The Great Driving Tips Thread

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi all,

I want to start a thread about your best driving tips. The odds of dying in an auto accident over a lifetime are surprisingly high (something like 1:100 in the US) and so is being seriously injured (perhaps someone can provide more accurate stats.)

I’ve got a few to share:

  1. When I encounter a green light at an intersection, I momentarily take my foot off the gas pedal, cover the brake and take a quick check left and right. This in case I need to stop unexpectedly.

  2. When the light changes to green while waiting at an intersection, especially when I am first in line, I first look left then right THEN start moving my car into the intersection. In certain circumstances (if there are objects blocking visibility) I sometimes roll slowwwly forward to complete my check.

  3. When turning right, especially in the city when traffic is slow, check your right sideview mirror for cyclists.
    Anecdote to #2: I once prevented my car from being T-boned on the driver’s side by a car going 40/mph by doing this.

Any other tips that could save a life?

-NB

2

When waiting to turn across the oncoming lane: (i) keep you car and wheels pointed straight ahead (do not turn toward oncoming traffic lane); and (ii) do not put any part of your vehicle into the oncoming lane.

IME, # (i) prevents unnecessary collisions if you’re rear-ended and # (ii) allows oncoming to continue in its lane without veering into the lane to the right of it.

Also, when parking on a hill, turn your wheels towards the curve. If your car moves for any reason, it won’t be out into traffic.

3

These are very fundamental and obvious. But I am surprised how many people don’t follow them:

  1. When you are driving, what is the most important thing to look at? Answer: the tail lights on the car in front of you. I’m not saying you should stare at them 100% of the time. But you should be looking at them more than anything else.

  2. When you see the brake lights “come on” on the car in front of you, apply your brakes at the same time.

4

Hang up the damn phone.

Put down the damn hamburger.

Get out of my damn way.

5

When driving on the freeway, always be careful around the big transport trucks. Especially be careful when you are behind them–a good rule when you do is to make sure you can always see their mirrors. If you can, then they can also see you. And, the distance required to see the truck’s mirrors from behind means that you should be far enough back that if the truck does have to hit the brakes, you have time to react appropriately.

6

I would add to this that, assuming you aren’t driving behind someone whose vehicle is significantly taller than yours or who has a heavily tinted rear windshield, you should try to use the car in front of the car directly in front of you to gauge traffic conditions as well. This is particularly useful for avoiding rear-ending someone on the freeway. The guy in front of you may not be paying as much attention as he should be, but you can increase your own reaction time by keeping an eye ahead of him when possible.

7

Dreadful, dangerous advice. Your attention should be on the quarter mile ahead of you (or half mile if you can see it), with awareness also of what is going on in your mirrors, with your speed, and with the guy ahead of you. One of the main purposes of brake lights is that they draw attention through peripheral vision, so you will respond to them even though you weren’t staring at them for the last ten minutes. Only responding to the lights themselves, rather than the incident up ahead which caused the guy to brake in the first place, compounds reaction times, necessitating increasingly-harsh braking for subsequent drivers, and worse. (All this is assuming you weren’t whooshing me.)

8

  1. Always have an escape route. You should have a safe path to drive to if the route you are currently on is unusable. That is, if the car in front of you stops suddenly, can you safely cut left or right? If the truck in front of you loses its load, can you avoid it? If a car is coming at you head on, do you have enough room on the shoulder to miss the crash?

  2. Drive through the vehicle in front of you. You should occasionally look beyond the vehicle in front of you to see what he/she may have to react to and plan not only your, but also his expected escape route.

  3. Don’t drive in the left lane. It is for passing on the highways. Stay to the right. If a vehicle is approaching from behind, get into the right lane.

Sgt Schwartz

9

Good call. A number of lorries here have signs pasted on their rear corner saying ‘If you can’t see my mirrors, I can’t see you’. It’s a good reminder, particularly at roundabouts, where they’re likely to swing into an adjacent lane.

10

Keep car maintained. Good brakes and tires, shocks and suspension make all the difference. It scares me to see the condition of some of the wrecks on the road.

At intersections (right hand drive, right side of road) I was taught to look left, right, and then left again. I try to move my head and take in the same scene from a different angle, it is amazing how small a visual “footprint” a car can hide in, behind a mirror or window pillar or other obstruction. "Honestly, I never saw him… " etc.

I would argue to avoid driving at night if at all possible, from a safety standpoint, strictly speaking. So many variables compared with driving during daylight hours - Critters on the road, fatigue can be a factor, eyes dimming with age, inclement weather, and on and on - and drunks on the road.

One thing to watch out for - Drunk drivers will often get on the wrong side of the interstate and particularly out west on long remote stretches, drive for miles like this without ever realizing what they are doing, so from around midnite well into the morning hours is dangerous, in my opinion. Yeah, it’s remote chance - but seeing someone flying by you at sunrise the wrong way on the interstate will wake you up in a hurry, let me tell you!

Wintertime, icy/snow driving is another matter altogether, where to start.

And - EYE THAT CYCLE - two wheeled folks just want to stay out of your way -
use your signals and keep distance.

p.s. - failure to use turn signals should be, oh, about an eleventy gazillion dollar fine. Cities would love the revenue generated, and the roads would be a lot more sane.

11

Does that ever happen anymore? I’m always either behind one or trying to see around one when I’m backing out of the parking space next to it.

Mine is:

Avoid the lane next to busy exit or split. If you have to be in that lane, be aware that someone ahead of you will have shot up to the head of the line and is going to throw on his brakes while he tries to get someone to let him cut in.

12

You’re historically correct, but it’s now been changed, IMO to be more suited to the kind of situations encountered (at least here):

http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/arrivealive/greencross.htm

13

Oh, piffle.

“Look In Every Direction” That could take a while. /s

14

Driving is not a race: Driving is a dance. The object is for everyone to keep out of each others way, and still get where you are going efficiently and safely. If you are driving any other way, you are doing it wrong. If your driving causes other people to brake excessively, or to swerve in any way, you are doing it wrong, and you are an asshole.

If you always go the speed limit, keep well separated from other cars, pay attention to what you are doing, and obey the rules, your chances of being in an accident go way, way down.

People who get angry at someone doing the speed limit are morons. People don’t get angry when someone obeys other laws, like stealing. “Hey, buddy, quit holding up the check-out line, you only have a few items – just shoplift them (followed by giving the finger)” :rolleyes: Remember, it’s not a race!

Want to save gas? Accelerate like you have an egg between the gas pedal and your foot. Anticipate having to stop, and coast as much as possible.

Safe following distance is generally way longer than you think. If the guy behind you is tailgating, increase your following distance from the car ahead of you. You need this extra space to keep the tailgater from hitting you if you have to stop quickly.

Patience.

15

Yeah, it seems to have gotten increasingly common (although I’m not sure whether you’re talking about the tinting or just the mammoth vehicles). I do my best to avoid being behind a vehicle I can’t see through. It takes away one a valued safety measure that has helped me in the past.

Amen. It seems that most of the habitual no-signal-users don’t realize that there are times when other traffic is actually relying on a clue from them. You can’t always be aware of who is looking for your signal, so just get in the habit of using them.

16

The following are statements/questions, correct me if I’m wrong.

Proper Use of Signals

  1. Turn signals are to indicate turns, i.e., the vehicle is moving and turning either left or right, but, ultimately, continuing in the traffic flow.

  2. Hazard lights are to indicate you are not moving, or you are about to stop and become stationary, i.e. broken down or about to stop at the curve or in a double-parked position, preparatory to parking. (I’ve also seen hazards used and have used them myself to indicate I’m moving but my vehicle cannot go any faster or may malfunction.)

Or does it matter if you use 1) to indicate 2)?

Oh, and clean windows matter – front, back and sides.

17

Tinting and mammoth seem to go together.

18

NEVER rely on your passengers to tell you if the road is clear. If you can’t see around them, make them duck.

19

Your definition of #2 seems pretty solid. In #1, of course, turns signals should also indicate lane changes, but perhaps you intentionally excluded that for the purposes of your question.

I don’t see when it would ever be appropriate to use a turn signal where you would normally use your hazards. ETA: unless you’re signaling to get over before an imminent breakdown.

20

During a period when a lot of friends and coworkers were having accidents, I gleaned the fact that in almost all cases their reason/excuse was “I just didn’t see him!”

So, rule #1 part A is to BE VISIBLE. I think running lights are a great idea in the daytime. I know that in my stupid SUV with its stupid dark-tinted windows I can see cars behind me in my rear-view mirror only if their lights are on. Given my choice I’d drive a brightly colored car.

Rule #1 part B is to PAY ATTENTION. Look over your shoulder when changing lanes, don’t trust your mirrors. But also don’t just trust the over-the-shoulder glance. Look ahead for hazards…another that could pull out if it doesn’t see you, children playing ahead. A sneaky one: In every exit-only lane there could be someone who doesn’t want to be there, and they could pull out unexpectedly.

Rule #1 Part C is to signal everything but in a reasonable way. For instance, if you’re proceeding down 1st Avenue with the intent of turning on E street, don’t signal until you’ve passed D street.

But be very leery of everyone else’s signals.

Rule #2 pertains to highway driving. Part A: drive so that it’s never necessary to hit your brakes. Part B: drive so it’s never necessary for another driver to hit his brakes.

Stay 2 seconds behind the car ahead of you. In slick driving conditions, 3 seconds or more. (Example if this sounds too hard: car ahead of you passes blotch on highway. One-one thousand, two one thousand, you pass blotch on highway.)

Scan ahead for upcoming hazards. This can also keep you out of traffic jams and in the correct lane when one lane closes down.

When driving on the freeway, don’t remain even with a car in the next lane. Either speed up or drop your speed so you’re staggered enough that another car could weave through.

If you’re going the speed limit and yet people are passing you left and right, get into the slowest non-exit lane, you’re impeding traffic. If someone is tailgating you, either move over to let them pass or speed up. They’re wrong, but it’s not your job to correct them.

It is very impolite to have a breakdown or a wreck during rush hour. Please see to it that you don’t.