The Great Driving Tips Thread

In My Humble Opinion
61

And don’t forget the added bonus of having pedestrians who can’t walk in the crosswalk proper because of this having to possibly walk in traffic to cross.

This scenario includes those doofi who stop for the light before the intersection but totally covering the crosswalk. I guess they thought those wide, white lines were painted there for decoration and only because the municipality had some extra cans of white paint hanging around and didn’t know what else to do with them.

noblebaron, hope you don’t mind the reverse great driving tips.

62

Winter driving - Before drivving, clear ALL the snow off your vehicle, not just off the windows. Quick braking can cause the snow on your roof to slide off, impairing your vision. Quick acceleration/highway speeds can cause the snow to fly off the REAR, potentially blinding the person behind you.

63

Wow. I am happy to read so many of my own driving habits in this thread. By god there are good drivers out there! Happy to also pick up a few more safety tricks to add to my defensive driving arsenal.

Here are some of my tricks, that I don’t believe have been mentioned yet.

  1. Take note of vehicles approaching the road from a driveway and be prepared to react if the vehicle does not stop, or stops in the road way. If you don’t notice the driver looking at you, assume he has not seen you and slow down to allow more reaction time.

  2. Use the “acceleration lane” (aka “on-ramp”) of the interstate with its intended purpose: acceleration. Accelerate to match the speed of traffic and position your vehicle to merge safely. If you feel you can not merge safely at the speed of traffic, slow down before the lane ends, being mindful of vehicles behind you that may not notice you slowing. As a previous poster said, driving is a dance, and merging is never an exception to that statement.

  3. Be just as careful in parking lots, loading docks, and driveways as you are on the highway. Be mindful of stationary objects and moving objects. Proceed slowly and constantly survey the area. Many minor accidents occur under 5 mph because drivers are not aware of their surroundings in large open areas like parking lots and loading docks.

Personal anecdote: I had a paper route for a year, and made the same reverse-maneuver out of an apartment complex parking spot over three hundred times. The one time there was another moving vehicle in the parking lot (at 3:30 AM) I backed into a fire hydrant. I was concentrating only on the moving car, not on the stationary objects.

64

And remember to clear off your license plate, so you don’t get pulled over for an obstructed plate.

65

Two parts. One from a state ordered defensive driving class, the other from other places.

Go with the odds. Most accidents happen at intersections, so slow down and be careful there. As VCO3 said, assume the other guy isn’t paying attention. You may have the right of way, but not crashing is more important than being right.

Oddly, very few accidents happen head-on, against the person in the other direction. Far more happen from cars or pedestrians leaping out from the side of the road. So, hug the center line, not the side.

Aside from brake lights, other signs indicate that another car is slowing. A car ahead of you emits a lazy puff of exhaust? He’s gotten off the gas, and he’s slowing down. A car coming toward you dips down in front? He has hit the brakes. He might turn into your path.

If you approach a car that’s weaving in his lane, or has had the turn signal on for the last half mile, the driver is not paying attention or is impaired. Don’t get close. He’ll have his accident, and you needn’t be part of it.

On a two lane road, you need a half mile between you and approaching cars for you to make a pass. If you can detect motion in the approaching car, it’s less than a half mile.

It is better to go slower than you want than to make a foolish pass. The difference might be your life.

Now, the other part:
If you are passing a big truck, and he flashes his brights at you, it means it’s safe to change lanes back in front of him. The “thank you,” if you want to do it, is to quickly shut your lights off, then turn them back on.

Your turn signal alerts other drivers you’re about to turn or change lanes. Allow a little time for the other driver to see it. Again, assume he’s changing stations on his radio or looking at hot babes on the sidewalk, so give an extra second or two.

Your cruise-control does not entitle you to tailgate. Disengage if you get too close.

At night, if you have to stop for gas of coffee, put on your sunglasses to enter the bright lights. The chemical (visual purple) that lets you see at night can be bleached out by bright light. It is better to look weird mormentarily than to be night-blind for the next few miles.

66

This one just came to me. If you ride a motorcycle (read bike if you are one of those :rolleyes: ) the interstate is not your playground or practice track. It ain’t the “cagers” that make your shit unsafe, it is your shit that makes you die.

Sgt Schwartz

67

Another good situation to do this is when someone behind you has inadvertently left his high beams on and their reflection in your mirrors is blinding you.

It seems to make the offending driver wonder what the hell is going on, and, in thinking of possible reasons, he realizes his mistake and corrects it. This technique has never failed me.

68

Turning your front wheels either way when parked seems to be essential, especially if the road conditions are at all slippery. If your unmanned vehicle gets shunted by a poor driver (when they’re parking) it will not slide into the one in front or behind. I’ve seen the result of cars sliding down a snow-covered road and cause way more damage than necessary.

On a personal note i keep a lookout for bikers, and i’ll usually spot them a few cars back. They’re going to pass you some point soon, so keep an eye out for potential hazards, because if you have to move across to pass parked vehicles or turn into a side road you don’t want to be paying out to have your car resprayed.

I actually move over IF it’s safe to do so in a very obvious fashion, allowing the bike rider to pass without moving into oncoming traffic. 99 times out of 100 you’ll get a wave of appreciation in return :slight_smile:

69

Spoken like a true cager. :slight_smile:

You’re addressing a small percentage of the motorcycling populace, I hope you do realise that. And yes, the true risk takers piss me off too.

Most bikers are just trying to get from A to B safely, believe it or not. The reason they ride faster than you drive, is simply because it is safer. With limited vision to the rear, it’s better to keep the danger in front of you, where you can see it. Also, a loud bike is a safer one, as it has a better chance of being heard as well as seen.

Yet, general ignorance dictates that most drivers who are passed by a loud motorcycle immediately think “antisocial suicidal dickhead”. C’est la vie, I guess, but in most cases it’s simply untrue.

70

Barring the part about the interstate, you can tell it to the woman I missed on Friday evening. I’m pulling out of our works entrance, and I look right (drive-on-left here) to see a car approaching the entrance, slowing and signalling left. But my Spidey sense hints that I shouldn’t believe her and I’m proved right when she overshoots the entrance and pulls up in the no-waiting zone just after. If I’d believed her signal I’d have likely been off to Casualty.

Tell it also to the white-van-driving dickhead who was tailgating me at 70mph on the bypass this morning. I suppose he wanted me out of the way so he could bully the car thirty yards ahead into getting out of his way, and so on. Then he’d have got to the next exit, a couple of miles up the road, maybe fifteen seconds sooner than he actually did.

71

Including your headlights and tail lights. When I worked in the public relations office of a state highway administration, we reminded people of this every time it snowed.

I’d never thought of doing that then, but it makes sense! I usually just flip my rear-view mirror and try to get away from the offending high beams. I drive on a lot of dark, winding roads, though, so I’ll have to try to remember that next time. :slight_smile:

72

Never underestimate the importance of being clear and decisive in whatever you do. If other drivers know exactly what you’re doing, they can react appropriately. Which is not to say they always do, but just in case.

An example: You’re about to pull out of a parking space, but right after you put your car in reverse you see someone else coming down the parking lot aisle and decide to let them pass. Take your car out of reverse. This will turn your reverse lights off (the bright white ones) and indicate to the other driver that you’re not pulling out right away. This is also good if you spot some pedestrians behind you and are letting them pass too.

73

[ul]
[li]Know your vehicle and its capabilities. How does it react when operating towards the limits of its performance envelope? Do you know how your vehicle is going to react when you have to cut the wheel at speed? If you don’t know you’d better find out on your own terms than not know and “play it by ear” during a real emergency.[/li]
[li]Maintain situational awareness. Drive with a purpose and always pay attention to what you’re doing as well as the drivers around you. Don’t f— around while you’re driving and maintain positive control at all times.[/li]
[li]**Always drive actively, not reactively. ** Keep your car in a position that leaves you an option to escape a dangerous situation. If that position is compromised relocate yourself to another safe position. That way when something happens you already have an out waiting for you.[/li][/ul]

74

Plus, when in the fast lane, never, never get to the right for an exit more than 500 feet from it. You’re special, so any cars to the right will vanish to let you get over.

I have one objection to your first set. Cops pulling someone over for speeding? That’ll be the day - in the Bay Area at least, except for exceptional special projects.

75

Yes. So many times I’ve been on the freeway, and I’ve sensed the car in the next lane wants to change, but can’t because my lane is blocked by me and some other cars, so this guy is weaving a little, looking over his shoulder, slowing down, then giving up for a while and driving normally, then doing it again - but he is too scared to signal. Signal anyway! We’ll probably try and make room for you, and even if we can’t right away, we’ll know your intentions.

76

Voyager, the various governments of the Bay Area don’t need the money. San Diego, on the other hand, has a credit rating that looks like a batting average.

77

You are not in a hurry to get yourself killed.

Regarding brake lights mentioned earlier, ideally you should have enough space between you and the car in front that you can simply take your foot off the accellerator instead. Then analyse the situation further and take appropriate action. Immediately hitting the brakes might cause the car behind you to run into you; check first. It’s small comfort to know that you’re in the right when your loved ones are weeping at your funeral.

78

Some stretches of road are simply not places to pass. Often, those stretches are patrolled by the proud members of the Anti-Destination Society, driving more slowly than you want to go. DO NOT let your macho emotions make you do something dangerous. You must do two things. First, accept the reality that you’ll have to go slow for a while. Second, leave a big distance between you and the slow leak. Why? Because some fool will risk his (and your) life to show he’s a real man. When he takes a damnfool chance, that big space will let him save his (and your) neck by dodging back into your lane.

When you approach an intersection with wide-open lawns, you can see the other street for a long distance, and you don’t need to slow down much. If there are buildings or shrubs blocking your view right up to the corner, you can’t see the other street until the last second. Slow down more.

Random acts of kindness: If you’re in heavy traffic, waiting for a light, and another driver is waiting to enter the stream from the side, wave him in. It will cost you a few seconds, but you’ll leave somebody with the feeling (illusion?) that people are basically good. :slight_smile:

Once in a while, you’ll be passed on the highway by some guy going way too fast. You’ll say, “What an idiot!” :eek: Don’t be that guy.