Driving Like You Mean It

Driving Like You Mean It

I have been driving for 52 years now. I have seen all possible types of driving mistakes in that time so I thought I would share with you some of what I have learned.

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No. 1

Signaling.
Improper signaling or no signaling is the number one cause of accidents.
I see so many people turning or changing lanes and they never use a signal light.
Remember: We drive by intent.
What does this mean? Simple. You must let your fellow drivers know what your intentions are and you do this by using your turn signals. Put your turn signal on at least 100 feet or more before your turn or when you want to switch lanes. This gives the driver behind you enough time to actually see your signal light.
Just because a person has their signal light on doesn't mean they are going to turn. I have followed people for thousands of feet with their light blinking and they have no intention of turning. In most cases they don't even know their signal light is on. This is frustrating if you are behind them because you are not sure if they intend to turn or not.
Don't wait until you are making your turn to put on your signal light. This helps no one following you. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this one thing while driving.

No. 2

Shoulder Checking
All vehicles have mirrors. They are there for a reason. Always shoulder check and make sure you look in your mirrors before changing lanes or making a left hand turn. Right hand turns in some countries.
All cars have some kind of blind spot that your mirrors cannot show you. That is why shoulder checking is important.
Hint: When shoulder checking only turn you head using your neck. Do not turn your body. Why? Because we have a habit of driving where we are looking and this simple tip will stop you from drifting into another lane before you are ready to move over.

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No. 3

Texting While Driving
At 60 mph your car will move 88 feet in one second. If you take your eyes off the road for 5 seconds while checking your phone you will have travelled 440 feet. That is 440 feet driving blind!
If you must use your phone, do us all a big favor and pull over somewhere safe and use it.
Texting is only one of the reasons we have the Distracted Driving Laws.
Putting on makeup, fixing your hair, and eating are a few of the other things you should not do.

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No. 4

Lights on for Life
Most modern cars are configured to turn on the dash lights and headlights when you start your car or when you put it into gear. What many people forget is that your taillights don't come on.
I see so many people driving merrily along at night with no tail lights. Scary!
I have a simple habit I follow all the time, day or night. When I get into my car the first thing I do is start it and the second thing I do is put my lights on. Any vehicle is easier to see if they have their lights on.
This is a good habit to get into!
I have seen people driving in misty weather and even snow storms without their lights on. Even at night!

No. 5

Be Aware
Be aware of what is going on around you, in front of you and behind you.
Know the road conditions you are driving in. Are the roads icy, wet, slippery, is it raining, snowing, sunny and dry. All of these thing should effect the way you are driving.
Stay in the moment and be conscious of what is happening around you.

There are many more points I could touch on. The points I have listed are some of the most common things I see on the road every day while driving my bus.
This brings me to another point. Give large vehicles respect. Don't cut in front of them. They cannot stop as quickly as your car.
Kinetic Energy
A car moving 40 mph has four times as much kinetic energy as one moving 20 mph, while at 60 mph a car carries nine times as much kinetic energy as at 20 mph.
This means a car travelling at 60 mph and weighing 3000 lbs. will have a kinetic energy of 27,000 lbs.

Below are some very sobering facts to be aware of.

Annual Global Road Crash Statistics
Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day.
An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled.
More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44.
Road traffic crashes rank as the 9th leading cause of death and account for 2.2% of all deaths globally.
Road crashes are the leading cause of death among young people ages 15-29, and the second leading cause of death worldwide among young people ages 5-14.
Each year nearly 400,000 people under 25 die on the world's roads, on average over 1,000 a day.
Over 90% of all road fatalities occur in low and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world's vehicles.
Road crashes cost USD $518 billion globally, costing individual countries from 1-2% of their annual GDP.
Road crashes cost low and middle-income countries USD $65 billion annually, exceeding the total amount received in developmental assistance.
Unless action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2030.
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Driving is fun. Just be careful out there and remember; your goal is to get home safely!