Driving safely

A few days ago, I went off on how people generally drive badly, but I realize that I didn't indicate what good, safe driving actually consists of. So I thought I'd make a few comments on that, since I get the sense that this is a bit of a mystery to some folks.

Mind you, this is not an all inclusive description...

On learning to drive, a former girlfriend of mine said that the basic deal was to yield to anything that moves, and make no sudden movements. This encapsulates a few of the core principles of safe driving:
* if you hit something, you'll damage it, so go to great lengths not to hit anything;
* if you hit someone, you'll damage her/him/etc, so go to great lengths not to hit anyone;
* you won't always be able to see the people around you, so be sure to give them adequate warning of your actions so they can get out of the way;
* you won't always be able to see the vehicles around you, so be sure to give them adequate warning of your actions so they can get out of the way;

all of which seems pretty simple. Use the steering wheel to go around people, and use the brake pedal to stop before you hit them. Oh, and be sure to use your turn signals before turning, because there might be a bicycle in your blind spot. And use your turn signals before changing lanes, because there might be a car in your blind spot.

Note that using your signals as you turn or change lanes isn't the same thing. If I don't turn on my signal until I'm actually changing lanes, I'm going to hit you before you'll have a chance to see my signal and react to it.

Because that is the point of the signal: to give warning of what your car is about to do, and to give that warning early enough for everyone else to react to it.

Glancing toward your blind spots is also probably a good idea before changing lanes. Even if you've been good about signaling, there's no guarantee that the guy in the next lane is paying attention.

Speed is another issue. Not the speed limit, but the speed and relative speed of vehicles on a street. Speed is important because, as graduates of high school physics may remember, the (kinetic) energy of a car is proportional to the square of its speed (so if I double the speed, I quadruple the energy). And if I double my speed, I'm going to more than double (quadruple?) the distance I'll need to stop before I hit Granny as she crosses the street; all of which means that the length of road in front of me that I need to worry about becomes increasingly large. God help me if I'm only a carlength behind that 18 wheeler.

Which brings me to another point, one that I learned personally several years back. I was driving south on I-95 through Connecticut, and I was, in retrospect, following an SUV too closely. The SUV eventually changed lanes, getting out of my way, but I wasn't the reason it moved: the dead deer in the roadway was. I didn't see the deer until I was on top of it, since my view was blocked by the SUV. (Yes, I did hit the deer; no, I didn't die). Lesson: the closer you get to the vehicle in front of you, the more it obstructs your view.

I'll pass over what might have happened if the driver of that SUV had stood on his brake pedal instead of changing lanes.

Okay; enough for now. Be careful out there.