Safe driving demands tolerance, attention

Among others, reader D.H. concurs with my writing extolling the virtues of precision driving. Many good drivers however, like D.H., tell me that they think poor drivers are not getting my message. With all the driving errors happening out on the roadways, I can see how they might feel this way. After all, though, this is a sole column, and in spite of supreme efforts by law enforcement agencies, bad driving won’t cease — so all I can do is try to make a small difference.

Actually, since even distracted, aggressive, or otherwise impaired drivers can read, the message should be getting to some of them — or more precisely, us, since we can all commit the occasional foul-up. I will certainly keep talking and writing about the subject of driving, but I’d like to enlist your help in spreading the “word.”

When the topic comes up, please remind others that their driving is a serious endeavor. Suggest that they fight off the natural tendencies of distraction and aggression, and replace them with the opposites: attention and tolerance. If someone thinks that operating a vehicle on our roadways is not a big deal, then inform them that year after year there are more than 100 lives lost daily in the United States via traffic collisions.

As noted, we all make occasional mistakes while traveling the roadways, but one must strive to minimize them, learn from them, and not repeat the errors. We literally need to do this to survive, as some mistakes don’t afford a second chance.

I’ll continue to assert: effective precision driving requires knowledge of road rules and knowledge of your vehicle, accompanied with practice and application of operational skills. You can’t accomplish that with a carefree attitude.

For example, this week I saw one driver making errors based on aggression, and a second who made an error based on lack of road rule knowledge.

I’ve always said that I try to figure a reason for any given driver’s poor exhibitions — this time, though, I was hard-pressed to do so. I suppose I’ll just blame it on the old catchall excuse: the driver was using a small brain.

The first scofflaw was traveling in front of me on a two-lane roadway with a two-way left turn lane in the center. As we approached a vehicle going just under 30 mph in this 30-mph zone, the soon-to-be multiple offender used the two-way left turn lane to pass the slower vehicle. Since he evidently wanted to qualify legally as an aggressive driver, he then proceeded to drive through a steady red light. The slower vehicle and I stopped at the red light, and about a minute later — you guessed it, we were sitting right next to the maniac at another red light (too much cross traffic for him to run this one).

I almost thought this driver was racing to a real emergency. However, after the stoplight we were at changed to green, he seemed to drive normally. I guess the emergency was over — seemingly, the only urgency was to get past the car going 29 mph.

The second small-brainer was attempting to correct my driving, but his actions were borne of ignorance.

I was sitting at a downtown intersection where four lanes cross four lanes with a traffic control light present. I was in the front car in the left of two lanes on a two-way street at the red light. I was waiting to turn left onto a one-way street, and proceeded to do so as soon as traffic coming from my right cleared. The vehicle in the front position to my right began honking his horn incessantly when I took off, as though he were leading the parade for Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday.

Yes, he thought he was a good citizen, warning me of my “dangerous” maneuver, as he didn’t know it was safe and legal. In case others are unaware, it is legal to make a “free” left upon a red-light indicator from a two-way to a one-way street. It’s not really a good idea to try to control others’ driving while on the roadway anyway, but especially when you don’t know what the heck you’re honking about.

Driving safely is not that difficult, but it is very important! Most drivers can do a pretty good job if armed with knowledge and skill, but you’ve got to devote yourself to the task. Please think about your actions and reactions when driving, and encourage others to do the same. And while you’re at it, please send me the thoughts and experiences that transpire during your vehicular excursions.