Driving 101

Last week, my Dad was in a car accident.  Luckily he was able to "walk away."  He is extremely sore, and now has to be monitored in case of issues with his stints in his heart.  He is of course extremely upset about the car.  It was totaled, as you can see from the pictures below.

My Dad was hit by a guy who blew a stop sign doing over 50 mph.  It scares me how close I was to almost loosing my Dad over something so ridiculous.  I have always been a firm believer that people should have to re-take their drivers test at least once every couple years.  This just cements the thought in my head.

I have compiled a short list of driving rules, common sense, and just some rules I feel should be laws.  If you have any others, please let me know in the comments.  I don't want to see this kind of "accident" happen again.

1. Abide by the speed limit.  Yes I know we all go over every once and awhile.  I usually drive around 70 in a 65 (I hope no cops are reading this!!) but those limits are laws for a reason.  You need to be able to stop in certain situations, and speeding makes it a million times harder to stop.  

This also applies to slow pokes.  If you want to be out and about for a leisurely "Sunday drive" do not drive 15 mph or less under the speed limit.  It annoys other drivers who are not able to be leisurely, and statistically causes more accidents then speeders.  How about go for a walk instead.  Living in New England, we get the leaf peepers.  Taking a walk up a nature trail in the fall is a lot of fun.

2. Read and abide by street signs (i.e. STOP signs)  Again those are there for your safety and everyone else's.  Not knowing the area is no excuse for missing signs.

3. When making a left hand turn, you should be as far to the left as you can get.  The same goes for right hand turns (stay to the right.)  Don't be a jerk and block the whole road, especially if it is a busy road and it's going to be awhile before you can turn.  Again this annoys other drivers and can cause useless accidents.

4. Drivers on the highway already have the right of way.  People who are already doing 65 mph+ have the right away (common sense) so be careful when entering a major highway.

Now here's the unofficial rule that everyone should follow.  If you are on the highway, and you see someone trying to get on, move over (if you can safely.)  On-ramps are designed so cars can get up to highway speeds before entering.  Nothing is scarier then trying to get on a highway going only 20 mph.  Be nice and keep everyone safe.

5. DO NOT SPEED IN SCHOOL ZONES.  Speed limits in School zones are usually between 15 and 25 mph depending on the area.  If it is a heavily congested area, then you should be going even less.  Kids do not always pay attention, and you being the adult with a 3000+ lb piece of machinery under you should always be aware of your surroundings.  I have seen and stopped many kids from almost getting hit at my sons school.  I was very happy the other day when I watched our local police dept bust a women for driving too fast in the school zone.  

6. Do not ride too closely to the person in front of you.  This one drives me nuts.  I can not stand when some jerk comes riding up behind me (way too fast I might add) and then has enough nerve to stay so close to my bumper that I can see his/her pimples!!  If I was to slam on my brakes, you are automatically at fault, no questions asked.  Do you really want to risk that??  Plus, because it annoys me so much, I will slow down even more.  Oh so now you want to flash your high beams at me or honk??  Well that just makes me nervous that I am speeding, so I slow down even more!!  Enjoy!!  My favorite bumper sticker of all time stated "Unless you are a hemorrhoid, get off my a**!!

7. Do not slam on the brakes when you see a cop.  Hello, if the cop is using radar, you are already caught by the time you see him, so lets make it more obvious by slamming on the breaks.  Now I know some people are trying to be nice, and let the cars behind them know about the cop ahead, but again, it's too late, and you shouldn't have been speeding to begin with.  The absolute worse is the people who slow down to 50 mph in the left lane of a highway.  Why??

8. Pets in cars-

  a- DO NOT PUT A PET IN THE BED OF A TRUCK.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING makes me angrier then seeing that.  I have called many people into the police department for that.  It is illegal and just plain WRONG.  So much could happen, and no pet deserves that.

  b- Do not let your dog hang out of a car window.  Yes I know they love to feel the breeze, and I am not saying keep the windows up, but I watched a women the other day almost loose her dogs head because she came close to another car with her dog hanging out the window.  It is not safe.  I have also witnessed dogs jumping or falling out of the car.  Why risk your pets life??

  c- Do not leave your pet in the car for long periods of time.  Especially in the heat of summer or the extreme cold of winter.  Again if I see you do this, I will call the cops on you.  I will also break your window to get the pet out.

I hope these rules/laws will make you think twice before you get in your car again.  I want everyone to be safe out there, and I do not want to loose a family member or friend because others can not drive properly. 



This post is written by Sarah Coulsey. She is a Wife, and Mother of two boys living in New England. This post may contain affiliate links.