After spending a little time doing pennance at an online traffic school, I sent the following to info@trafficschoolonline.com on Sunday, 2001-01-28.
I started making a couple of notes, but got carried away. I hope you can find them to be of some use. References in text should be links (e.g., Red Cross, DMV). Liked the "new laws" highlights. You may consider creating a special section devoted to new laws to attract attention to the paid portions of your site. I was happy to see the link to the DMV, which has the Driver's Manual online. You may consider adding a link directly to the manual. The Pay Later feature is also good since it allows folks to read the stuff for their own benefit. The rest of us benefit too if they follow the advice (We'd probably have near to no accidents if folks used the 3-second following rule, and anticipated.) Stopping distances: I'm assuming they were with tires locked. A safe driver (without ABS) knows how to use threshold braking to maximize braking without skidding. Threshold braking reduces the braking distance dramatically. However, it is preferred to lock it up in gravel to produce a pile of gravel in front of the tire. Later, you do talk about threshold braking, but you mention to "release" the brake when you start skidding. Instead, you should maintain pressure on the brake, and only let up on the brake enough to stop the skidding. I'm glad you mentioned that one should not fixate on things, especially the bumper in front of you. I typically look as far forward as I can and use peripheral vision to monitor the car in front. A couple of more examples for that section: I was once stopped at a red light and noticed a car approaching from the rear that seemed to be going too fast. Since I always keep escape routes open, I was able to get out of the lane. He finally hit the brakes and hit the car that had been in *front* of me. I also always look both ways before going through a *green* light. This has literally saved me from getting broadsided on several occasions. Emphasize "anticipate" more. Anticipate what the other drivers will do. If a car is accelerating towards a car in front of him, chances are he'll change into your lane to pass. My wife gets surprised all too often when the event was plainly obvious to me. You mention not to get "trapped." Be specific: Don't ride side by side with a car in the next lane. Speed up or slow down so that you're staggered, so that you have room to swerve if there is something on the roadway. At the same time, you may move into their blind spot, so assume you're invisible, a point you made earlier. Don't just say, "Slow down," since you can drive slower, but still not slow enough for the conditions. Be specific: Say "Don't outdrive your visibility or your headlights." On a clear day on a straight road, you can drive as fast as the car allows (in some countries, anyway), but rain, fog, turns, and crests reduce visibility, and hence, your speed. Always think to yourself, if a deer were just around the corner, could I stop in time? "Rear-wheel braking skid" also known as oversteer. "Front-wheel braking skid" also known as understeer. Oversteer can often be helped by slight acceleration. "Check your tires." Most new tires have wear indicators which can be used if you don't have a penny handy. These are raised bumps in the tread. When the tires wears down to the indicator, it's time for new tires. Bicycles: drivers consistently underestimate the speed of the bicycle. I can't count how many times I've hit a car that made a right turn in front of me and cut me off. Also, a driver of a vehicle should never pass a cyclist on a blind curve. If oncoming traffic appears, the driver will swerve to the right and the cyclist will lose. Indeed, as a cyclist, I'll move out into the lane to prevent autos from passing if it is too dangerous for them to do so, and then move over and wave the vehicle to pass when it is clear. Finally, do not honk to let the cyclist know you're there, especially when right next to the cyclist. You're likely to startle the cyclist and cause an accident (I speak from experience). While the cyclist can usually hear your car, you can ensure that the cyclist will hear you if you simply let your wheels ride on the lane divider bumps. You should reiterate--strongly--the "drive as if you were invisible" advice for cyclists. Add "check for a cyclist before making the right turn" to the "Short version for right turns" section. Motorcycles: On today's crowded freeways, motorists should look out for motorcyclists splitting lanes (between lanes one and two). Motorcyclists *must* only split lanes one and two, and expect that drivers won't see them and drive slow enough so that they can stop if a car did make a lane change in front of them. Collisions: It is better to hit an object going your direction than a stationary object. It is better to hit a stationary object than one moving in the opposite direction. In other words, pick the idiot that is passing you on a blind curve instead of the tree to the side of the road; pick the tree if there is an oncoming car in your lane. You sort of, but not quite, mention this in "Head-on Disaster." Riding the brake: Be more specific. Rather than saying, it reduces effectiveness, say that if your brake lights are always on, the driver behind you won't notice when you do get serious about applying the brake. This holds true for old folks that often seem to leave their left feet on the brake. Litter: add cigarettes. Cigarette butts are litter! Also, cigarettes thrown out of windows have started countless fires. Enough said. Railroad crossings: many crossings have a telephone number posted on the control box near the crossing that you should call if your car stalls on the tracks (or you perform some stupid move) in order to notify oncoming trains. The crossing location will be posted near the phone number, but not necessarily on the same sign. All Caltrain crossings have such postings, for example. Being passed: You mention that the vehicle being passed should not increase its speed. Nor should it decrease its speed either. If the driver of the passing vehicle has misjudged the distance, he will typically hop on the brakes to move behind the vehicle being passed (unless he has additional acceleration to move forward). If the vehicle being passed had slammed on his brakes too, disaster. The basic rule is that the driver of the vehicle being passed should maintain his speed. Intersections: Avoid gridlock. Don't even *think* of entering an intersection until there is room on the other side. Horns: emphasize that it is illegal to use them in other than emergency or potentially emergency situations as horns are otherwise unnecessary noise pollution. Using them to say goodbye to friends, or to let friends know you're ready to pick them up only annoys everyone else in the neighborhood. Intoxication: "Of the 41,471 deaths reported," In 1998? "The CNS depressant effects of alcohol begin to appear." What's CNS? A couple of closing thoughts: Mention that one should play through the scenarios that you mention in your program incessantly through your head as you drive so that if a problem occurs, you are mentally prepared to do the right thing in an emergency. The BMW CCA sponsors a driving safety class where you learn accident avoidance, and drive on a skid pad to learn how to keep your car from losing control, and from regaining control if you do lose control. I think this type of a program should be required to get a license, and/or it should be part of driving school such as this one. Always keep both hands on the wheel at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions. Thanks!
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