Precision driving: Smoke, mirrors, and pet peeves

We all like to do various things while we drive. Eating, grooming, reading, writing, or talking on the phone during driving duties have become commonplace. One distraction on the wane, however, is smoking — at least in the United States.

American society has been tough on smokers over the last few decades. First, there was the Surgeon General’s warning on the packs, then the gradual bans in public places, and now ashtrays in cars are disappearing faster than chrome bumpers.

I welcome this decline, if not for the decrease in distraction, then for the reduction of spent cig filters accumulating at the curbside.

Smokers should be happy about the decline also. Since driver smoking is not rampant here, lawmakers have left the subject alone. Smokers then are free to dilute their attention to the driving task by huffing, puffing, and chasing the occasional hot wayward ash.

In these days of political correctness, one can be sure that if the activity were widespread, an attempt would be under way to curtail it. That is exactly what is happening in some European countries, where smoking is more prevalent. Here, though, where smoking Americans have dropped from 42 percent of the population in 1965, to just under 21 percent now, driving smokers are left to their vices.

Not so, however, with regard to cell phone use while driving. Remember, next year about this time it will become illegal to hold that thing to your ear.

I was recently asked how often I check my rear-view mirrors while driving. I’ve never really done a scientific tally, but I estimate that my eyes are scanning those three mirrors (rear-view and both side-view) at least 50 percent of the time.

To keep proper spacing on all sides of vehicle, a driver must continually see what’s happening in one’s mirrors. I like to identify makes, models, and colors of cars I see there, so I can track them — if they are absent the next time I check, I try to figure where they went (like into my blind spot).

Regular use of the windshield mounted mirror and side mirrors is a vital element of safe driving. That’s why left-side mounted mirrors became standard equipment in the 1960s, followed by a right-side mount in the 1970s.

Drivers must develop the ability to make determinations quickly during these constant mirror scans, so as to not direct their eyes away from what is happening ahead for more than a second, or a fraction of one. Practicing this ongoing ritual should make it natural and automatic for precision drivers.

Pet peeves seem to be as much a part of driving as tailgaters — which, coincidently is a popular (actually unpopular) pet peeve itself. In addition to those who drive in too-close proximity to your rear end, however, the remaining list seems endless.

Last week, reader J.H. reminded me of a few of his “favorites.” For openers, he wishes drivers would follow the law regarding headlight use. Washington, along with most states, requires headlights to be on from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise. J.H. feels that turning them on sooner, and off later, can’t hurt either. He figures that what is good for motorcycles (full-time headlights) would be equally good for autos.

Another thing irking J.H. is when drivers pull partway into the road when waiting to cross it. They often take up so much of the lane that he must brake, and let them bully their way in. That certainly is an unsafe practice, J.H. The stop line is there for a reason, and in the absence of one, the stop sign post designates the required stop spot.

Excessive lane changing bothers J.H. too. He’s not the only one. A WSP trooper once told me that it is the easiest way to spot speeders, especially from the air. A vehicle traveling faster than surrounding traffic must use this technique to get ahead.

Finally, vehicles speeding in parking lots really get his goat. I agree with that too, J.H. This weekend I was aced out of a parking spot I had been waiting for by a woman in an SUV who careened into the spot practically on two wheels. J.H. wishes drivers would take a cue from aviation, where planes taxi to parking at very low speeds. Not a bad comparison — akin to a no-wake zone in boat harbors.

It’s good to take note of others’ pet peeves. By doing so, one can avoid perpetrating the foibles that raise driver ire — sometimes to the point of road rage. If you are miffed by certain driving habits, let me know, and I’ll spread the word.