Saturday, September 17, 2005

S p ac i n g

There is no "three second rule" when you are stopped. When bringing a vehicle to a stop at a light be sure to, if you are the first driver there, to pull all the way up to the thick white line, or, if you are not the first driver stopped at the light, pull up close behind the car in front. The cars don't have to be so close together that it looks like a parking lot, or so close that the driver in front thinks he is about to be rear-ended, but get close.

What's the reason?

The reason for pulling up so tight is to make sure there the people behind can do the things they need to do. While this issue mostly relates to city driving, it often comes up in more rural areas too. In other words, for the following reasons, it is still good to practice even when these situations aren't present.

There is often a short right turn lane at many intersections, especially in cities. Sometimes there is no break-down-lane; the road goes right to the 8 inch tall curb and the sidewalk. Sometimes the turn lane is only about three car lengths long, or possibly even shorter. If, as an example, we are at an intersection and we want to turn right, and the light is red, we would use the little right turn lane, come to stop, check traffic, and go when safe. The problem happens when there are other cars already at stopped at the intersection. If the cars are packed up right and we can't make it into the turn lane, well, that's just too bad. If, on the other hand, the cars aren't packed up, and we are just a few inches shy of being able to make it, and the people won't pull up, it can be very frustrating. This can be especially frustrating at long lights.

So, next time you pull up to a light, schooch up.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

6:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe these bumper stickers are a step in the right direction:

Keep Right Except to Pass

Slower Traffic Keep Right

12:20 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home