Changing Lanes – Collision Free

Driving in the Rain

Managing Your Speed

Tire Pressure – Improve Safety & Fuel Economy

Driving in Hot Weather

Seat Belts and Airbags – Perfect Together

Distracted Driving – 3 Types

Intersection – Etiquette

Avoiding Large Animals

Proper Parking & Backing

Ready-Brake

Updated Voiceover Mix with Lower Background Music

Original Voiceover Mix for Comparison

Script

Multi-Lane Highways Safety Tip

Have you ever wondered why at certain times and in certain places traffic does not flow better on multi-lane highways, particularly limited access roadways such as Interstate Highways? For the most part, it is because drivers don’t consider the big picture and fail to operate in cooperation with other drivers.

By design, highways are intended to keep traffic moving smoothly at a safe, but higher than normal speed, particularly over long distances. In order for that to happen, however, everyone who uses these highways needs to understand the rules of the road and then to act as part of a team of vehicles, all with the same goal of getting to their destination safely. This “One Second Advantage™” Safety Tip, will help you understand preferred, proven techniques to safely operate you vehicle as you share multiple lanes with other drivers.

Higher speeds limits, typically allowed on multi-lane highways, can help you get to your destination sooner but at the same time can put you at additional risk if you do not remain alert and focused on other people’s ever-changing driving patterns and varying road conditions. In the mid 1980s a well know European vehicle manufacture conducted a study which concluded that 90% of vehicle crashes can be avoided if the driver has one more second to react and knows what to do with the one second. One of the easiest ways to gain this critical one second is to make proper use of your vision by looking farther ahead. By looking farther ahead … if an incident occurs we see it sooner; have more time to process the information; make an informed value judgment; and execute the proper maneuver.

Even when drivers are traveling at higher speeds, most are unfortunately conditioned to focus on objects in close proximity. The average driver tends to look about 40 feet in front of a vehicle when driving. So consider this scenario.

You are traveling down a busy multi-lane highway at 60 mph … that’s 88 feet per second. You are looking 40 feet ahead and the driver in front of you suddenly reacts to a situation occurring a short distance ahead of his vehicle. How well do you think either of you will do with only ½ second to react? Studies show that it takes the average driver at least 1 full second to move the foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal, which leaves the driver, who is looking 40 feet ahead, with a ½ second deficit!

Since the advent of interstate highways, etiquette for proper lane use has been established. The standard rule, which has become law in many states, simply states “drive right, pass left.” The purpose is to leave the left or outer lanes for those who want to pass. Once the pass is completed a driver should move back into the right lane. It is not unusual, however, to see drivers ignore this fundamental rule and stay in the left lane for miles, often at speeds slower than the traffic wants to move, letting traffic build up behind them. This creates an unsafe situation as drivers become frustrated, then aggressive … and begin to pass on the right which, time and again, proves to be a risky maneuver at best and, in many states, illegal!

When changing lanes it is important to do so safely by first signaling your intentions to other drivers. Activate your turn signal 3-5 seconds before you execute the lane change. Next check you mirrors to estimate the speed of the vehicles in the other lane and determine if a reasonable opening with adequate space is available for you to move into.

Make sure you can accelerate to the same speed as the other drivers in sufficient time so you do not create an unsafe situation and force them to apply their brakes. Ideally, prior to moving into another lane, try to achieve the same speed as the vehicles you are pulling in front of. If you cannot do this … wait for a better opportunity to safely merge into faster traffic.

The same techniques should be used when entering a highway using an on-ramp. Use the length of the ramp to get your vehicle up to the same speed as the vehicles in the lane you are entering. You never want to put other drivers at-risk by entering their lane at a slower speed. If this occurs, you may start an unfortunate chain of events when the other drivers must suddenly slow down or change lanes attempting to avoid a collision with your vehicle. When exiting the highway do not begin to slow down until your vehicle is in the deceleration lane.

Here are a couple of other points to consider. Avoid distractions while driving on multi-lane highways. By doing this, it is easier to remain focused on traffic flow and changing conditions that may require a response. Research statistics clearly show that cell phone use, sending text messages, as well as eating and grooming all prevent drivers from operating their vehicles in a safe manner.

Also … many drivers who travel on interstate highways for long periods of time suffer from driver fatigue. If this happens to you be smart … don’t wait until it’s too late. Find a safe place to stop and get out of the vehicle to stretch and walk around for a several minutes before resuming your trip.

Remember – we share the roads with thousands of other drivers each day so drive responsibly. Keep your eyes up … look farther ahead; employ proper highway driving etiquette; be patient; and stay focused on ever changing traffic conditions.

This Safety Tip is part of the “One Second Advantage™” advanced performance, driver safety training curriculum developed by DRIVING DYNAMICS. These driver safety training principles and techniques are rooted in research which determined that 90% of all traffic accidents can be avoided when the driver has just one more second to react and knows what to do with that additional one second.

DRIVING DYNAMICS … because the road is no place for compromise.

Script

Multi-Lane Highways Safety Tip

Have you ever wondered why at certain times and in certain places traffic does not flow better on multi-lane highways, particularly limited access roadways such as Interstate Highways? For the most part, it is because drivers don’t consider the big picture and fail to operate in cooperation with other drivers.

By design, highways are intended to keep traffic moving smoothly at a safe, but higher than normal speed, particularly over long distances. In order for that to happen, however, everyone who uses these highways needs to understand the rules of the road and then to act as part of a team of vehicles, all with the same goal of getting to their destination safely. This “One Second Advantage™” Safety Tip, will help you understand preferred, proven techniques to safely operate you vehicle as you share multiple lanes with other drivers.

Higher speeds limits, typically allowed on multi-lane highways, can help you get to your destination sooner but at the same time can put you at additional risk if you do not remain alert and focused on other people’s ever-changing driving patterns and varying road conditions. In the mid 1980s a well know European vehicle manufacture conducted a study which concluded that 90% of vehicle crashes can be avoided if the driver has one more second to react and knows what to do with the one second. One of the easiest ways to gain this critical one second is to make proper use of your vision by looking farther ahead. By looking farther ahead … if an incident occurs we see it sooner; have more time to process the information; make an informed value judgment; and execute the proper maneuver.

Even when drivers are traveling at higher speeds, most are unfortunately conditioned to focus on objects in close proximity. The average driver tends to look about 40 feet in front of a vehicle when driving. So consider this scenario.

You are traveling down a busy multi-lane highway at 60 mph … that’s 88 feet per second. You are looking 40 feet ahead and the driver in front of you suddenly reacts to a situation occurring a short distance ahead of his vehicle. How well do you think either of you will do with only ½ second to react? Studies show that it takes the average driver at least 1 full second to move the foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal, which leaves the driver, who is looking 40 feet ahead, with a ½ second deficit!

Since the advent of interstate highways, etiquette for proper lane use has been established. The standard rule, which has become law in many states, simply states “drive right, pass left.” The purpose is to leave the left or outer lanes for those who want to pass. Once the pass is completed a driver should move back into the right lane. It is not unusual, however, to see drivers ignore this fundamental rule and stay in the left lane for miles, often at speeds slower than the traffic wants to move, letting traffic build up behind them. This creates an unsafe situation as drivers become frustrated, then aggressive … and begin to pass on the right which, time and again, proves to be a risky maneuver at best and, in many states, illegal!

When changing lanes it is important to do so safely by first signaling your intentions to other drivers. Activate your turn signal 3-5 seconds before you execute the lane change. Next check you mirrors to estimate the speed of the vehicles in the other lane and determine if a reasonable opening with adequate space is available for you to move into.

Make sure you can accelerate to the same speed as the other drivers in sufficient time so you do not create an unsafe situation and force them to apply their brakes. Ideally, prior to moving into another lane, try to achieve the same speed as the vehicles you are pulling in front of. If you cannot do this … wait for a better opportunity to safely merge into faster traffic.

The same techniques should be used when entering a highway using an on-ramp. Use the length of the ramp to get your vehicle up to the same speed as the vehicles in the lane you are entering. You never want to put other drivers at-risk by entering their lane at a slower speed. If this occurs, you may start an unfortunate chain of events when the other drivers must suddenly slow down or change lanes attempting to avoid a collision with your vehicle. When exiting the highway do not begin to slow down until your vehicle is in the deceleration lane.

Here are a couple of other points to consider. Avoid distractions while driving on multi-lane highways. By doing this, it is easier to remain focused on traffic flow and changing conditions that may require a response. Research statistics clearly show that cell phone use, sending text messages, as well as eating and grooming all prevent drivers from operating their vehicles in a safe manner.

Also … many drivers who travel on interstate highways for long periods of time suffer from driver fatigue. If this happens to you be smart … don’t wait until it’s too late. Find a safe place to stop and get out of the vehicle to stretch and walk around for a several minutes before resuming your trip.

Remember – we share the roads with thousands of other drivers each day so drive responsibly. Keep your eyes up … look farther ahead; employ proper highway driving etiquette; be patient; and stay focused on ever changing traffic conditions.

This Safety Tip is part of the “One Second Advantage™” advanced performance, driver safety training curriculum developed by DRIVING DYNAMICS. These driver safety training principles and techniques are rooted in research which determined that 90% of all traffic accidents can be avoided when the driver has just one more second to react and knows what to do with that additional one second.

DRIVING DYNAMICS … because the road is no place for compromise.

Running Time: 19 minutes 29 seconds

Full Script

The Decisions You Make

Welcome to “The Decisions You Make”!

This lesson on avoiding distracted driving is part of the “One Second Advantage” series.

Click on the green arrow to begin.

How many times has this happened to you? You go out to your vehicle; unlock the door; start the engine; drive off; and 20 minutes later, when you arrive at your destination … you can hardly recall what happened during your ride! Yet, perhaps, throughout this ride you were enjoying a cup of coffee, made a couple of phone calls, listened to the latest news and navigated through rush hour traffic.

For most drivers this is not an uncommon situation. Why … because we do it so often and with such relative ease that safely driving a vehicle has been relegated to a secondary function. In order of importance where do you think it should be?

Through the course of this lesson, we are going to help you consider your current driving habits; how the decisions you make while driving can adversely affect you and others; understand the dangerous consequences of distracted driving; and provide simple guidelines to help you keep focused on what’s most important while driving … your safety and the safety of the people you share the road with.

First, let’s see how you rate your current driving capabilities?

Are you:

• Above Average
• Average
• Below Average?

Don’t over think your response. Typically what first comes to your mind is the response you should select.

Please “click” on your answer.

No matter how you responded, most drivers rate themselves as “Above Average”.

Here is an interesting observation from noted columnist and humorist, Dave Barry, whose work has appeared in over 500 newspapers in North America and abroad.

[Male Narrator]
The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside … we ALL believe that we are above average drivers!

Most often, drivers grade themselves as “Above Average”. Unfortunately, this grade does not reflect our actual, safety performance track record.

Consider these facts:

• Someone is injured every 18 seconds
• Over 2 million injuries annually are disabling
• A person dies in a crash every 11 minutes
• Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of death
• 1 in 4 fatal work injuries involves a vehicle accident

Now knowing these facts, what grade would you give to the typical driver you share the road with everyday? Please “click” on your answer.

When a crash occurs, it is rarely the situation where one single risk factor is the cause of this event. Instead, as risk and safety experts have confirmed, a crash usually results from a combination of risk factors. Typical risk factors may include:

• Speeding
• Inattention
• Substance abuse
• Fatigue
• Aggressive driving
• Failure to obey traffic signals
• Poorly maintained equipment
• Not matching driving style to road and weather conditions
• Distractions

For instance, Driver “A” is talking on his cell phone and fails to see approaching Driver “B”, who is having trouble staying awake and drifts directly into Driver “A”s path causing a front end collision.

Do you think Driver ”A” would have had a better chance of avoiding this crash if he was not preoccupied with his cell phone conversation?

Please “click” on your answer.

Let’s take another look at the typical risk factors that we just reviewed. Can you identify the common theme in all of these factors?

Please “click” on the answer that best describes what the common theme is among all of these risk factors.

How did you do? The correct answer is:

C. They are based on personal decisions

All of these risk factors are the result of Decisions You Make. The moment your start your vehicle and drive away, you and only you are responsible for the decisions you make to control or avoid these risk factors.

Have you ever considered how much risky behavior you have unintentionally allowed to slip into your everyday driving routine?

Let’s take a minute and consider the consequences of your decisions and who is affected when things go wrong.

You are never alone when you are driving … even if there are no other passengers in your vehicle. Your actions behind-the-wheel and the DECISIONS YOU MAKE can have serious, adverse consequences … not only for YOU but for your family, your passengers, the other drivers who you share the road with, and possibly even your employer.

Each one of us has the serious responsibility to PURPOSELY drive our vehicle in a safe manner so we not only keep ourselves out of harm’s way but to make sure we do not endanger anyone else.

Driving entails dozens of decisions every minute. Are you consciously making them? Do you sometimes just forget that you are actually driving a vehicle and, instead, focus on secondary, non-essential activities?

Too often, drivers get themselves into trouble, not because they decided to make a bad decision but as a result of allowing other non-essential driving activities to interfere with their primary responsibility … staying focused and aware of changing traffic conditions.

No matter how you permit dangerous activities to enter your driving routine, the consequences can still be serious for you and everyone else who is counting on you to drive responsibly.

Can you identify which driver in these two scenarios is staying focused by avoiding inappropriate activities and driving responsibly?

More than likely, you have heard stories; seen newspaper and TV reports; and have a very good understanding how a serious crash can have dire consequences for you, your family, your passengers and the other drivers involved in a crash with you. But have you ever considered how it may affect your employer and your job?

Whether driving a company vehicle or your own vehicle while performing a business related activity, the law holds your employer responsible for the decisions you make when others are hurt. This is a legal concept known as Vicarious Liability.

Circumstances sometime dictate that the employer has no choice but to dismiss the “at-fault” driver. In this case, both the driver and employer must deal with the financial, legal and emotional consequences of the driver’s action plus the driver also loses his job.

No one ever wants to be in this position yet everyday, drivers continue to ignore their primary responsibility and allow unnecessary risk factors to enter into their driving routine. How often has this happened to you?

Take a look at these news reports of actual cases in which the employer was also held responsible for its driver’s poor safety performance.

[Male Narrator]
“An insurance company is paying nearly $5 million to settle a case of a driver who struck and killed two bicyclists while driving a company vehicle. The driver was reported to have been allegedly talking on her cell phone prior to the accident. She was charged with reckless homicide”.

[Female Narrator]
“A Virginia jury awarded $2 million in damages to the family of a young girl who was killed by a driver using a cell phone at the time of the accident. The plaintiff also filed a suit against the driver’s employer after it became clear through an examination of phone records that the driver had been talking during work hours when she hit the girl.”

Think! How much risky behavior have you allowed to enter into your daily driving routine?

Remember – your life and the lives of the people who are important to you can be adversely affected by the Decisions You Make.

Now that you know the facts and understand the consequences, please proceed and complete the following Knowledge Check. Choose the best answer to each of these questions. A green checkmark indicates that you’ve answered correctly.

Use the green arrow located at the top right of the page to move to the next question.

When you have completed the knowledge check, click on the flashing green arrow at the lower right to continue the lesson.

What decisions create the biggest problems for drivers?

From a behavioral perspective, the risk factors contributing to serious and fatal crashes are;

• Recklessness
• Impairment
• Fatigue
• Speed and Aggression
• Inattention and Distraction.

Inattentive – Distracted Driving continues to top the list of causes for serious and fatal crashes. In the next portion of this lesson, we will focus on this serious risk factor and provide suggestions for getting this problem under control.

An emergency can arise quickly and at any time while driving. If you’re distracted, either physically or mentally, you cannot react as quickly as an unimpaired motorist.

At 35 mph, a 2 second lapse in attention means you’ll travel 100 feet without looking.

A recent study by the California Highway Patrol determined that the most common distractions leading to collisions included:

• Cell phone use
• Attending to children while driving
• Eating while driving

In this section, we’ll focus on cell phone use and how this activity adversely impacts driving performance.

Talking on the phone while you drive: it’s convenient. It’s also more dangerous than drinking and driving. In fact, if you use the phone while driving you increase your chances of getting into an accident fourfold.

Surprisingly, using a hands-free device is no safer than holding a phone. Either way, the accident statistics are the same. The overwhelming majority of cell-phone users in accidents strike cars or other large objects that are in clear view.

Why? It has to do with the human brain. Humans can’t think of more than one thing at a time. We can switch back and forth between thoughts, or focus on one and monitor another. When an emergency happens on the road, that fraction of a second it takes your brain to switch from focusing on the phone to focusing on the road is more time than you can afford.

If you want to use your cell phone in the car – find a safe place to PULL OVER.

Try this simple exercise to test your multi-tasking capabilities.

You are to read two short sentences – only 21 words – about driver safety. You will be required to use some of your multi-tasking “skills” in order to properly understand what you are reading. You have approximately 10 seconds to read these two sentences.

Click the box to your right when you are ready to begin.

Surprised by the results? Were you a bit uncomfortable trying to keep up with the information?

Imagine if this is you trying to text a message and, at the same time, keep an eye on the road and changing traffic conditions. Does this simple exercise help you understand the danger you are in when trying to drive and multi-task?

Is it worth the risk?

As we have just seen, people are just not equipped to safely multi-task while driving. Here is information about TEXTING and its serious consequences for your consideration.

After examining the behavior of truck drivers covering more than 6 million miles of road, a study concluded that people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash (or what they call a near-crash event) than non-distracted drivers.

Connecticut police recently arrested a female school bus driver for sending over 1,000 text messages while on the job in less than two months. She has also reportedly been suspended by her employer.

The popular belief that the number of teenagers texting while driving is more as compared to adults, got a major blow when “texting while driving” statistics revealed that 47 percent of the adults resort to texting as compared to 34 percent of the teenagers.

In one of the starkest reminders to date of the dangers of texting while driving, the late celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan was reportedly tweeting about his dog just before his car plunged off a cliff in Malibu. Ryan, best known for performing several surgeries on “The Hills” star Heidi Montag, was killed when his 1995 Jeep Wrangler fell off the side of the twisty Pacific Coast Highway and fell on its roof.

• 38% of smartphone owners in the U.S. compose text messages while driving
• 40% of US smartphone owners read at least one text message while driving

If you must text, make the smart decision … find a safe place and pull over before you begin texting. Do not text and drive. Otherwise, you are putting yourself and those you share the road with in danger.

The very latest research findings help us understand what challenges a driver faces when using a cell phone. Studies from major universities have concluded that when you speak on a cell phone while driving … and this includes hands-free phone calls … a phenomenon occurs called “Inattention Blindness”.

Very simply, this is a person’s inability to perceive things which are in plain sight. Research scientists have concluded that people have a limited capacity for attention and this limits the amount of details processed at any moment in time.

So what does this mean to the average driver? Simply – get on the cell phone, get engrossed in a phone conversation, and many of the critical safety details you need to recognize and understand while driving start disappearing from your mind’s eye!

Maybe it’s a child running out into the street chasing a ball; a car that is stopped in the middle of traffic to pick up a passenger; or as simple as a traffic light turning red. Almost all of us have witnessed a driver going through a red light. Quite likely, that driver was a suffering from “Inattention Blindness”.

Let’s take a look at what actually happens when a driver is involved in a cell phone conversation. Remember, research has proven that whether a driver is using a hand-held cell phone or hands-free, that person’s safe driving ability is adversely affected by this phenomenon called, “Inattention Blindness”.

Compare the following driving scenes. In the first one you have a normal, attentive driver’s view of the road ahead and potential hazards. In the next scene, see how much information a driver can potentially lose while on a cell phone.

Click on each image to compare the differences.

Do you really want to drive this blindly? Of course you don’t! But every time your drive and engage in a cell phone conversation … you and everyone around you are at risk.

Remember … the decisions you make while driving can have positive or negative consequences. What do you chose to do?

Let’s spend another minute and take a look at some additional safety statistics dealing with driving and Cell Phone usage.

974,000 vehicles on the road at any given daylight moment are being driven by someone on a hand-held cell phone.

Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions the same as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08%.

Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.

Drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to get into a crash serious enough to injure themselves.

So … let’s ask the question again. Cell Phones: hand-held or hands-free … is it really worth the risk? Can you afford the consequences?

Think! How much risky behavior have you allowed to enter into your daily driving routine?

Remember – your life and the lives of the people who are important to you can be adversely affected by the Decisions You Make.

Now that you know the facts and understand the consequences, please proceed and complete the following Knowledge Check. Choose the best answer to each of these questions. A green checkmark indicates that you’ve answered correctly.

Use the green arrow located at the top right of the page to move to the next question.

When you have completed the knowledge check, click on the flashing green arrow at the lower right to continue the lesson.

Using a cell phone is just one of many risky behaviors that a driver can eliminate to avoid unnecessary incidents. There are other activities drivers regularly engage in which have been with us much longer and continue to create serious, sometimes fatal distractions.

Reaching inside the car for audio or temperature controls is technically one of the most distracting behaviors as it takes both your mind and body away from the act of driving. Attending to children can have a similar effect. Eating remains a leading causative factor in accident reports.

Twenty-five percent of all automobile crashes are caused by distracted drivers – that’s 1.5 million accidents a year.

If you want to stay safe, the only answer is to keep your attention on driving. If you have to make adjustments inside the car which will take your eyes off the road or your attention away from your traffic conditions, pull over to a safe location first and then make these changes.

These examples of distractions which can occur inside your vehicle are completely under your control. Drivers don’t consider the danger they are putting themselves into by just taking their eyes off the road for a couple of seconds. When your eyes are not on the road … you are driving blind!

In addition to cell phones, other electronic devices such as GPS are major contributors of distractions. If you use a portable GPS device, where does it belong? Do not place it in the middle of your windshield – it creates a blind spot. Place your device as low and as close to your dashboard as possible. Most importantly, do not try to program it while driving. Your job, at all times, is to stay focused on the road and the conditions around you.

Distractions outside the vehicle can be just as dangerous if you allow them to take your attention from driving. It is not uncommon for drivers to become distracted as they shift focus to people, places or things outside their vehicle. Some examples include billboards, law enforcement activities, and outdoor sporting events.

Another common mistake is “rubber-necking” – slowing down and turning your head to observe a crash or other activity. Keep your attention on the road and the situation ahead, not on sights or views as you pass.

Admit it! Engaging in other activities while driving is a recipe for disaster. Why put yourself unnecessarily in harm’s way? Whether it’s making a cell phone call or having a quick sandwich … the best … the safest decision is to always pull over to a secure location and accomplish whatever you need to do.

One minute safely parked won’t kill you. Trying to save a minute just might.

The guidelines you have just reviewed are effective tools to help you stay safe but it’s up to you to use them. It all comes down to The Decisions You Make. Make smart ones – stay focused on what’s most important while driving … your safety and the safety of the people you share the road with!

You have just completed the final section.

During this lesson, you have considered:

• your current driving habits
• how the decisions you make while driving can adversely affect you and others
• the very real, dangerous consequences of distracted driving
• simple guidelines to help keep you focused on what’s most important while driving … your safety and the safety of the people you share the road with.

Now that you know the facts … are you ready to make the smart decisions to stay safe?

Remember – you and only you are responsible for what you do.

You are ready to take a test on the entire lesson. Begin by choosing the best answer to each of the following questions. Use the green arrow located at the top right of the test to move to the next question. You must answer all of the questions before submitting the test for scoring.

During the test you may return to the lesson at any time.

Script

Entering and Merging Into Traffic: Safety Tip

Has this ever happened to you?

[Use animation “Poor Planning – Right Turn”]

You are driving down the road when, at the last minute, a vehicle pulls out of a side street and turns in front of you forcing you to quickly brake or use an escape route to avoid a collision. As you check your rear view mirror to see what’s going on behind you, you notice that there are no vehicles in back of you which makes you wonder … “Why did this driver feel compelled to pull out in front of you rather than simply wait until you passed by?”

Or … how about this example? You are traveling on a high speed interstate highway and another vehicle feeding in from an entrance ramp merges right in front of you. Because this driver entered your lane at a speed much slower than yours, you quickly hit the brakes to avoid a collision and hope that everyone else behind you is paying attention so you don’t get rear-ended!

Most likely – these situations have occurred to you more than once. And, if you think about it, there are probably more times than you would like to admit – when you were the offending driver. So why do drivers regularly do this?

This “One Second Advantage™” Safety Tip will help you understand preferred, proven techniques to responsibly and safely enter and merge with other traffic.

In both of the scenarios just described to you, the possibility of a collision was uncomfortably high. The driver who is entering the roadway should know and recognize that drivers already in the roadway have the right of way. In most cases, the driver making the turn into traffic simply does not exercise caution by taking sufficient time to evaluate the traffic flow prior to moving into it. As a result … one person’s carelessness puts everybody else in jeopardy.

A typical automobile, when pulling out into traffic from a stop, takes approximately 5-6 seconds to reach 30 mph and 10-12 seconds to reach 50 mph. Heavier vehicles will take longer. When entering a lane with moving traffic always err on the side of safety. If you feel that you cannot pull out in front of other vehicles before getting up to the proper speed, be smart and wait the few additional seconds for a safer window of opportunity.

Let’s look at some practical ideas to follow to help keep everyone safe in these situations.

First, we’ll review the scenario of turning left or right from a side street onto another street and the things you should do to remain safe.

Always come to a complete stop before turning in either direction onto a street running perpendicular to the one you are on. Make sure you use your turn signal so that other drivers are aware of your intentions.


[Use animation “Look Both Ways”
]

While stopped, look in both directions and evaluate what is happening on the street you are about to enter.

Before executing the turn, try to judge the speed of the cross traffic and determine whether or not you can safely match its speed to avoid having any approaching vehicles getting dangerously close to you. If you determine that you cannot, then be patient and wait for the right opportunity before initiating your turn. This is even more critical when negotiating left hand turns.

When entering faster moving traffic, the first priority should be to get up to speed as soon as possible to avoid being hit from behind. Other drivers should not need to slow down when you pull out in front of them. Simply stated – be courteous, stay safe …. don’t make the turn unless you have adequate time!

Once you have entered traffic, check your mirrors to become fully aware of what is happening behind you.

These same techniques apply when using an on-ramp to enter a limited access roadway. On-ramps, also called entrance ramps, are designed to allow a driver to accelerate to the estimated speed of the traffic before pulling out into a moving traffic lane.

[Use animation “Proper Merging”]

As discussed, you should be able to merge into the traffic smoothly without the need for other vehicles to slow down to allow you to enter the lane. Always use your turn signal to indicate to the moving traffic when you are ready to merge. Make it a habit to let turn signals flash at least 3-5 seconds before executing lane changes. In most cases, approaching drivers will change lanes to allow you a safe transition into traffic.

[Use animation “Improper Merge – Slowing Down”]

Try to avoid slowing down or stopping while proceeding through an entrance ramp. Maintain a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you and be alert for possible slowdowns. If you get caught in this situation, make every attempt to safely accelerate to the proper speed when it’s your turn to enter the traffic. If it becomes necessary to pull into the traffic lane prior to reaching the appropriate speed, try to merge into an open space where there is an ample gap between vehicles. You never want to create a situation where other drivers feel threatened and overreact. This never turns out to be good for anybody.

[Use animation “Watch Out – Merging Driver”]

When you are on the highway and see other vehicles entering from the on-ramp, try to anticipate what they will do. If it appears that they will not reach the traffic speed prior to entering your lane, safely move to another lane by first, using your turn signal, then checking your mirrors to be sure that the lane change is safe. This is especially true when you see large trucks entering the highway. Because they are larger and weigh more, they require a much longer distance to get up to speed. Most on-ramps are not long enough to accommodate this limitation so trucks will typically enter traffic lanes at a slower than ideal speed.

Remember … no matter what the circumstances, the safest approach – entering or merging – is to give yourself adequate time to observe surrounding traffic conditions; remain calm; signal your intentions; evaluate and properly time your maneuver; get up to traffic speed as quickly as possible; and most importantly … throughout the entire maneuver … treat the other drivers the same way you would want them to treat you. This will help all of you reach your destinations safely!

This Safety Tip is part of the “One Second Advantage™” advanced performance, driver safety training curriculum developed by DRIVING DYNAMICS. These driver safety training principles and techniques are rooted in research which determined that 90% of all traffic accidents can be avoided when the driver has just one more second to react and knows what to do with that additional one second.

DRIVING DYNAMICS … because the road is no place for compromise.