BUYING A CAR IN 2011

(WITHOUT HAVING HEADACHES IN 2012)

DRIVER SAFETY

The driver is the last (and most important) line of safety ensurance in an automobile, and there are things that we can do to better provide for the safety of ourselves and our families besides buying all the airbag, electronic stability program, and antilock braking system options on the order form:

1.     Do not sit close to the steering wheel when you drive.  Besides having a better chance of hitting it in a non-airbag vehicle, air bags are designed to be completely deployed before you contact them.  Since they pop out about eight inches, if you sit within that distance from the steering wheel, the air bag can deploy into you, causing injury.  Shorter people should try to get power seats and adjustable pedals.  They are much cheaper than recovering from injuries.

 

2. Plan ahead.  This includes planning your route before you start, planning your turns before getting to them, and planning which lane you need to be in early.  Your plans may change as you progress, but if you are planning ahead where you need to be as you drive, you will be able to give other drivers early warning of your intentions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.     Be predictable in your driving.  Signal your intent to do something different.

 

4.     If you are going to miss a turn, then miss it.  Turning around at the next intersection or exit does not cost that much in time or effort.  A quick exit, turn, or lane change has been a major cause of loss of vehicle control and accidents.

 

5.     Drive with traffic.  Do not be the one holding everybody back or pushing everybody out of the way.  If you think about it, you know that they are not going to get out of your way when you say to do so, and you really do not care what somebody else’s hurry is either.

 

6.     Be prepared to go when the signal light turns green.  Help everyone get to where they are going, so that we can all get to our destinations safely.

 

 

 

 

 

7. Drive an SUV like an SUV, not like a sports car.  You might have to drive it a little slower and allow a greater cushion of safety.

 

8.     Keep distractions to a minimum.  When you are behind the wheel, drive.  Kid discipline, eating, business machine operation, map reading, makeup application, and telephone conversations are threats to safety - your safety as well as those around you.  When you are a passenger, help the driver to maintain driving concentration.  That will ensure that you get to where you are going safely, also.

 

9.     Please do not allow your kids to have vehicles that they cannot handle.  No matter how bright your kids are, a powerful car or truck or any motorcycle in the hands of a person who does not understand or respect “cushion of safety” is formula for disaster.

 

10. Teach your kids to drive.  Do not entrust that job to driver’s ed at school.  Make them listen to you.  Make them know how much you want them back alive and how important each maneuver is in making that happen.  And keep in mind that they are learning, which means that they do not yet know how to do it right, and they probably will not get it right the first time.

 

11. Try to allow for and forgive the mistakes of other drivers, especially the elderly and the young.  Some of these mistakes may seem totally idiotic, but we all make mistakes in driving, and we are able to forgive ourselves, so why not others?

 

12. Above all, keep your cool, even in the face of others’ rage.  That can be extremely difficult to do when faced with a challenging driver, but remember that such a driver will not be around too much longer at the rate he/she is going.  Most people who drive with attitudes are life’s losers.  Do not let them take you down with them.

 

A motor vehicle is a tool.  Used correctly, it can be enjoyable, improve the economy, and allow access to opportunity and education.  Used incorrectly, it can destroy lives as well as property.  Motor vehicles, like all tools, are not inherently dangerous, but are notoriously unforgiving of mistakes.  Some vehicles, such as motorcycles, are unforgiving of even the smallest mistakes.  It is of extreme importance that we drive with what is called a "cushion of safety" or "margin of safety", ie, that little extra space between vehicles that allows for a driver to make a mistake without resulting in an accident.  Even those drivers who are not technically at fault will still lose in an accident.  Life is short.  Let's not make it shorter.   There is too much fun to be had without wasting it filling out accident reports, getting three repair estimates, recovering from injuries, and explaining to everybody that it really was not your fault.