Monday, October 5, 2009

Driving mantra Part 5 - Use your indicators and brakes in the right order.

Remember in part 2 I said that your tail lights are your only real form of communication with those behind you? Throw us a bone. If you're going to turn off, use your indicators first. Give those drivers behind you some clue what you're going to do. As you approach the turning, begin to slow down. The drivers behind you (if they're attentive) will begin to slow down too. If you can, gauge your speed so you can turn without coming to a complete stop. It's the analogy from part 1 again - water flowing in a river. If you brake first, then indicate only once you've come to a complete stop, you gave nobody behind you any clue what your intentions were, so now everyone is forced to bunch up and stop behind you instead of being given the option to go around you or slow down and give you room to get out of the way. You're the blockage in the river, creating turbulence.

1 comment:

Paul said...

This is oh so much of an issue with me. I have lived in the US for 8 months now and two things piss me off in regard to driving here. The seemingly complete lack of knowledge that the wee stalk on the left of the steering wheel can be used to tell other drivers, in advance, where you want to go. A glance in the mirror (if you're lucky) and then drifting across to the next lane is all we'll get, maybe. If there's someone already there, who toots at you, give them a dirty look saying they should have been more attentive!!! My blood is starting to boil just writing this. The complete arrogance of some of the drivers here astound me.
The second pet peeve is people on their bloody cellphones wondering all over the road oblivious to anyone else. Don't even get me started on them!