Nothing can stir the blood or raise the Hackles of anyone more than a Blog about Politics or Driving. I’ll leave Politics for another lifetime. This Factoid will solely be about staying safe & alive on the roads. It should prove useful to anyone whether you are Mario Andretti in disguise (ask your Parents) a Seasoned Trucker, Bus Driver, a New Learner or just a guy or gal that hates the commute to work & back every day. It is hoped that even YOU, the "World’s Greatest Driver" can pick up a few pointers that will save yours, your passengers or some other family the grief of seeing someone hurt or killed. If you think it only happens to the "Other Guy" just like Plane Crashes it only takes one time. First let’s identify the Problems:
The Problem No.1: Too many vehicles & people in too little space all in a hurry to get somewhere so they can get out of driving in the Rat Race! It’s ironic but that is one of the main reasons people drive so fast & rudely is because they hate driving & can’t wait to get out of the traffic.So how best to deal with your early Monday Morning Commute while sitting in yet another traffic jam getting more & more frustrated while the clock ticks & you just know the Boss is going to get to work before you. The simplest & easiest answer is set your Alarm Clock 15 minutes earlier than usual. If you can avoid the urge to sleep in just 5 more minutes you will find that driving to work when you have time to spare is SOOOO Much Easier. Believe it or not but leaving 15 minutes earlier than your usual time may mean you arrive at work much earlier than your required time. At the very least you will arrive in a much better frame of mind & have time to relax & drink an extra cup of coffee. It kind of sets the pace for your day & after awhile it becomes habit & you wonder why you never did it sooner. Your family may wonder what new drug you’re taking.
Problem No.2: What is that Dumb S*it Doing? Believe it or not even the World’s Greatest Driver (You) has made his/her fair share of Bone Headed moves. It happens to the best of us at the worst of times. Decisions to make, Choices to be made, Kids screaming in the back seat, obstacles to avoid, address numbers to find, CD to change, GPS to be re-programmed, cigarette dropped, Where the hell is the wiper switch on this thing? and on and on. One day at McKenzie & Quadra St. I wanted to get into a corner gas station. On approaching the corner I could see there was a driveway to my right but on the opposite side of the intersection. I decided to make a right turn onto McKenzie & then a left turn into the Gas Station. After I made my right & was preparing to make the left & noticed the No Entry Sign at the Driveway so I decided to drive down to the next intersection, make a U-Turn & come back. After trying to get back into my through lanes I almost had a head on collision with someone who had decided to drive straight up the Center Left Turn Lanes cutting short his line up for a left turn at the lights. After that cleared I was trying to get back into my through lanes & almost cut someone off driving away from the lights quite quickly. At the next intersection a mere 100 yards East of Quadra, I got into my left turn lane only to get stuck in the intersection because a truck was trying to backout onto the street. Little did I know that a Cop had been watching all this going on & was sure I must be Drunk. He pulled me over & told me it was the strangest thing he had ever seen as it seemed no matter what I did someone was determined to "get me" & it sure felt like it that day. So if at all possible make someones day a little better & lay off the Horn or Finger. You never know just what exactly is going on in their day & it doesn’t help to make things worse.
Problem No.3: Education. Either many drivers don’t care about the Road Rules or figure if they can get away with it why not? Well I for one am a big advocate of Education. The more you know the more you know you don’t know. Or something like that. Think you are well educated about Road Safety? Try this little quiz:
How many Blind Spots are on your Family Car?
Who has the right of way & put them in order: a Horse & Rider, a Bicyclist, a Street Car or Tram, a Motor Vehicle, a Pedestrian.
If involved in a motor vehicle accident should you move injured persons?
At what Dollar Value of damage are you required to call the Police to report an accident?
What if you are in another State or Province & you hit an object, person or vehicle at 3am in the middle of nowhere. What are you required to do?
As you can probably see in Canada our Traffic Education is very, very poor. My guess is that most people do not know the answers to these questions. Some may know 1 or 2 answers but my bet is that most don’t know at least half & yet this is something we as drivers or passengers can & do encounter every day. If you are involved in an accident having the correct knowledge can save you considerable expense, points, inconvenience, stress or injury etc. I once had an I.C.B.C. insurance employee tell me that my insurance rates would go up because I had had another accident. I pointed out to her that I was rear ended previously & again this time. She was not impressed & insisted that because I had been involved in 2 accidents inside of 18 months that I would lose my safe drivers discount. I told her to check with her superiors because she was mistaken. Another time I had an insurance employee try to have me pay the Collision Deductible on a Comprehensive Claim. The Windshield of my car had been damaged by a Windstorm that ripped the hood out of my hands & it flew up cracking my windshield. Again I explained that damage from a Windstorm is covered under Comprehensive Coverage but she insisted that because I was driving the car at the time it was a collision claim. This time I paid but sent a letter of protest off to the Head Office & promptly received a refund & apology for the error. This Factoid is not meant to criticize our Government Insurance Service but to point out that without the correct knowledge mistakes happen. Without the correct knowledge you are at risk of being taken advantage of or worse getting blamed for an accident when you are not at fault. This is why I am against Parents teaching Children to Drive, Spouses teaching each other or Brothers & Sisters teaching each other. The level of knowledge & skill gets watered down with each generation. Always go to a Drivers Ed School.
Problem No.4 Be Prepared. You know the old Boy Scout Motto, When was the last time you checked your Documents to make sure everything was in order & in it’s place? If you get involved in an accident you are most likely to be shaken up. Even a Minor Fender Bender can be very stressful as you know it’s going to cost you money, maybe a fine, maybe points, maybe traffic court, lawyers, Tow Trucks, Storage Fees, Car Rentals, Insurance deductibles & increases, Extra Charges for the Baby Sitter or Day Care. Oh, you’ll probably lose a couple days work dealing with it all. Know the expression "Shit Happens?" I’m sure it came from a guy involved in a car accident. Having your documents ready & in order, try to stay as calm as possible & don’t get involved in the yelling & screaming that can happen outside. Stay in your car (if it’s safe to do so) & wait for the Police Officer to come to you. These guys deal with this each & every single day & they have heard every excuse under the sun. "It’s not my fault, I couldn’t see." "She was driving too fast." "He came out of Nowhere." " I had a choice, Truck or Tree." Something you can do for the drivers in your family, get an accident reporting kit from your local Police Station or Insurance Agency. Most have the guidelines of what information you are required to provide & obtain from the other driver as well as an accident overview - A detailed map & explanation of what happened from your point of view. The other driver will likely be asked to provide his/her version too. It’s a good idea to have these items in your car ready so you can recall the information immediately. If the other driver refuses to give you any information write down the make, model, colour of the car involved as well as the licence plate & give this information to your insurance company if the Police don’t attend.
So what exactly is a "Good Driver?" Is it someone who can put a car up on two wheels around a corner? Has the reflexes of a Kung Fu Master & can see things just before they happen? How about a Bus Driver that deals with 100’s of Cranky People every day & smiles politely as you pay your fare? Or a Tractor Trailer Driver that can Back a Semi-Trailer around a 90 degree driveway with mere inches to spare on either side of his rig? When you ask most people they will proudly tell you just how good they are & just how bad everybody else is. So someone has to be wrong. In my opinion a good driver is someone who gets his/her passengers to their destination with the least amount of stress or fuss. If your passengers seem to be relieved to get out of your vehicle there’s a good chance you have fallen into the Commuter Hell as shown above. - Driving fast to get out of the traffic so your frustration & impatience can be alleviated. You may have the skills to drive but lack the emotional state to use them. You are not alone. Each & every day on your drive to work another driver is: Alcohol Impaired, Emotionally Impaired, Arguing with a Family Member, hearing impaired, visually Impaired, physically disabled, being aroused by a passenger, falling asleep at the wheel, putting on their make up, drinking their HOT coffee, eating breakfast, lighting a cigarette or joint, trying to reach something on the floor or in the back seat, reading a map or newspaper, reliving a situation at work, talking on a cellphone, lost, distracted by an accident, but they will tell you what good drivers they are.
An aging population - With Baby Boomers getting older, nearing retirement & slowing down I see a huge problem developing on our roads the way they are at present. These folks are going to want to feel safe when they venture out of their homes & why not? The conflict I see is that Generation X & Y’s have spent most of their lives developing lightening fast reflexes on computer games. Most of them talk so fast I have to ask them 3 times what they just said to me & there is nothing wrong with my hearing. If they drive & conduct their lives in a Rapid Pace Environment that they are so used to I suspect they will drive with this same set of values, it will be normal to them.. Patience? Who needs it? I’m in a hurry because I am so efficient! Doesn’t it make sense to slow down, relax a little, keep everyone safe & healthy regardless of their stage in life? Is it really necessary to drive like hell to prove something? To close another deal? To teach our kids that life doesn’t mean anything unless they are YOUR family? Anyone who has ever been involved in a traffic accident drives differently afterwards. They are more cautious, more gun shy, still having flashbacks of what happened. There is something wrong when we allow this to continue. There is something wrong with allowing people to use their vehicles as weapons of intimidation & of course with disregard for the health of our planet. What can you do about it? Well for starters you can become the best driver possible, Get as much information & knowledge that you can. Drive a smaller car or if that is not possible drive slower so you burn less gas & create less pollution. You can also write to your Member of Parliament & the Minister of Transportation & ask him/her why the Government continues to allow high levels of accidents, pollution, & health care costs caused by speeds & drivers with little regard or concern. Of course the answer you will get is one like "We’re doing everything possible," when in reality it is a huge Tax Grab for the Government & a Make Work program for all the levels of employees. How about lowering the speed limits? Just 10Kms would save Carbon Monoxide produced, save Billions in the amount of fuel burned. And you Rocket Scientist you it would reduce injuries & save lives. If you would like the answers to the little quiz please email mr2mk1@hotmail.com Thank you for reading my Factoid & please drive safe.
