OCBen

That's a good habit. In California it's the law that you must wait before entering an intersection after the light has turned green to make sure the intersection is clear and no one else is entering from the cross direction. A driver can be cited for entering an intersection prematurely even though he has the green light.

Running red lights has been a major problem in California as everyone always seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere. The installation of cameras (robocops) at intersections in some cities has helped cut down on the number of accidents, as well as helped fill the coffers of the local municipalities.

DJ23

Derivativeguy, Hollister, and Rome, my other car is an old Volvo. And I tried ever legal avenue possible without much success. But my restoration company was able to put things back together to prestine condition. Search my post. I have nice pics to view.
To be succinct these cars ride low and aren't in the best of view for other cars and sometimes are run into. So be on the look out for the other person; trust me it will save you.

Jay

morganb

Great thread idea and even if this saves one accident well worth while. I like the horn from behind.
My addition to this thread iswhen pulling up to make a right turn (Us RHD people) or left turn (you LHD people) keep you wheels straight till you are ready to go across the intersection. The logic is if someone hits you from behind and your wheels are straight you will go straight, if your wheels are turned then you will move forward and turn, directly into the oncoming traffic. Does not avoid the accident but hopefully helps minimize the damage.

sweanders

Always drive with the lights on, it makes you easier to spot and also makes it easier to see that the car is moving.

In Sweden it is mandatory to have lights on when driving and when crossing the border to another country where it is legal to have all lights off it is harder to see oncoming traffic.

CBnAT

It was mentioned before but I think that one of the best things you can do is go to Driver Education days, the more the better. For a good 2 weeks after every event I realize how slowly everything on the street takes place in comparison to the track and relaize how far down the road I can look. I am able to take in so much more information after driving at the track and I am also much more aware of how quickly I can react.

One other thing that is obvious but I didn't see stated is ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. It will save your life. Don't listen to those "he would have died if his seat belt was on" stories, there are way more "he didn't die because his sealtbelt was on" stories. There are unavidable accidents and you have to let the car do what it was designed to do and absorb the impact. The only way that works properly is if you and any passengers are wearing your seatbelts. (Do I sound like your mother yet?)

W211

I'm a big fan of doing my best to anticipate other drivers. When I used to look just at their front wheels, now I start also peeking into the window to see if they're chatting on the phone to gauge how distracted they are.

I also use emergency blinkers quite a lot.

OCBen

That's an excellent tip.

Here in the US (and anywhere you drive on the right hand side) it's when waiting for traffic to clear before making a left turn that you should be careful not to turn your wheels in anticipation, as a bump from behind - as morganb points out - can push you into oncoming traffic and toward a potential head-on collision. I've heard of this actually happening before.

The real danger comes from thinking that it's okay to turn the wheels when there is someone behind you waiting to turn as well who has come to a stop and will not be rear-ending you. What you can't usually see is the car coming up fast behind him that can rear-end him, and he in turn bumps you into fast moving oncoming traffic. This too has happened before.

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You guys are coming up with some good ones. Good to hear all these safe driving habits.

I think we all realize that the overwhelming majority of accidents are caused by careless drivers who aren't paying attention to their driving because they are usually distracted for one reason or another, or have multiple distractions going on. You need to be vigilant against them, especially those yapping away on their phone making three-way conference calls.

Here's a couple more:

Don't insist on the right of way just because the law says you have it. Don't assume other drivers will obey the law, such as assuming a driver will stop at the stop sign and not continue on straight into you path - keep an eye out to make sure he is decelerating, and be prepared if he is not.

In a two lane residential street, if you are behind a slow driver and wish to pass it's a good idea to tap your horn to alert him of your maneuver. He may be slowing down to turn left and didn't signal, and your sound of the horn will alert him and prevent him from turning into you. When passing like that I'm always extra careful if I'm passing him where there's a cross street up ahead that he might be turning into and just didn't feel like using his signals. A driver may not slow down that much when turning into a street, but he usually slows down quite a bit when turning into a driveway. So keep that in mind.

MrMetrx

As it is just as important to watch your surroundings, it is also important to pay attention to the vehicle's way ahead of you. This will give you more time to react to sudden braking or debris in the roadway. Paying attention to the vehicle's way ahead of you will give you an indication of potential hazards.

OCBen

For you married guys, I'm sure you'll be able to relate.

For some reason my wife must think the car is an excellent environment for her to talk to me just because I'm not able to walk away, presumably. She sometimes gets on a roll and expects me to follow along, and gets real annoyed when she realizes I'm not paying attention to a word she's saying.

I'll look at her quickly and say, "Wha...? I'm in a zone here. I can't focus on that right now. Wait until we're there."

larrytrk

That's when PSE is not loud enough!!!

Paul523

Good one.

I nearly got broad sided a few weeks ago, and it would have been my fault. It was just prior to sunset when I started to pull forward (2-way stop sign, cross-traffic not required to stop), I didn't see a dark-colored car from my right emerging from a heavily shaded section of the road-- the kind with a canopy of trees over top.... luckily I jammed on my brakes at the last second. If the other car had had their headlights on, or even parking lights on, I would have seen them no problem.


That's when you throw it in 3rd and PUNCH IT... she'll pipe down pretty quick. good thread, Ben.

On a more somber note- I have half a dozen friends who are state troopers, and although it doesn't happen very often they have all seen the horrible aftermath of head-on collisions caused by the drunk driver going the wrong way, at night, on a divided freeway. According to the troopers it is nearly 100% of the time that the collision occurs in the high speed lane..... the reason being-- the inebriated driver THINKS that they are driving on the proper side of the freeway and therefore believes they are proceeding (cautiously!) in the right-hand= slow lane..... acc reconstruction frequently show the drunk also had no headlights on, so the innocent victim motorist proceeding along in the high speed lane--considering the speeds involved-- usually has zero time to react.

The bottom line: after dark, on an interstate freeway, use the high speed lane to pass, but if you do not see taillights in the lane ahead of you, whenever possible avoid staying in the leftmost lane.

Blackness

My biggest fear is getting rear ended by someone not paying attention. Coming up on stalled traffic on the interstate is a big problem. I usually leave enough room between me and the person in front to be able to stop in time. Also looking far ahead instead of the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of you is very important. When I do come up to stalled traffic in this situation, I tap my brakes several times to give the person behind me some indication that traffic is coming to a halt very quickly. I also start looking for an escape route and my rear view mirror in case I have to use it. It amazes me when this happens, how many cars are running into the median because they or someone behind them wasn't paying attention.

Also, never assume another driver is going to do the right thing or is paying attention.

dstrimbu

Agreed, Blake - this is _always_ on my mind when I'm driving the 911. The car is low - Hell, the roof of the 911 is below the hood height of the majority of large SUVs out there.

1.) Make eye contact with other drivers - remember, there's a human inside piloting, regardless of how badly they are doing the job... I'm especially vehement about this when coming down on someone who is stopped, waiting to pull into my lane. Also, very importantly - at intersections, when you're moving through the intersection and have vehicles waiting to make a ("left" in the US) turn across your path.

2.) Manage your braking - so, I'm driving a car that can stop from 60mph in about 100 feet. I promise that there's no chance that the guy behind me, talking on the phone, 10 feet off my *** can stop without using my car as his positive stop. I'm generally amazed how quickly people drop back when they see how fast the 911 can brake. I just wish that they all knew this as a matter of course, prior to the demo... <g>

3.) Situational awareness - I'm a two-hands-on-the-wheel driver at all times in the 911 (unless I'm changing gears) - and I've adopted a constant scan that I learned when I was training to be a private pilot (back in my younger days). We learned that an interlaced instrument scan / situational scan keep you totally aware of potential dangers. I sweep the mirrors, left to right, pausing for a half-second at each position. Knowing where I can go in an emergency is #1 for me.

Ok, time to get back to work. <g>

-don

OCBen

Good one, Paul.

This is especially true in the wee hours of the morning when you're planning on getting an early start to your three day holiday weekend by hitting the freeways with your family early to avoid the traffic out of a major metropolitan area. The drunk who should have gone home after the bar closed at 2 but decided to join his buddy's Friday night party instead and doesn't leave until around 4 in the morning is now on the freeway heading the wrong way, with his lights off, in the "slow" lane.

Meanwhile you with family in tow are now in the carpool lane, out of habit, and in a direct collision course with the drunk driver.

To add to what Paul said, if you don't need to be in the carpool lane, stay away from it, especially during the early morning hours when it's almost impossible to see a car coming at you with its lights off and have enough time to react and get out of his way. If you're doing 70 and he's doing 50 the approach velocity will be 120 mph and the collision will be violent and likely result in fatalities.

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Here's another one. Driving during foggy conditions is always hazardous and can sometimes be downright dangerous. If you feel the need to pull off the road because of poor visibility, do not make the mistake of leaving your lights on or your parking lights on. Most of you know why, but it's worth repeating for those who don't.

If you leave your lights on when you've pulled off the road under a heavy fog the car coming down who can barely see the road up ahead will think your car is on the road and will try to follow your lead and likely end up plowing into you.

drj9000

When in tight spots or during collision avoidance maneuvers, look where you want to go and not directly at the obstacle because the rest of you will tend to follow where you look. Don't stare at the thing you are trying to avoid - look at the place you want to go.

When driving always look farther down the road and don't focus too tightly on vehicles directly in front of you.

When entering on ramps or even entering traffic from a side road, if there is a car ahead of you - watch him, and try not to anticipate the opening in the traffic coming up. The car in front of you may stop or be too timid to merge into the flow. I take a general look as I approach but I focus on the car in front until he definately moves out of my way before I turn my head and look for an entry point.

As for avoiding being rammed from behind, it is safer to anticipate the stopping of traffic and adjust your speed to avoid braking sharply. Some people simply stare at the bumper in front of them when driving and don't scan ahead for red lights, etc.