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Dear Driver

2024-04-12 ~ 2024-04-12

There are some things I'd like you to know before you get back on the road (with me).

I've seen a lot of dumb, dangerous stuff on the road around me, yet I haven't been involved in so much as a parking lot fender bender in over 20 years. That may come down to luck, but I think some of my driving habits have also helped keep me safe. In any case, I'd like to keep that streak going. Here's how you can help me (and help yourself in the process).

When you're driving, you're driving. That's it. Period. You're not eating, you're not applying makeup, you're not reading or watching videos, you're not texting/sexting/tickytacking or otherwise using your phone. You're driving. Keep both hands on the wheel, both eyes on the road, and your mind fully engaged on the task of navigating a 2-ton death machine at high speeds.

Watching the car in front of you is good, but watching the cars in front of that car is even better. Look as far ahead as you can so that you'll know what's coming up, not just what's happening right now. If you see a cascade of brake lights up ahead, go ahead and start slowing down so you won't have to brake suddenly when the car in front of you does. Avoid being surprised so you don't surprise the cars behind you. You want to be smooth and predictable.

Stay aware of the cars around you as well. Properly adjusting your side mirrors will help with this. You should *not* see the sides of your vehicle in the side mirrors. If you can, you've got a huge blind spot next to you. Your side mirrors should be turned far enough out that they just barely overlap with what you can see in the rearview mirror. That will maximize the area covered by your mirrors and minimize blind spots. (Those stick-on "blind spot" mirrors are unnecessary and potentially distracting and dangerous. Just adjust your mirrors properly instead.)

Plan ahead. You should never need to cut across multiple lanes of traffic all at once. Go ahead and start working your way over to the exit lane well in advance. And if you miss your exit, don't try to catch it at the last second. Just keep on going to the next exit, turn around, and try again.

It's a lot easier to merge onto the highway if you're already at the speed of the surrounding traffic. You should generally be at the speed limit by the time the on-ramp reaches the main highway, and you should be watching traffic on the way to find your opening. Don't wait until the last minute to speed up and try to merge.

Don't tailgate. It's not going to make the car in front of you go anywhere faster; chances are they're stuck waiting on the cars in front of them anyway. All that it accomplishes is making the situation more dangerous. You won't be able to see what's going on in front of that vehicle, you won't have time to react when they do something unexpected, and it may make the other driver nervous (making it more likely that they'll do something unexpected). Leave some space behind the car in front of you. I don't care if it's car lengths or seconds or hundreds of feet, just leave some wiggle room so that you'll have a bit of time to respond when they inevitably do something stupid.

If you're in stop-and-go traffic, leave extra room in front of you. Nobody's going to get anywhere in a hurry so there's no point in trying to stay super close or rushing to catch up to the line of cars in front of you (only to have to hit your brakes again). The constant stop-and-go is dangerous (even at low speeds): every application of the brakes is a gamble that the person behind you is paying attention and will be ready to stop. You can instead hang back and try to smooth out the inchworm effect. Go a little bit slower and see if you can avoid needing to stop as often.

The left-most lane on the highway is for passing, not cruising (or camping). If you're not actively passing another vehicle, keep to the right. If you're hanging in the left lane and someone comes up behind you, tap your turn signal, get over, and let them pass. Deliberately holding up a faster driver just raises the likelihood that they'll do something aggressive and stupid to get around you.

Speaking of stupid, when someone cuts you off, let them. They didn't do it as a personal attack against you; they're just trying to get to their destination, same as you. Let them in and move on with your life. It's not worth getting worked up about it, and definitely not worth contributing to any retaliatory road rage statistics.

Turn on your headlights (not just parking/running lights!) when it's dark, raining, foggy, snowing, or visibility is otherwise reduced. You need to be able to see cars (and other obstacles) in front of you, and the cars behind you need to be able to see you. Your car may automatically turn on your headlights when it's dark; that's a neat convenience, but it doesn't mean you can't (or shouldn't) turn them on manually when needed. If your wipers are on, your headlights should be on. If your instrument cluster is too dark to see easily, that's a another clue you should turn on your headlights.

Similarly, turn *off* your high beams during the day. If you see a big blue light on your dash and it's daylight out, turn off your high beams and stop blinding other drivers.

Make sure your brake lights work, and are easily visible even during the day. Aftermarket LED bulbs and smoked lenses may look slick while parked, but they probably make it hard for other drivers to see your brake lights... and increase the likelihood of you getting rear-ended. Your aftermarket tail lights won't look nearly as cool when they're smashed in. Stick to OEM-style bulbs for high visibility.

On that note, use your turn signals *before* you change lanes or initiate a turn. You should really signal before you start braking for a turn so that the cars behind you will know why you're slowing down. But you also shouldn't signal too early, like when approaching the street or driveway before where you intend to turn. Make it clear where you're intending to turn. This goes back to being predictable; give other drivers a clue about what you're about to do so they don't get startled. (Other drivers are idiots. They need every advantage you can give them.)

Did I mention that you should pay attention? When you're behind the wheel, you're a driver - not a passenger. Don't be a distracted driver. If you're not able to focus on driving, pull over and sort your shit out before you put lives at risk.

Pay attention, leave your ego out of it, and be mindful of the other easily-startled drivers around you.

- Safe travels,

A Fellow Motorist

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