Better driving would ease stress

Forget about all those resolutions to stop eating chocolate.

That just raises your stress level.

How about some stress-lowering resolutions for the new year, like changing driving habits?

A friend said that her New Year’s resolution is to not start driving until everyone in the car is buckled up.

Here are a few others that are sure to bring the road rage level down a notch or two in 2005:

Resolve to always let at least one car into the roadway in front of you when there’s a traffic jam. You’ll feel good about it and so will they.

Resolve to leave five or 10 minutes earlier. Then that traffic jam won’t bother you so much.

Resolve to keep the gas tank at least half full. If gas prices start increasing as quickly as they did last year, you’ll save some money.

Resolve to play soothing music in the car. Better yet, use the time to learn Italian.

Resolve to ban food, drink and cell phones from the car. No more messes and it keeps your attention on the road.

And above all, resolve to give other drivers a break.

New year, new gas price hikes?

That’s the prediction from some corners.

OPEC decided in December to cut back production by a million barrels a day. Turmoil continues to rock the Middle East. And then there’s increased worldwide demand for oil.

Sorry, but don’t expect prices to drop significantly in 2005.

Mud in our eyes

Whatever happened to mudflaps?

That’s the question Fran Ostrom called into the newspaper with last week.

“If you noticed, there’s very few cars today that have mudflaps and it makes driving horrible,” she said.

Getting There has also noticed this trend, which is being exacerbated by the number of pickups and SUVs on the road.

When you’re driving your little compact car behind these larger vehicles on a rainy day, you can be blinded by the spray of mud and gook.

So here’s a plea to all drivers of large rigs: Please, please, please consider buying some mudflaps for your vehicle.

On a wet day, I’d even salute you for using those horrid ones with the pinup women on them.

Hit back

Hit-and-run incidents are on the rise in Washington, according to the Washington State Patrol, which tallies the increase between 2003 and 2004 at 22 percent.

To make sure that the jerk who slammed into you gets his due, the WSP recommends victims take the following steps:

Write down a description of the vehicle that hit you, including its color, make, model, year, license plate number and any damage to the vehicle.

Write down a description of the driver.

Call 911 with that information and also tell them the direction the vehicle took off in.

They also recommend keeping a disposable camera in the glove box and staying calm.

Getting There will give you some wiggle room on the staying calm part.

Driving skills brush-up

AAA Washington/Inland is offering a series of mature-driver classes for people 55 and older, focusing on defensive driving techniques.

They will be held at the downtown Spokane AAA office in January, February and March.

Classes cost $14 for members and $20 for non-members.

The auto club is also offering a CD-ROM called AAA Roadwise Review to allow drivers to test driving skills related to vision and flexibility.

Call 358-6973 for more information about the classes or CD-ROM.