Curb your courtesy, please
Editor’s Note: This week marks the debut of the weekly automotive column titled “Precision Driving” by local author and car aficionado Bill Love. Love’s primary focus will be on safety issues, driving knowledge and driving skills. Here, in his own words, are his thoughts on the column and his philosophy of driving:
How does one make use of a lifetime of automobile devotion? In my case, I mate those years of devotion with my writing background, and expound on every subject imaginable right here in The Spokesman-Review Automotive Section.
For these columns, I will cover topics that are important to all of us as automobile owners and operators: rules of the road, vehicle knowledge and driving skills. My intent is to educate and entertain, with the ultimate purpose of increasing driving safety and enjoyment for all of us.
Besides working in the automotive field for over 30 years (manufacturer, repair and sales), I have spent most of my life collecting, restoring and generally driving the wheels off of cars, bicycles and motorcycles — I’ve even written two books and many articles on the subject. I drove 60,000 miles per year during a seven-year stint with a manufacturer — a time when I became an aficionado of the traffic rules as a self-preservation measure. With that level of exposure, I began to study the rules of the road, so I’d know what was right in potentially dangerous encounters.
Driving can be fun, but it is a very serious endeavor — danger simply comes with the territory when hurtling ourselves around in 4,000-pound machines at speed. Let’s all work on our driving IQs, and keep each other safer — after all, there are over 40,000 U.S. traffic deaths annually. Don’t become a statistic.
Look for Bill Love’s column every Saturday right here.
Uncontrolled intersections, and the driving behaviors exhibited at them, are right up near the top of my driving frustration list. You know the places — they are all over Spokane — those spots where streets meet and cross with no signals or stop signs. Let’s shout a collective “woe is us!” What do we do without official guidance in the form of traffic control devices?
I’ve actually got a pretty good idea: Let’s pattern our actions after the Rules of the Road, as set forth in the federal, state, and Municipal Vehicle Codes. Regarding vehicles approaching such intersections, our Spokane Municipal Code states in listing 16.61.180: “When two vehicles approach or enter an intersection at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right of way to the vehicle on the right.”
That procedure is fairly simple, unambiguous, and I like it. Based on what I see, though, it’s not as popular with everyone as it is with me. I surmise this because the scenario often endured at these intersections goes something like this: I approach the intersection with due care and caution, which for me is about 15 mph (my daughter thinks about 18-20 is fine, and maybe it is with her youthful reflexes, but I think it’s because she hasn’t had enough close ones yet — and why do they call those close ones “near misses,” when they are actually near hits — sorry, I digress), as I observe a vehicle coming from my right. With the road rule in mind, I come to a stop. So, now I expect the car on my right to proceed on its way, since I am already stopped, plus the right of way is theirs being to my right — silly me with my wishful expectations.
What generally ensues is something I hesitate to chastise these drivers for, but I must — they abandon the Rules of the Road and want to revert to courtesy. They stop, and through a series of head nods, waves, and other hand signals, want me to proceed. There’s just no need for courteous behavior in this situation — except maybe by the ones being signaled unlawfully through the intersection; these drivers should be courteous enough to avoid placing their shift lever in Park, getting out of the car, and bawling out the offending go-motioner, while setting them straight on the law. At times I’m not even sure the behavior of these traffic directors is based on politeness, but rather a deep-seated desire to control others by telling them what to do.
This is not an infrequent occurrence, as it seems to be more of a rule than the real rule. I’ve been told that I should just “mellow out,” succumb to the wishes of the other driver, and heed these hand signals, but I resist steadfastly. Now if I were not so against in-car hand signals, I would just mimic the other driver, and motion for him to go. Why should his authority to direct traffic be greater that mine? But since I am so against this self-applied direction, I must endure an uncomfortable sitting time, waiting for the self-appointed intersection police to continue on their way. I pretend to have no eye contact — sometimes I will act like I can’t see a thing through their window tint, and other times I actually can’t see through the dark tint, but I can imagine that there are some type of go signals taking place, since the car is just sitting there stopped, ON MY RIGHT!
For all I know, this could be a professional insurance scam, where the moment I enter the intersection according to the flailing heads, arms and hands, the flailer to my right floors it, and hits me. Then guess who’s in the wrong? In court, my claim of being offered the courtesy of going first at the intersection just won’t hold up — that’s because the court makes its decisions based on the Rules of the Road — something that all drivers should do for the benefit and safety of everyone.
Conversely, if I come to one of these crossings, slow to 15 mph, and see a car approaching the cross-hairs at the same time from my left, guess what? I’d like to have the satisfaction of proceeding with confidence, as that vehicle yields to me — after all, I’m on the right. It just can’t be more effective for both of us to stop, and then share gestures in a contest of courtesy, to determine the winner of the right-of-way.
Be polite and patient during driving — just curb your courtesy when it conflicts with the common rules of the road. Don’t let graciousness, or dictator tendencies disguised as such, supersede lawfulness.
Join the Cause
These unmarked or uncontrolled intersections are inherently dangerous in the best case, but shrubbery, parked cars, faulty layout or other foibles worsen some of them. If you know of any such intersections, let me know, so I can investigate, report and talk to the City traffic engineers about them. Send your “most dangerous” to Bill Love, c/o The Spokesman-Review Auto Section, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99203, or via e-mail to precisiondriving@spokesman.com