I.
The Common Sense of Driving
Operating A Motor Vehicle Is A Serious Responsibility
We all have grown up with cars. Your first ride in the
car probably was from the hospital when your mother brought you home. Since then, you have been
either a passenger in a car or driving one nearly every day. We think nothing of picking up the
keys, jumping in the car and driving off to the corner store or school or business several times a
day.
You see, we are so familiar with the car
that we've almost developed "contempt" for the car. We would never handle a loaded gun as
casually and carelessly as we handle the car, but both of them are dangerous. In fact, the car is
even more dangerous than a gun because to kill someone with a gun requires intent, motive, planning,
and a victim who has incurred your wrath. To kill someone with a car requires none of these
elements. You could kill an innocent pedestrian because you fell asleep at the wheel for a second.
Most carnage on the road is the result of someone deciding to drink and drive.
Do
you get my point? Car is equally, if not more, dangerous than a gun but our attitude toward driving,
to say the least, is nothing but cavalier. We would never point or fire a gun at a group of people
at an intersection, but we have seen people who do exactly that with their cars.
Therefore,
as all traffic safety experts emphasize, driving is more than learning to handle a vehicle and
knowing the rules of the road. It is a matter of attitude. In order to become a responsible driver,
you have to change your attitude toward driving. Treat your driving privilege with respect and
you'll be rewarded with lifetime of safe, productive and enjoyable use of your vehicle.
Let's
face it. It's all but impossible to live without a driver's license. So why not make a few little
changes in your attitude that will ensure that the privilege is not taken away from you?
Here
are some sobering statistics:
There is a silver lining on the horizon. Extensive driver
education and stiffer penalties have resulted in a slight decline in alcohol-related traffic
crashes. The number of drivers involved in collisions who had been drinking decreased by 6.2%, from
13,395 in 1993 to 12,565 in 1994.
Europe, Africa, Asia
Being
a responsible driver does not mean just to abstain from drinking and driving. It also means handling
the vehicle in a responsible manner. For instance, parking your vehicle requires certain responsible
actions on your part. You have to be responsible for the safety of passengers in your car. And, you
have to be courteous and considerate of other drivers on the road.
Obey The Everyday Law Literally
Traffic laws are written for the safety of everyone.
Traffic engineers have done an enormous amount of research in writing these laws and they are backed
up by decades of statistics. So when the sign says stop, you must make a full stop, not a rolling
stop or stop only if there's a cop at the corner. The stop sign was erected there for a very good
reason: Maybe there are pedestrians in the crosswalk, or there's other vehicular traffic which
requires controlled intersection. Similarly, a YIELD signs means the cross traffic has the
right-of-way. If the traffic is heavy you must come to a full stop and wait until you can turn or
merge into the traffic safely.
Common Courtesy
We all have heard of "road rage." Someone
cuts a driver off, an argument ensues and next thing you know one of the drivers is dead. Have we
become a nation of driving maniacs? Streets and freeways are shared by many different kinds of
vehicles and drivers. As a responsible driver, your driving must accommodate all these various
factors. Big trucks cannot accelerate or stop as readily as a small car, and they have many blind
spots. Motorcyclists occupy less space on the road than a car, but they're entitled to use the road
like everyone else. Cyclists and pedestrians have their rights too. And, there are drivers on the
road who are older, or new to the area or simply lost. You must extend to all these other occupants
of the road the same courtesy that you would like for yourself.
When
you obey traffic rules and extend common courtesy to other drivers, you make driving so much safer
and hassle-free. Stress and irritation are major contributors of traffic accidents. Let the other
driver have the right of way. If he's tailgating you, move over to the next lane. The difference in
time would be practically negligible.
With this
basic lesson in driving driven home, you can proceed with the balance of the study course.
I've
described your responsibility to park in a safe manner to avoid rollways at the end of this
chapter.
Parking
Parking On A Hill
When
you park headed downhill, turn your front wheels into the curb or toward the side of the road. Set
the parking brake.
When you park headed
uphill, turn your front wheels away from the curb and let your vehicle roll back a few inches until
the rear of one front wheel gently touches the curb. Then set the parking brake.
For
either uphill or downhill parking, if there is no curb, turn the wheels toward the side of the road
so the car will roll away from the center of the road if the brakes fail.
When
you park on a sloping driveway, turn the wheels so that the car will not roll into the street if the
brakes fail.
Always set
your parking brake. Leave the vehicle in gear. Use the `parking" position if your vehicle has
an automatic transmission.
Parking At Colored Curb
A
painted curb means that you must follow special rules to park there. The colors on curbs mean:
White:
You may stop only long enough to pick up or drop off passengers or mail.
Green:
You may park for a limited time. The time is usually shown on a sign next to the green zone, or
painted on the curb.
Yellow:
You may stop here only long enough to load or unload things or people—no longer than the local law
allows. Drivers of noncommercial vehicles are usually required to stay with their vehicle.
Red:
No stopping, standing, or parking. (A bus may stop at a red zone marked for buses.)
Blue:
This indicates parking for the disabled only. You must have a placard (window sign) or your
license plates must be specially marked.
This blue symbol also marks parking spaces and special
areas for disabled people. Disabled persons may apply for special license plates and/or placards at
any DMV office. With these plates or signs, disabled people may park in these special areas. No one
else may park there. Holders of disabled person plates or placards may park for unlimited periods of
time in parking spaces where a sign indicates a restricted length of time.
NOTE:
Placard abuse can result in cancellation or revocation of the placard and the loss of special
parking privileges. Protect your parking privileges and help eliminate placard abuse by never
allowing your placard to be used by others, even family members or friends, unless you are being
transported in the vehicle.
No Parking
