Precision driving: Motivation the key to vigilance

What motivational factors encourage driving with vigilance? For me, an abnormal interest in motor vehicles, a lust for operating machinery, and a quest for survival all make the list. That last incentive is reason enough, and is probably enhanced from years of motorcycle riding — you can often live through a car crash, but vulnerability on a two-wheeler is acute. That vulnerability breeds defensive driving and watchfulness.

Whatever your reasons may be for doing so, driving with an ever-vigilant approach gives you the best chance of success on the road. While accumulating over a million miles of driving, I have repeatedly experienced the best reason for maintaining a sharp watch: accident avoidance. Have you avoided an accident lately? I’ll bet that you have.

I suppose that every time you drive down a highway and don’t cross the centerline, you are technically avoiding an accident. I would classify that situation, though, more as not causing an accident. By avoiding an accident, I mean something like stabbing the brakes to allow an old fogged up Subaru to careen past your right front fender at a 45 degree angle, missing it by a sliver, on a path from your immediate right, across your lane, toward the left turn lane to your immediate left — my latest crash avoidance.

Missing accidents is a very satisfying thing. You avoid personal injury and damage to your vehicle — a worthy payment for being alert. Much of the time, my full-time attentiveness goes unrewarded because vehicles around me are driven well — that bubble always bursts, though, when a vehicle operated by an imprecise driver tries to cause a wreck. Accident avoidance is a welcome and wonderful reward for vigilance.

Police emphasis patrols should also motivate your driving alertness. There are at least two reasons for this. First, if you screw up, your chances of being cited for it are greater. Second, the extra emphasis is employed due to the increased presence of drivers suffering from rage, distraction, or drunkenness — you need heightened alertness to accommodate them.

My recent winter driving column prompted some additional tips from readers, which just happen to be further justification for driver vigilance.

Black Ice Advice

Commercial driver A.T. wrote to remind drivers, especially inexperienced ones, that the appearance of black ice can be very sudden. For example, while driving on the freeway with normal wet-road traction, one may encounter black ice when reaching an elevated portion of highway. Just like bridges and overpasses, elevated highway sections may freeze sooner than the rest. Also, a subtle change in elevation can take you from a wet to an icy road surface, a situation that can occur locally on our Sunset Hill portion of freeway, for instance.

The Society of Accident Reconstructionists printed findings of a study about roadway ice, by John E. Hunter. To many, snow and ice are simply slick, but to Hunter, there are 10 categorized levels of slickness, from slippery to slipperiest: partial frost, frost, heavy frost, compact snow, unpacked snow, snow & ice, black ice, sunny ice, wet ice, and glare ice. The coefficient of friction for average tire grip on slippery roads compared to dry roads ranges from .63 for partial frost, to .35 for compact snow, to .32 for black ice, and .19 for glare ice.

Black ice is actually transparent ice, allowing the usually black road surface to be seen through it. I think that the thing we need to remember about black ice is that it can’t be easily seen, like snow or frost can, and we must be astute to discern its presence.

Crosswalk Crossing

Walker J.S. is concerned with four-lane pedestrian crossings. According to J.S., “The driver in the lane I am about to cross stops, but the driver in the next lane keeps going.” Please be sure to look for a crossing pedestrian as a potential reason that a vehicle is stopped in the lane next to you.

Daytime Running Lights

Reader L.O. sent me a good reminder about daytime running lights (DRLs) and fog. L.O. came up quickly behind some vehicles while driving in the fog. The vehicles were not easy to spot because the rear lights were not illuminated. When running with DRLs, only the headlights are lit, and at a reduced brilliance. At dusk, or in foggy conditions, remember to turn on your normal lighting, so you can be easily spotted from both your front and rear.

Wiper Woes

As punctuation to the ill effects of worn wipers, J.H. pointed out that in Troutdale, Ore., I was east of Portland, not west, as I had reported in October. Just goes to show you how disorienting marginal windshield wipers can be.