SAFE DRIVING TIPS

by Joelle Steele

When I was 19 years old, I didn't have a car and didn't need one. But, I knew I would someday. So I took defensive driving from Alex Elischer, the founder of Elischer Driving Schools in Monterey, California, now called 831 Driving School. I have been a safe driver ever since.

I wish I could say the same for the driver who was busy drinking coffee and spilling it on himself, while driving 40 MPH on a 25 MPH street in Los Angeles. His truck hit me while I was stopped, rammed me into the truck in front of me, and it hit the car in front of it into an intersection where it was hit by ongoing traffic. My car was almost destroyed and I was in and out of hospitals for  years as a result. Forty-four years later I still have severe hip and back pain.

Please, learn to drive responsibly and teach your children to do the same. Here are ten tips to keep you and your kids safe on the road.

1. Never use your cell phone or play around with your passengers while driving. Distractions within a vehicle are the #1 cause of all automobile accidents.

2. Signal your turn or lane change at least 100 feet from an intersection (1,000 feet from an exit on a freeway) so that any cars behind you will know to slow down and not hit you.

3. When you stop behind another vehicle, leave enough space between you and that vehicle so that you can see their rear tires on the pavement, that way if someone rear-ends you, you won't hit that car in front of you.

4. Do not tailgate the car in front of you, because if that car stops suddenly, you will hit it and probably be injured. And, it will be YOUR fault.

5. Keep your eyes on the road at all times. Always watch the road about a half-mile ahead of you so that you can see any upcoming traffic signals or road hazards.

6. No matter how old or new your vehicle is, get it safety checked once a year and before making any long-distance trips.

7. Don't try to outrun emergency vehicles coming from behind. Pull over!

8. Learn how to parallel park your vehicle. The formula to do this works for every size vehicle. Once you learn that formula you won't force people to wait while you struggle to park.

9. Stay on or under the speed limit. Speed limits are very carefully set to keep roads, streets, highways, and freeways safe for you, pedestrians, bicyclists, residents, businesses, and even animals. Get up earlier and leave the house earlier so that you can drive the speed limit on your way to work.

10. Do not drive if you are under even the slightest influence of alcohol or drugs. You can't tell if you are impaired. Call a friend, a cab, or an Uber, or take a bus.