No clue on driving laws and/or safe technique for driving

[Papawto5]

I taught school for 22 years and in the summer I taught driver's education for 15-16 of those summers. Good programs to teach young drivers would eliminate some of the behavior you now see on the road. Some of it very dangerous.

Some of my observations:
1. The most commonly broken law. The set-up: a driver approaches an intersection in the center turn lane. Oncoming traffic is heavy so the driver sits behind the crosswalk waiting for a chance to turn left. When the light turns yellow the turning driver "sneaks" into the intersection (from behind the crosswalk lines) and waits for the last oncoming car to go by. Result: That driver just broke the law. You are not permitted to legally enter an intersection if you can stop for the yellow light. The offending driver was never legally in the intersection to go straight, turn left, or turn right. You must be in a position in the intersection before the light changes.

2. Deadly behavior. Going straight thru a yellow light when you know damn well the you could have safely stopped. That you should have been watching for the "stale green" or the pedestrian walk/don't walk light. With the proper timing you can kill someone in the cross traffic or get killed yourself. Gravel trucks and cement trucks in the urban area are scary. They DO NOT anticipate yellow lights.

3. Duh! Set-up: You're entering a freeway and picking up speed but you're still 200 yards from the freeway and it's merge lane (not the right lane of traffic). Your left signal in already flashing. Duh! Result: The folks on the freeway are kind of expecting you to enter the freeway. Your signal (that's been on for 300 - 500 yards) has told them nothing new. Better technique: Accelerate appropriately down the entrance ramp and about 100-150 feet before you are coming over, turn on your signal.

4. Universal advice. If you don't have any idea what a traffic circle or roundabout is please find a different way to work or the store. Lordy, what I've seen people do. Can they still be THAT uncommon?

5. This is for the benefit of my RV brethren. Publicize the reason why STOP LINES exist. People don't have a clue that their bumper should be behind the STOP LINE not the crosswalk. Stop line are sometimes placed 20-30 feet back from the crosswalk to allow large vehicles to turn right from the curb lane. When some "no mind" overshoots" the STOP LINE by two car lengths, I've been known to turn right from the curb lane and impede his forward motion with the left front of my MH. I know it's childish, but they don't have a clue that they've stopped their car in the wrong and illegal spot. I just provide a gentle reminder.

6. People in Alaska all know how to pass on a two lane highway. It's kind of necessary since they have 48 miles of 4 lane highway. They know how to get into passing position, they know why cars/trucks are equipped with engines large enough to make 4 cars go 55 mph, they know how to use that horsepower, and the don't need 3/4 of a mile of clear road to accomplish the passing maneuver. In the lower 48, I've had cars follow me for 10 miles and miss 5-6 chances to pass me and then throw me the dirty digit for being on the road going 59 in a 55. Sometimes they don't look for an opportunity and their 15 car lengths back. Oh - - and once they pass the drive 65-70 and drive out of sight.

Any other personal favorites?

[jesilvas]

Originally Posted by Papawto5

5. This is for the benefit of my RV brethren. Publicize the reason why STOP LINES exist. People don't have a clue that their bumper should be behind the STOP LINE not the crosswalk. Stop line are sometimes placed 20-30 feet back from the crosswalk to allow large vehicles to turn right from the curb lane. When some "no mind" overshoots" the STOP LINE by two car lengths, I've been known to turn right from the curb lane and impede his forward motion with the left front of my MH. I know it's childish, but they don't have a clue that they've stopped their car in the wrong and illegal spot. I just provide a gentle reminder.

Love that one. I do that too. I make them go back because I'm not breaking a law, they are.

[TXiceman]

Don't get me started on bad drivers. Many of the red-light runners, tailgaters, etc. are my age and had the same driving courses I had. The problem is we have turned into a "ME first" society and they do not want to wait for anything. They are too self absorbed in their cell phone to pay attention to any other people.

The police are too busy with drugs, gangs, robberies, car-jacking, rapes etc. to have time to watch the traffic like they did in years past. The people know they are highly unlikely to get caught so they go through on red, do not stop on a right turn on red, etc. If they started handing out tickets with high fines, the message would be received.

Ken

[Skip426]

#3, It's not the people who signal while accelerating that bother me as much as those who insist on merging into 60MPH traffic while doing 40, or crawl up the lane then stop at the end because there isn't a spot to pull in. Like that never caused an accident.
It's called an acceleration lane for a reason, accelerate, match your speed to the traffic flow and then merge, and there is room in front of me , do not try to force me to change lanes, I would have done that before now, if there was any room , you're looking up at lug nuts , don't try and force the issue , you will lose.

I, always insisted that all drivers education should take place in New York City, or L.A., 2 weeks , if the new driver survived the drivers ed.

[jesilvas]

And with a very large vehicle.

[Rmiscoord]

Skip426 must be from the East Coast. I learned to drive highways in LA in the 60's and almost got into many wrecks in VA, NC, and DC until I realized folks would almost stop at the bottom of an on ramp - Arrg!

[chief02]

The Smith System Collision Avoidence training is great if you even have an oppurtunity. But not offered to the general public. Its offered to companies and fleets.