Hi,
No, this is not about fishing--but has everything to do with getting there. These are my rules for the road and maybe you agree with some of them!!!
You must remember that traffic laws are arbitrary and they may not be right in some situations. For example, you pull up to a light in the middle of nowhere- the light is red, but it doesn't change- it's broken or the sensors didn't see you. There are no vehicles there- what do you do? You drive through the red light. Pretty simple. This time there are other cars there- you wait, they go through- then you drive through the stuck red light. Yes, you've broken the law- but the law is arbitrary. What are you going to do - sit there until they fix the light?!! Now let's look at one last red light example: you drive to an intersection in the middle of nowhere- there are no cars there- you stop, look - no one is there and proceed through the intersection. What's the difference between all three? Not much.
Let's look at an example of an arbitrary speed limit. You have a double lane highway, turn lanes with a median strip-- a road that is never crowded and the speed limit is 30mph. It not in a residential area. In good driving conditions and light traffic you should go at least 10 mph over the limit and probably more- the only reason you may not want to go more is to avoid getting a ticket. The speed limit is set too low for this road!!
Now let's look at another arbitrary speed limit, there's a busy two lane highway with turn lanes in the city. The speed limit is 50mph- it's pouring down rain, you can barely see- you drive 25mph which is a safe speed for the conditions.
Here's an arbitrary double line in two-way traffic: You are driving on two-lane road in a double-line no-passing zone. The car in front of you has stopped in your lane. A passenger gets out and goes up to a house while the driver waits in the road and blocks your lane. What do you do? You wait until it's clear and pass him -- in the no-passing zone, What else can you do?
The point being that speed limits and most traffic laws can be arbitrary- what do you do? Use common sense; drive safely.
Purpose- The purpose of driving is to get from point A to point B (your destination) in the fastest, most expedient way-- and be a safe driver at all times. If you're driving and you don't care about how fast you get somewhere- consider this: If you save 20 minutes driving a day (2 hours 40 minutes a week) you'll save around 120 hours a year or nearly 6 days of time. Because time is valuable to me- that's what I do!!!
Remember, know where you are going and how to get there. This seems obvious but it is a major time waster. People don't have the correct address, can't remember exactly where it was, forgot to load GSP, start driving before they load the GPS. It's also dangerous to punch an address in a GPS while driving- not more dangerous than texting- but it's close.
Rule 1: Always think of the other driver first. What? you say! What about me?!? You may be driving, minding your own business-- but the other driver can kill you!! There are a lot of vehicles on the road- and you need to watch every one of them- as much as possible, and you need to consider what could happen if they do something wrong- like swerve in your lane, stop unexpectedly or run into something (hopefully not you). You also need to think of pedestrians, children playing, bicyclists, mopeds, dogs, cats, low flying birds, and in Florida turtles and yes - land crabs!!! There's a lot to think about and be prepared for. One of the best things about thinking about the other driver is: you can be courteous. You can let someone turn in front of you or go around you because you are paying attention and you want to help other drivers.
Rule 2: Always consider traffic lights, stop-signs, turns, and speed limits.
A) Traffic lights; you should see the next light and be aware of when it will change (as much as possible). Why? If it's going to be red when you get there-- it makes no sense to keep the same speed- slow down a little to around the speed limit or maybe less and hit the light on green. Consider also that you could speed up slightly or change lanes to a open lane and make the light. Go for it!! If there's a yellow light, stop-- if the intersection is crowded but I always go for it as long as the intersection is clear (no turning cars waiting) and I'm past the light before it turns red.
To save time at long intersections (where the light take 2 or 3 minutes to change) there are several things I sometimes do, for example, if the left turn signal has just turned red and it's green to go straight-- I go straight and make a U-turn, then turn right, sometimes before the green light has even changed.
B) If you come to a stop light or stop sign and are turning right- be prepared to turn immediately, stop, or slow almost to a stop- look and immediately turn right. If you are turning left at a stop sign do the same thing- stop or slow to nearly a stop, look and proceed.
C) There are two types of turns I make. If there are no cars in the intersection I proceed directly to the exit point. This saves time but make sure there are no vehicles there. If there are other cars I proceed into the intersection and stay in my lane.
What if someone turns (cuts) in front of you in the other lane when you are going straight? Good for them unless they almost hit you or make you stop- it keeps traffic flowing!! Don't get upset or honk your horn just because they turn in front of you.
If you are turning left on a busy two-way street, do not stop unless necessary because every car behind you will have to wait along with you. Look for an opening in the cars in the left lane and speed up or slow down in order to turn left in between them without stopping.
D) More details on speed limits later. You always need to know the posted speed limit. This is easy with a GPS but pay attention to the signs. I recommend you drive a minimum of 5mph over the speed limit on most roads- depending on driving conditions and posted speed limit.
Rule 3: Always consider the driving conditions and the condition and type of your vehicle. You can only go as fast as safe driving conditions allow-- there's ice, snow, hail, sheet, rain and even wind (sand storms). This proves how arbitrary speed limits are!!! Also you need to consider the condition of your vehicle (tires, light, brakes, turn signals) and drive accordingly. Example: bad tires, no traction in rain or snow- sloooow down.
I was driving my father-in-laws van to Eden, NC through the rolling hills on a winding two-lane road in the 1990s- the speed limit was 55. The van was big, it barely fit in one lane. It was also very heavy, slow to stop and the steering was loose (not broken- had a bit of play to it). It was hard to keep it in one lane going 50 anything over that and you were out-of-control.
Rule 4: Drive as fast as safely possible considering the speed limit and driving conditions. This is a big one for me-- if you can't drive the speed limit in good conditions-- get off the road. Unless you are pulling a heavy load and can't go faster-- there's no excuse. One cause of accidents and road rage is driving too fast or too slow and not considering the other person. By driving 10mph under the speed limit someone might get reckless and try and pass you and get hurt. Yet if you pass the slow drivers and drive 10mph, they can't understand why you would drive that slow!!!
A) In general, drive 5-9mph over the limit. In two-way traffic- keep pace with the car in front of you- never tailgate, always keep close unless they are excessively speeding.
B) You need to keep pace with traffic in all situations. If the speed limit is 45 - it's a safe road and good driving conditions--and everyone's going 55 you better step it up and go with the flow. Driving 5-9mph over the limit is normal driving. Example: you are on a major 4-lane highway across the state- no stops only exits, everyone is going 70mph and the speed limit is 55mpd-- you're going to get run over (tailgated) and have cars dangerously swerving around you- speed up to 65 at least (assuming good driving conditions).
Rule 5: If you can't talk on the phone and drive, pull over. This has many variants. If you want to text or write down directions- pull over. If you can't drive and eat pull over. Obviously don't drink alcohol and drive, but don't drink any beverage if you can't drive- just pull over. If you are talking, eating or drinking you need to very careful. If you can't follow Rule 1 or 2-- then don't talk, drink or eat. Just because you're talking on the phone doesn't mean you ignore everyone else-- one of those people you are ignoring could kill you!!!
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