The problem with rules isn’t really in the rules themselves, but rather in the basic urge of the common human mind to oppose authority. When it comes to safety on the road, we tend to take the simpler way out and base it completely on the equipment in our car – airbags, ABS, crash detection systems and what not! While these are necessary as well, they can’t overcome one of the biggest reasons for automotive accidents all over the world – the stupidity and impatience of the driver at the wheel. Obeying traffic rules can hugely reduce this risk, but we question the sanctity of these institutions without even understanding the logic behind them simply because they’re supposedly ‘thrust’ upon us. So without even treading over the territory of traffic rules, here are ten simple things we should incorporate in our daily driving to make our journeys safer. And before you think we’re being too preachy, we’re backing it up with some plain ol’ logic – for those who understand that kind of thing.
- Yellow is for slow down!
How we interpret traffic lights!
What: Most traffic signals (at least in the big cities) have timers that countdown the seconds remaining for the light to change from red to yellow to green to red and so on. It’s a good practice to use this timer to know whether you’re going to make it through the intersection or not. A little bit of driving experience is all you need to be able to know whether you’re going to beat the Red light with or without the timers. However, please remember that Yellow is for slowing down, and NOT to speed up so that you can jump the Red signal just in time and make it through.
Why: Traffic lights are hotbeds for rear-ending, panic braking and the highest disregard for safety. If you keep your speed up through a Yellow light and then brake suddenly because you realise it just turned Red and you aren’t going to make it through, there’s a big chance that the vehicle behind you is doing the same – which means, that if he doesn’t stop in time, you’re going to have to get the rear end on your vehicle replaced. Besides, if you do cross the traffic signal and the intersection is clogged, you’ll end up adding to the chaos and will have to face the abuses of people who have the right of way and you end up blocking them just ‘coz you decided to be impatient.
- Slow down at intersections.
No matter how big or small, slow down for intersections.
What: Whenever you approach an intersection, regardless of how big or small or whether it has a traffic signal to regulate things or not, the most dangerous thing you can do to yourself is to continue driving at your regular speed thinking you have all the right to do so. Even if it is your right of way, other road users may not realise this and the end result will still have your vehicle in the bodyshop for a week getting that dent out. So the next time you’re at any intersection, slow down, scan the intersection for other vehicles crossing the intersection at the same time from various directions and then proceed.
Why: Most accidents happen when two or more vehicles travelling in different directions meet at a certain point on the road – intersections. Even if it is your right of way, the best way to avoid getting your vehicle banged up because of someone else’s mistake is by taking that precaution yourself. Also, there might be other vehicles behind you who will follow you blindly through an intersection and in the situation that you have to brake hard mid-way, they might just come ploughing into you. Remember, it is your responsibility to control the pace of traffic behind you based on what you see up ahead.
- Keep safe distance.
It’s a judgement call - maintain distance based on your speed.
What: Tailgating is not only extremely dangerous, but incomparably annoying to the driver in front as well. How many times have you glared into your rear view mirror at someone who was driving too close behind you? Think of that whenever you’re following another car too. It’s always better to keep distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. How far behind you should be is a judgement call – depends on how big the street is, and mainly how fast you’re going.
Why: Simply because no matter how good your reflexes are, it takes time to react to situations. Between the vehicle ahead of you spotting danger, the driver’s brain relaying the information to the foot to brake, to the brakes actually catching on, the brake lights illuminating, your own brain processing this information after it is relayed through your eyes and then sending that signal to you foot to brake as well, precious chunks of time pass by. If you’re too close, you might not stop in time. If you’re keeping the distance, you most definitely will be able to stop and you’re giving that same distance-courtesy to the driver behind you as well. Keeping distance also helps when you’re looking at overtaking on an undivided road as well, simply because you can see farther ahead of the vehicle in front of you to plan your moves right.
- Your turn indicators and mirrors are part of the same tool.
Always check your mirrors even if you’ve switched on your turn indicator.
What: Whenever you intend on changing the direction your vehicle is travelling in that is anyway different than the natural path of the road you are on, use your indicators to tell other people that you intend to do so – at least a few seconds BEFORE you actually make the turn. This is true for changing lanes or pulling into or out of parking spots as well. After you’ve made your intent to turn clear, check your mirrors BEFORE you actually make your turn.
Why: While psychics who can read other people’s minds do exist, most people do not possess that cool gift – which basically means, that unless you let people around you know that you intend to turn, in most cases they will not be able to figure it out for themselves. Also, giving the indication to turn doesn’t give you the right to – check your mirrors before you turn to make sure there isn’t anyone beside you already and avoid the collision that might occur. Simple enough.
- Hazard lights are for a specific purpose. Use them!
What: The little button on your dashboard with the red triangle on it activates your hazard lights – it turns on all your turn indicators at the same time to mark the farthest possible edges of your vehicle. They’re called Hazard Lights to indicate that your vehicle may be in a situation that is hazardous to other road users around you – in the event of a breakdown, if you’re parked awkwardly (which you should actually avoid doing in the first place) or even when driving through intense fog. The flashing yellow lights from the turn indicators attract more attention from other road users in these scenarios compared to just your headlight or tail light or even the reflective triangle provided with your vehicle.
Why: When you’re in trouble (in the case of a breakdown, or while replacing a flat tyre) it’s good to let other people know so they can avoid crashing into you or if they’re good Samaritans, they might actually stop and help as well. These help in dense fogs too because the flashing Hazard lights cut through the mist better than just headlights. When you’re driving though dark spaces like tunnels though, just your headlights are good enough. This also leaves your turn indicators free to indicate lane changes if required without confusing the people around you about which way you’re going. You wouldn’t drive with your Hazard lights on every night in the dark, so why do that in a dark tunnel?
- Use your Headlights properly.
The high beam is to be used only in intervals. The low beam should be the norm.
What: Headlights on every vehicle have two settings – the high beam (or the Upper, in local lingo), and the low beam (Dipper, in local lingo). While the high beam helps illuminate a section of road much further ahead of your vehicle, the low beam illuminates what is immediately ahead. Proper night time driving has to be a combination of the high and low beams, with the former being used only when necessary. Also, it is a good practice to keep your headlights switched on in low visibility conditions even in the day time such as when it’s raining – not to make the road more visible to you, but to make you more visible to road users as well.
Why: Firstly, when you’re driving within city limits, speeds are low which means you need to know what’s immediately ahead of your vehicle rather than what you’re going to encounter much later. Also, street lights in cities take care of illuminating the road ahead for you already – so stick to the low beam. More importantly though, if you drive on the high beam all the time, you end up blinding the driver ahead of you which can be quite aggravating because then that driver can’t concentrate well on the road ahead of him thanks to your headlight reflecting off of his mirrors. Oncoming traffic that is blinded by your high beams can’t see the road ahead of them and can’t place your vehicle’s outer boundaries either, which means you increase the risk of a collision.
- Give way, solve the jam.
Hang back, help untangle this mess!
What: Theoretically, every road user has an equal right to the road. Practically, this is never implemented. Everyone wants to be the first to surge ahead but when it comes to big chunks of metal with engines, we often just end up getting into a tangled mess that goes nowhere. It’s good to follow certain basic methods of solving these situations so that everyone can carry on sooner rather than just being stuck without a solution. Start off by always giving way to a car who is ahead instead of trying to push ahead yourself and making the situation worse – it doesn’t make you a smaller person; instead, it ensures you get home safer. Follow right of way when merging into traffic and on round-abouts. When there’s a four way junction or there are two lanes merging into one, follow the ‘one car from each lane’ method.
Why: Whenever you see yourself or others in a situation like the one depicted above, vehicles tend to inch closer and closer as they quite moronically jostle for the smallest spaces. The closer you get to another vehicle, the higher your chances of colliding and causing damage. So hang back a little, give some space to the drivers in that mess to sort themselves out. After all, better to be ensuring that you get through a mess like that in 5 minutes than to be stuck in it for 25!
- Let the faster guy go.
What: There’s a pretty famous saying – Everyone who drives faster than you is reckless and everyone who drives slower than you is a moron. Neither is true. Everyone simply has their own comfort level of driving speeds. The situation is rather moronic though if you’re driving slower than the rest of the traffic around you and you keep hogging the fast lane, especially on a highway. Simple rule of thumb – the slower you’re driving, the farther towards the shoulder of the road you should be, while maintaining lanes of course.
Why: There are many reasons why some people drive really fast even within city limits and in all scenarios it just makes sense to give them some space and let them go past. You never know who’s in a hurry to get to some place – whether it’s a hospital, a wedding or even a business meeting that’s really important. Sure, it would make sense for those guys to just take a deep breath first and ensure they reach where they want to go instead of driving way faster than anyone else and increasing the risk of an accident. But in certain situations the human mind works in different ways and logic isn’t the first thing that strikes an individual. Then there are others who simply drive rash because they think they’re cooler than anyone else out there thanks to a whole lot of ego or big doses of alcohol both of which tend to get to your head pretty easily. In any of these situations there are varying limits to the abilities of one’s reflexes as well vehicles. Most obvious thing to do of course, is to try and avoid being one of those morons and even if you aren’t it’s just a better deal for you to avoid being a casualty of their stupidity.
- Be proactive, not reactive.
Precaution is better than cure they say and it is absolutely relevant when it comes to driving. It’s always better to pre-empt a situation and be ready to take measures to avoid potential danger on the road than to react to it when it has already begun unravelling. It’s just simply better to be in control than to be taken along for the ride. Anticipate stops, gear changes, people turning, pedestrians looking to cross the road and whatever else you can think of. It may sound like too much to do, but it really isn’t and you get used to it pretty quick after which it just comes to you by itself. A driver who is prepared is a driver who is safe.
- Be aware, be patient.
In the end, all of the above simply boils down to this. The golden rule of survival is to be aware of everything that is going on around you and this is true for when you’re driving as well. If you’re behind the wheel, concentrate on your driving. The phone calls and text messages can wait for later. If you’re a passenger, let the driver concentrate on his driving. Keep the volume for the music low enough to be able to hear things outside your car. Think about how your driving is affecting other road users – be considerate. Never rush into any situation – think it through and most importantly, be patient. With more and more vehicles adding to our roads every day, it’s going to get even more stressful on your commute. Keep your cool. Being impatient is what lands people in trouble.
Now that we’ve got you thinking, go ahead and put this to use. If you already do most or all of what’s mentioned above, we applaud you. In fact, leave a comment here and tell us how many of the above simple tips you follow in your daily driving routine. Share this list with people who are learning to drive. Share this list with people who have been driving for years. Just knowing what you should do is no use if you don’t know why you’re supposed to do it. And if you have any tips you’d like to add to this, we’re listening!
Illustrations: Muntaser Mirkar