The Safe Driver

Driving Tidbits: Useful information drivers may have forgotten

As drivers, we tend to forget the littlest things about driving. You know, the things you had to know before going for your license. Over time, we tend to adjust what is real to what we believe is real. Many times, they aren’t the same thing. With this in mind, here are a few things drivers learned, but maybe have forgotten over time. Or…maybe not have learned at all.

Learning to stop…again

Not only are rolling stops illegal, but they can also cause anyone attempting their driving test to fail. Learning – or relearning –  how to make a complete stop will not only keep your driving within the laws but it will also allow you to become safer on the road.

If you put some thought into it, there is an order when you approach a stop sign. First, you stop, then you would check to see if it’s clear, and if it is clear, you would then proceed. Checking to see if the intersection is clear before you come to a stop can play a trick on your mind. Your mind tells you that it’s clear to go, so you go. You’ve skipped past step one of ensuring you’ve stopped completely without realizing it.

To ensure that you are stopping completely, ensure you feel your vehicle come to rest at the stopping position. Once that has happened, you can then check the intersection to ensure the way is clear of any vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Once you see that it is safe to proceed, go. By following these steps in this order, you can avoid rolling stops.

Never trust an intersection

Within our society, there seems to be an element of trust as drivers, but not as pedestrians. As pedestrians, we will often look both ways before we step off the sidewalk and cross the street. We do that, even at the walk symbol to ensure we won’t get struck by a vehicle traveling through a stop sign or red light. Under this same mentality, we should look both ways before moving our vehicle through the intersection.

Our vehicle could still be struck by another vehicle and we could be injured by a vehicle going through the intersection, even though they should have seen the red light or stop sign. The only person you should really trust is yourself.

The true meaning of the yellow light

While driving and a yellow (or amber) traffic light appears directly ahead of you, you must stop your vehicle if you are able to do so safely. This is because the red light is about to appear. If you can’t stop your vehicle safely, you are allowed to proceed through the intersection but do so with caution. It’s not a free pass.

It also does not mean you should accelerate to make it through the intersection because the red light is about to appear. It also does not mean you should quickly apply your brakes abruptly to stop in time. Knowing your current speed, the road conditions (wet or dry), and the closeness of the traffic behind helps you to make this a safe decision.

Conclusion

These are basic driving skills we were all taught back in the beginning. Sometimes we all need reminders so we can remain safe on the road. Now you just need to re-apply them to your driving skills.