Please wear your seatbelts and slow down....

[Henke]

This is all what we would call common sence in Sweden.
Lots of people don't follow these advice, but most of them aren't stupid, they just don't give a ****. Too bad for them.
Have to confess that I'm one of them sometimes

I mean, I do stop to eat lunch, I hate it when people talk in their cell phones while driving and I almost always wear my seat belt, can't think of any good reason not to. The only thing is that I might be driving a bit too fast some times, but that sort of stuff never goes out of control. Not on public roads anyway.

[missy]

# whatever we are up to.....

Learn what the term "merge" means. Especially when getting on the highway. And especially when I'm behind you. It doesn't mean get on the highway at 35mph when the traffic is going 70mph (and I'm the one behind you, so I'M the one with the 18 wheeler coming up my butt).
And if I'm the one ON the highway, with no way to move over to the left lane, it doesn't mean getting on at 35mph or STOPPING in front of me! It means I'll leave you a space to get on at the same speed we all are currently going.

Learn that MOST cars now adays have turn signals. And not only do they turn ON, they also turn OFF.

Don't drive an automatic with 2 feet. Driving "at speed" with your brake lights continually flashing on and off wears out your pads, and it drives those behind you (me) nuts.

Do NOT expect me to floor it when the light turns green. Around here, a red light means 3 more cars trying to make it through the intersection, and I do not want to get T-boned, so I tend to wait a second or two before going. If you hit that horn the second the light turns green, I just may wait a little longer.......

Unless you ARE driving an 18 wheeler or a bus, you DON'T need to swing into the left lane to make a right turn. If you DO need to do so, try slowing down before the turn.

Just because you have 4 wheel drive doesn't mean you can STOP any faster than me on ice.

[emmline]

Do NOT expect me to floor it when the light turns green. Around here, a red light means 3 more cars trying to make it through the intersection, and I do not want to get T-boned, so I tend to wait a second or two before going.

Around here too.

[Tyler]

Speaking of accidents....

Saturday evening as my wife and I were on our way to our weekend job we decided to pull into a Subway for a sandwich. As we were turning into the driveway a feller in a big pickup truck ran smack into our rear end and blew our little Dodge Intrepid's sh*t away. I'm really rather sad about that, because the car was still in near showroom condition with less than 100k miles on it (and for a 1995, that's practically stellar).
The upshot is, the guy's paying for my rental car...
2006 Dodge Charger R/T...

[fel bautista]

And a review of the R/T in the future?? I'm taken with the 300C myself.

[Tyler]

And a review of the R/T in the future?? I'm taken with the 300C myself.

The R/T has to be one of the most practical "fun cars" I've ever driven.
A four door family car that rides like a luxury car and corners like a real contender and does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds (when you consider the car weighs 3700 lbs, that's friggin awesome)...yeah, I like this one...
I wish I was in a position to buy the one I've rented outright (the rental place has a program where you can buyout the lease on the vehicle and lease-to-own it).
The cool part about this car (and all LX platform cars, to be exact; Magnum/300c/Charger) is that it's directly patterned after the old LS platform (Intrepid, 300M, Imperial, etc) except they're about four inches shorter (in fact, this Charger fits into my garage better than the Intrepid did, and it has more interior room than the Intrepid did), so if you enjoyed one of those older LS cars from the mid to late 90s and early 2000s, you'll like the LXs for sure.
I wish they would have done more of what they're planning on doing with the new Challenger, i.e., retro style the interior a bit more; the Charger looks pretty much just like a 300C inside when you have the upscale package with the leather, etc.
The multiple displacement system doesn't seem to interfere with normal driving or even aggresive driving ( yeah, I put it through the ringer a couple of times), but it sure does get you great gas mileage! Between highway travel and surface street travel, I've averaged about 24mpg (but I;vebeen hotrodding quite a bit too).
The autostick function is fun, allowing you to switch between ratios without a clutch. Not nearly as responsive as a manual, but with my bum knee it makes for a much more fun ride than just a straight auto.
the one I rented is in "Arrest Me Red" like this one...

The Challenger is what I'm super excited for...based off of the LX platform, only shortened another four inches and lightened up considerably. The production model is only supposed to weigh in at 3000 lbs. The interio is patterned after the classic Challenger (and being the owner of a 1974 Challenger, I'm excited as hell over that!).

[Crysania]

Yesterday coming home from work I was beside a woman who had the cell phone up to her ear held up with her shoulder while she ate a burger while driving.

I've come across many people talking on a cell phone and smoking at the same time -- one in each hand. I detest when people are on their cell phones and driving. I've had many incidents where they've come close to hitting me because they did something stupid. Only my being alert and not distracted have saved me from those accidents.

And in regards to the whole "handless" cell phone things -- you're still distracted. I think there has been research that proved you're almost as likely to get in an accident while talking on one of those. Let's face it. Talking on the phone while driving is very distracting.

I HAVE eaten in the car, but usually it's something like cereal where I can snag a couple toss them in my mouth and eat like that (when getting fast food I often opt for KFC's popcorn chicken).

~Crysania

[Doug_Tipple]

There are certain conventions in driving that are important to learn and to put into practice. For example, at an intersection with four-way stop signs, the car that arrives first at the intersection, after stopping, is supposed to go first. It becomes problematic when drivers do not assert themselves when they have the right to proceed. Then nobody knows whose turn it is, and several cars start to move at the same time.

I have also noticed that some drivers like to drive in the left-hand lane of a divided four-lane highway (with or without controlled access) regardless of traffic conditions. The convention is to drive in the right lane unless you want to pass a slower vehicle. The left lane is a passing lane. I rountinely drive on a four-lane highway where some drivers feel that they own the left lane. They make cars that are approaching at a greater speed from behind pass them on the right side. I think that this type of driving behavior can create more dangerous driving situations.

Lastly, there are drivers who do not have the skill or confidence to pass on a two-lane highway. It is obvious that they wish to drive faster than I am going, but they tail-gait my car for mile after mile, when clearly there have been many opportunities to pass. My conclusion is that they don't know how or are not confident to pass in such situations. I am never quite sure how to remedy this situation. Should I slow down and force them to pass me, or would it be better to pull off the road and let them around? I don't want to let them tail-gate me for mile after mile.

[Nanohedron]

Lastly, there are drivers who do not have the skill or confidence to pass on a two-lane highway. It is obvious that they wish to drive faster than I am going, but they tail-gait my car for mile after mile, when clearly there have been many opportunities to pass. My conclusion is that they don't know how or are not confident to pass in such situations. I am never quite sure how to remedy this situation. Should I slow down and force them to pass me, or would it be better to pull off the road and let them around? I don't want to let them tail-gate me for mile after mile.

My solution, if it's not presenting a hazard to others to do so, is to slow down. The tailgater usually takes the initiative, then.

Nevertheless, some tailgaters are just plain ornery and have chosen YOU. One time I was driving over the speed limit, which was posted at 55mph, in the rightmost of two lanes of a divided four-lane highway and with no one else on the road. It was, as the trucker's parlance has it, the land o' beauty. A driver caught up with me from the distance and rather than pass me, for the passing was easy as you could ask, opted to tailgate me. Soon fed up, I slowed down. No change. I slowed a bit more. Still being tailgated. I eventually slowed down to 25mph - I kid you not - and the driver finally passed me and gave me the finger.

Some people's kids...

[SteveShaw]

We could rephrase it to say 5. Do not attempt to do anything that might inspire you to manuver the steering wheel with your knees. Lenf, are you listening?

Oh, I'd never use my knees to steer. They are more valuable for keeping books open to the right page and keeping a cold beer from falling over. Elbows are for steering, after all.

A harmonica players' joke.

Q. What do you call a man who plays a chromatic harmonica with both hands, yet can still steer a car safely?

A. Clever Dick.

[emmline]

I have also noticed that some drivers like to drive in the left-hand lane of a divided four-lane highway (with or without controlled access) regardless of traffic conditions. The convention is to drive in the right lane unless you want to pass a slower vehicle. The left lane is a passing lane.

Sometimes this happens when the highway is configured so that you enter or merge from a ramp on the left. Then, if you're the sort of person who resists traveling 10 mph over speed limit, a tailgater appears in the rear, but you're blocked on the right by continuous oncoming traffic. The last thing I want to do is speed up to 75 with a jerk on my back. You get over when you can.

[Loren]

Tyler, glad you and the missus are okay. I got a new car that way once too.

#13 Check your tire pressure and visually inspect your tires at least once a month. Blown tires at highway speeds kill many people each year - damaged/worn tires, and/or severly under inflated tires are the main causes for this. You can not tell if your tires are underinflated simply by looking at them, you must use a tire pressure gauge, so keep one in your glove compartment and use it to check your tires regularly.

Also, visually inspect the tires for excessive wear - do you know what the wear bars on your tires look like and where to find them? Keep an eye out for threads showing through, or cut's and nicks in the side wall of the tire. If you have any question about the safety of a tire that looks damaged, replace it immediately!


Oh yeah, and don't drive under the influence, duh.



Loren

[djm]

I had a tire (front passenger side) blow out on me on the free way, going about 75 mph. Cleared my sinuses and several other orifices. The bits of wire in the shredded remains of the tire smashed up the wheel-well and took the paint off a large part of that side. Turns out that, in spite of the fact there were no outward signs of significant wear, rubber weakens over time. On mine it was the sidewalls that let go. If your tires are over six or seven years old, just replace them all. Don't wait to test the old wives' tale about seeing your life flash before your eyes.

djm

[Cynth]

Lastly, there are drivers who do not have the skill or confidence to pass on a two-lane highway. It is obvious that they wish to drive faster than I am going, but they tail-gait my car for mile after mile, when clearly there have been many opportunities to pass. My conclusion is that they don't know how or are not confident to pass in such situations. I am never quite sure how to remedy this situation. Should I slow down and force them to pass me, or would it be better to pull off the road and let them around? I don't want to let them tail-gate me for mile after mile.

I just had to take the written driver's test here in Iowa and the manual said that if someone is tailgating you to slow down to encourage him to pass. If he doesn't pass you, pull off the road if you can and let him go by. It also said that you should have your car doors locked and not get out of your car which left me feeling a bit alarmed. I guess if you pull over and he pulls over too then drive like hell and get off the freeway when you get to a town? I guess if he is intending to harm you then you might as well make a run for it even though it would be unsafe. I don't know what to think.

[Chiffed]

Excellent post--just one minor point, brought to mind by my drive back home today:

"Slow down" isn't always good driving advice, particularly on highways. Driving too slow and impeding traffic makes you more likely to have a wreck in the first place.

Move with the flow of traffic, and always let faster traffic move past you unimpeded.

If you are unable to safely drive at highway speeds, please plan another route that doesn't involve driving on the highway.

Safer driving to us all,

--James

Let me rephrase: Don't drive like you're in a gawdawful hurry. Or, Drive like you've got something extremely valuable and delicate in the car (that would be you).

I'm glad we're all in the spirit of Motherly Driving Tips.