Precision driving: Many drivers clueless on basics

Driving actions that exhibit doubtful concentration levels bring wonderment to those of us striving to drive well. We all make mistakes, but readers and I continue to question why driving basics are so often ignored. With human lives at stake, why aren’t more drivers serious about simple stuff?

Why do drivers make turns into the wrong lanes? Washington State RCW 46.61.290 requires vehicles to make turns into the closest available lane, but many do not. Daily, I see vehicles that are making left turns at an intersection “dive” to the right-hand lane, and those making right turns “beeline” to the left lane. This habit is unsafe and unpredictable. After making your turn into the proper lane, you should travel there for a time, then signal, and change lanes when traffic allows.

Careening immediately to the “far” lane interferes with drivers needing the proper lane for their turns. For example, if you are making a left turn at an intersection, turning into the inside lane allows corresponding traffic across the way to make right turns into the outside lane at the same time.

Why don’t all drivers adhere to the “STAY RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS” signs on the freeway? Reader P.D. believes that the signs should be posted in the median, so the left-lane bandits could see them easier.

This state law is not ambiguous, and is stated quite clearly. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of drivers who feel a special need to travel there obliviously, without cause, often creating “rolling roadblocks.” Some drivers have even told me that they justify their ever-presence there simply because they are doing the speed limit.

In the interest of efficient traffic flow, please observe the reasons for legal use of the left lane on multi-lane roadways: You are about to turn left, you are moving left to allow a vehicle to merge on the right, you are overtaking another vehicle, or you are driving an emergency vehicle in an emergency.

Are super-high, “lifted” trucks street legal? B.L., of Idaho, encountered one in a parking lot with bumpers nearly 5 feet above ground level. I’ve been told that there are fewer restrictions in Idaho, but in Washington the highest allowed bumper is 28 inches from the ground. According to WAC 204-90-040, passenger cars have a 22-inch maximum height, and trucks, based on size, are limited to 24, 27, and 28 inches.

The disproportion of vehicle size is becoming an issue, as smaller vehicles involved in accidents with larger ones are in a losing battle. Maybe that concept will make better drivers out of small-car operators in quest of self-preservation. The safety deficiency inherent in the mismatch of huge versus small vehicles is something motorcyclists have endured since day one. Experienced riders realize that the only route to longevity on a bike is via super-defensive driving.

Why does everyone in front of me want to drive below the limit, and everyone behind me want to exceed it? Speed variance is said to be one of the leading causes of vehicle accidents. It’s evidently nearly impossible, but if all vehicles drove at or slightly above (2-3 mph) the speed limit, we would be safer and saner. Both slow drivers and tailgaters have ignited many road rage incidents.

Road rage can strike when you least expect it. A gunman in Western Montana shot at two vehicles while traveling on U.S. Highway 93 last fall. What was the explanation for his behavior? Other drivers didn’t dim their lights.

That leads to another question. Why don’t some drivers dim their lights for oncoming traffic? With the threat of potential gunfire, it really makes me wonder. Actually, I realize that the majority of non-dimmers simply forget to dim. That excuse, however, doesn’t hold much water to me, since forgetting to dim implies distraction, drowsiness, drunkenness, or indifference — all counterproductive to good driving. Please remember to shut off auxiliary lighting when it affects (blinds) other traffic as well — this means fog lights and any laser-like lighting other than headlamps.

Even with safety innovations such as air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, side-impact beams, and energy-absorbing bumpers, driver behavior is still the most important factor in highway safety.

It’s asking a lot, but I will ask one more question. Why can’t everyone pay attention to the task at hand while driving? That’s not hard for me, because I truly like it, and at times I’m riding a vulnerable vehicle (motorcycle) to remind me of my fragility. My wish is for more and more drivers to “get into” their driving, enjoy it, and improve it, as many others and I do.