Answers to precision driving questions
I’ve answered many of your questions here, and even reported your major pet peeves. But you readers/drivers have some answers to questions, and opinions worth sharing as well.
For example, in early July, I wrote of a reader who objects to the darker-than-dark window tinting on some vehicles. And back in May, I mentioned that it helps me to be tolerant of imprecise driving if I speculate on a possible cause for the behavior. Well this input from reader M.M. sheds some light on the subject:
“Some of us drivers out there have severe allergies to the sun. If whoever objected to the darker window tinting could see inside my truck, they’d find that I am also wearing long sleeves, gloves, and darker-than-dark sunglasses — no matter what the temperature is. I would love to have normal tinting and be able to open my window and rest my bare arm on the door, but I have an aversion to hospitals.The law does allow more than 30 percent dimming with a prescription from the doctor.”
No, not every blacked-out driver compartment contains an occupant with a sun allergy, but this information does remind me that everything may not be as it seems.
Later in July, I reported the pet peeve of a reader who hates it when drivers leave “too much” space in front of them when stopped. After all, what is the safe following distance for 0 mph? This reminder, sent in by B.L., tells us what is currently being taught in driver-training courses:
“Defensive driving suggests being able to see the tires touch the pavement of the rear wheels of the vehicle in front of you when stopped.Trying to avoid being pushed into the vehicle in front of you when you get rear-ended. You are responsible for the vehicle you strike in front of you and usually ticketed for following to close.”
And remember the driver who hates premature single filing at road-narrowing construction zones? I tried to muster some support for him, as he believes he aids traffic flow when he advances past the lineup to the actual merge point, and wishes that others would follow suit. There was no reader sympathy for this behavior, and in fact, there was quite a cumulative disgust. As C.P. sums it up:
“The e-mailer who wishes someone else had the nerve to follow probably doesn’t force his merge in front of some big old beat up pickup driven by a big old beat up redneck. If he doesn’t he must recognize that discretion is the better part of valor at least part of the time. Why not all the time?”
Readers have some good precision driving suggestions to share too. Like L.S., he’s angry with drivers who stop well past the stop sign. As he approaches, he often wonders if they will stop at all. That’s a good reminder, L.S. The legal place to stop at a stop signal (sign or light) is at the white line on the street. In the absence of such a line, one must stop at the sign itself to be in compliance with the law. Even if you can’t see cross traffic while at the line, you must first stop there, then advance slowly to check traffic before departing.
Another precision driving area of failure came to me from D.H., regarding the various radii for making turns:
“I just watched a driver negotiate a left turn from a four-lane street to a two-lane street. She started her turn from the proper lane but at least 25 yards too soon. When the car went through the four-lane crosswalk it was fully within the oncoming inner lane. The left side of the car barely cleared the curb corner and entered the two-lane street in its oncoming lane, arriving at the correct lane 10 yards or more beyond the two-lane crosswalk. Fortunately there were no other cars in the intersection. This kind of sweeping cornering is common, along with heading slightly to the left before turning right and thus increasing the arc of the turn.”
I think that making sloppy turns falls into the lazy driving category. We all have the ability to do it the right way, we just need to think about our maneuvers in order to execute them properly. Like with “California stops,” where the vehicle never quite comes to a total halt at the sign. These are wrong — anyone can do it right, but laziness breeds these bad habits. Don’t let apathy lead to driving errors. The life you save might be mine!
Reader Requests Survey
D.D. wrote me a lengthy letter regarding mandatory safety belt use. He doesn’t like wearing belts, and even questions their safety. Mainly, though, he questions legislators’ rights to write laws concerning seat belts, and wonders about other readers’ opinions.
Well, D.D., the safety of using a three-point lap/shoulder belt system has been well proved, but in the interest of determining the feelings of average drivers toward mandatory use, I’ll ask our readers. Do you use your belts, and do you feel that law should require their use? As for me, I’m all for ‘em, but neutral on the legal requirement. I don’t know whether it accomplishes increased use or not. Let’s hear your thoughts!