 lane roads that merge down to a single lane. Sometimes the left lane ends, sometimes the right lane ends.