Growing older does not automatically make you a bad driver. But age does bring changes that can affect your driving ability.
Here are some tips to stay safe on the road.
Think Outside the Car
• Maintain good health. Exercising to keep your upper body flexible will help you look over our shoulders
before making lane changes and turns.
• Get regular vision checkups.
• Be aware that some medications or combinations of certain medications, even over-the-counter ones, may
cause drowsiness or fatigue.
Make Some Adjustments
• Avoid rush-hour driving.
• Avoid driving at night and in bad weather, when your visibility is limited.
• Take a safety class for senior drivers. It never hurts to get a refresher course on safe driving, and it's a fun
way to meet others.
Plan Ahead
• Before you leave home, plan your route.
• Start thinking about alternate transportation now. The transition to the passenger seat usually occurs over a number of years. Supplement your driving with alternatives during this time.
Developed by Dave Melton, Director of Transportation Technical Consulting Service at Liberty Mutual's Research
Institute for Safety. With over 39 years of safety expertise, Dave is committed to developing and supporting
transportation-related safety and health products and services.
© 2008Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116
[Retrieved from: http://public.libertymutual-cdn.com/MediaBin/PersonalMarket/Documents/auto-insurance/senior-driving/seniors-safe-driving-tips.pdf?version=33131964047]
Get to know your vehicle and the laws of driving where you live. Common sense comes from knowledge and experience. With little experience to draw from, you’re going to need to gain as much knowledge as you can. Read and understand driving rules and laws in your state’s driving manual. It’s important to know these laws BEFORE you drive. You can find most of the material online. The laws were designed for your safety, so it makes sense to learn them.
Spend some time learning about your vehicle, or if you don’t have one yet, study the basic operating systems like tires, and what air pressure they need to give you the best traction. Learn how to change a tire as well. Learn about the brakes and the engine, and how to check to make sure all fluid levels are where they should be. Knowing how these systems work is as important as how to use them on the road.
We can sometimes rely on what limited experience we already have to make decisions when we drive. For instance, when you are walking down a sidewalk, it’s pretty easy to stop in your tracks. But when you are running at full speed, you know you can’t stop so quickly. Another example is a track star relies on good running shoes for traction on a nice clean track, but if there’s loose gravel there, more than likely the runner will have to slow down or he will slip and fall. These concepts transfer directly to driving, and you can use the common sense you have now to help you make good decisions. Again, the more experience you get, the more common sense you will gain.
In today’s techno-savvy world, the consumer electronics industry has devised many ways to tempt your attention away from the road. That is not their intention, but the more products we use while we drive, the more chances we have to be distracted. Cell phones, I-pods, and navigation devices are all very convenient for entertainment and communication, but learning to utilize these things without compromising our focus on driving is extremely important.
Recently released data from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that texting while driving significantly upped the risk of a crash. In fact, these drivers were 23 times as likely to be involved in an accident. (In study, "Texting Lifts Crash Risk" by Large Margin, Matt Richtel, New York Times, July 27, 2009). The study, carried out with the help of a $300,000 grant from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, used video cameras to examine drivers behavior immediately preceding a crash or a near miss. Around 3 million miles of driving over a four-year period were analyzed.
This particular study looked specifically at commercial truckers. However, it’s important to realize that a significantly increased risk is likely applicable to any group who engages in texting behavior while driving. A 2007 survey of 16 and 17 year old drivers found that 61% of teens admitted to engaging in risky driving behaviors; 46% of these teens said they text while behind the wheel. ("Teen Risky Driving Habits Include Text Messaging Behind the Wheel", AAA, 2007). Car accidents are already one of the leading causes of teen death; additional distractions from texting can only increase the risk. (Source: Suite101.com)
Your environment when you are moving is constantly changing, and it changes faster relative to your speed. If you look at your phone to dial a number, it will take approximately 3 seconds. At 60 mph, you have traveled 264 feet without looking where you are going. That’s almost a football field in length!
Most accidents that occur can be attributed to one or both drivers not paying close attention to their driving. There are so many hazards out there for a driver. Taking your focus away from them is taking a chance with your life or someone else’s.
This is why it is so important to be sharp on the road. Being tired or sick can rob you of your focus. Alcohol and drugs will certainly affect your reaction time, and distort your concentration. Remember, you are wheeling an object around that weighs 3000 pounds or more, it demands your complete attention!
Emotions can be distracting as well. We all have different things going on in our lives that consume our thoughts, especially when we have some idle time behind the wheel. Driving while very emotional is dangerous. If you are consumed with emotion (crying, anger, etc), try to spend a few minutes to calm down. If you can’t, you should consider someone else driving you where you need to go. Everyone daydreams some while they drive so it’s necessary to develop certain driving skills that compensate when this happens. Keep your eyes on the road ahead so you can pick out possible hazards as they approach. Even eating or smoking can distract you, so doing as little extra curricular activity as possible will give you the opportunity to avoid hazards.
Concentration and anticipation are the two things most likely to keep you from being involved in an accident. There are elements that are out of our control, but to give yourself the best possible chance, these two skills are vital. Anticipation is the art of expecting the unexpected. If you are looking for the worst scenario as you drive, you are increasingly able to avoid hazards. For example, say you are rolling down the road and you see a vehicle waiting at an intersection for you to pass. If you expect them to pull out in front of you, (maybe didn’t see you), your response will be quicker and more calculated. We call this a planned reaction versus a panic reaction. If you weren’t paying attention to this potential hazard and the vehicle did pull out in front of you, your reaction would probably be a stab brake or stab steer maneuver that could cause you to crash yourself. This happens a lot when people aren’t focused and drop a tire off the pavement, overcorrecting themselves and end up in the ditch after all. Being caught by surprise is not something you want happening to you while driving.
Learning what to anticipate is important, picking out the hazards that would directly affect you or your path of travel. The more you drive, the more you will be able to identify these hazards. Teens aren’t aware of all the possibilities, so we parents need to point them out anytime we are driving.
Your focus on driving is paramount. If you are constantly seeking hazards, your focus stays intact. Once you learn and master this skill of anticipation, your chances of being caught by surprise or involved in an accident diminish drastically.
Three things are certain, death, taxes, and you WILL experience an angry driver or a challenging set of circumstances at some point while driving. Maintaining a peaceful attitude behind the wheel isn’t always easy. There are more people on the highway that are in a hurry now then there ever has been, and many drivers think or act like the road was built for them only.
People who are impatient with others on the road easily stir up a recipe for road rage, and road rage can lead to disaster. When this happens, the rules go out the window and unsuspecting drivers around them become very vulnerable to risk. Sometimes you will make someone mad and not know it until they drive by with a finger in the air. It’s how you handle this attitude that makes the difference. It is truly best to not even acknowledge someone who is angry on the road. Don’t let them ruin your day on the way to ruining theirs, besides you don’t know what they have in their vehicles to harm you.
Another element of patience is driving smoothly. A couple of benefits come from this, people driving around you are more at ease, and you have more control when you don’t make erratic movements.
Patience is also important when you are driving near tractor-trailers and big vehicles. They rely on momentum to help carry them up hills, and when they start up a hill, they lose speed because of their weight. Understanding this concept will help you know what to expect around them.
Do everything you can to prepare for a trip, even to the store, so you don’t have to be in a hurry.
"Treat others the way you want to be treated"; we’ve all heard the saying, if only everyone took it to heart on the road. One thing we need to remember is that driving is a privilege, not a right.
Most people like to be appreciated. This goes a long way when you are out on the road. Thinking about those around us on the road will help us to be aware of them and courteous to them. Some will take advantage of your goodness but most will appreciate it. Respect means being responsible for yourself. So be nice, or if you’re not in the mood, behave.
[Retrieved from: http://driversetiquettecom.ipage.com/blog/?page_id=7]
Wise Bread's Wise Driving Guide
Everyday Driving Tips
Here are some tips to stay safe on the road.
Think Outside the Car
• Maintain good health. Exercising to keep your upper body flexible will help you look over our shoulders
before making lane changes and turns.
• Get regular vision checkups.
• Be aware that some medications or combinations of certain medications, even over-the-counter ones, may
cause drowsiness or fatigue.
Make Some Adjustments
• Avoid rush-hour driving.
• Avoid driving at night and in bad weather, when your visibility is limited.
• Take a safety class for senior drivers. It never hurts to get a refresher course on safe driving, and it's a fun
way to meet others.
Plan Ahead
• Before you leave home, plan your route.
• Start thinking about alternate transportation now. The transition to the passenger seat usually occurs over a number of years. Supplement your driving with alternatives during this time.
Developed by Dave Melton, Director of Transportation Technical Consulting Service at Liberty Mutual's Research
Institute for Safety. With over 39 years of safety expertise, Dave is committed to developing and supporting
transportation-related safety and health products and services.
© 2008Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116
[Retrieved from: http://public.libertymutual-cdn.com/MediaBin/PersonalMarket/Documents/auto-insurance/senior-driving/seniors-safe-driving-tips.pdf?version=33131964047]
Five Skills to Help Teen Driving
Over many years of driving, and countless miles logged, experience has taught us that when you develop and utilize these 5 simple skills, your chances of ending up involved in an accident are dramatically reduced. These combined with the knowledge you get from your state’s driving manual will help with your teen’s success behind the wheel.- COMMON SENSE
- CONCENTRATION
- ANTICIPATION
- PATIENCE
- RESPECT
1. COMMON SENSE
Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.Get to know your vehicle and the laws of driving where you live. Common sense comes from knowledge and experience. With little experience to draw from, you’re going to need to gain as much knowledge as you can. Read and understand driving rules and laws in your state’s driving manual. It’s important to know these laws BEFORE you drive. You can find most of the material online. The laws were designed for your safety, so it makes sense to learn them.
Spend some time learning about your vehicle, or if you don’t have one yet, study the basic operating systems like tires, and what air pressure they need to give you the best traction. Learn how to change a tire as well. Learn about the brakes and the engine, and how to check to make sure all fluid levels are where they should be. Knowing how these systems work is as important as how to use them on the road.
We can sometimes rely on what limited experience we already have to make decisions when we drive. For instance, when you are walking down a sidewalk, it’s pretty easy to stop in your tracks. But when you are running at full speed, you know you can’t stop so quickly. Another example is a track star relies on good running shoes for traction on a nice clean track, but if there’s loose gravel there, more than likely the runner will have to slow down or he will slip and fall. These concepts transfer directly to driving, and you can use the common sense you have now to help you make good decisions. Again, the more experience you get, the more common sense you will gain.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Obey traffic laws
- Drive with respect for mother nature
- Don’t drink or use drugs and drive
- Wear your seat belt
2. CONCENTRATION
Direction of attention to a single task.In today’s techno-savvy world, the consumer electronics industry has devised many ways to tempt your attention away from the road. That is not their intention, but the more products we use while we drive, the more chances we have to be distracted. Cell phones, I-pods, and navigation devices are all very convenient for entertainment and communication, but learning to utilize these things without compromising our focus on driving is extremely important.
Recently released data from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that texting while driving significantly upped the risk of a crash. In fact, these drivers were 23 times as likely to be involved in an accident. (In study, "Texting Lifts Crash Risk" by Large Margin, Matt Richtel, New York Times, July 27, 2009). The study, carried out with the help of a $300,000 grant from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, used video cameras to examine drivers behavior immediately preceding a crash or a near miss. Around 3 million miles of driving over a four-year period were analyzed.
This particular study looked specifically at commercial truckers. However, it’s important to realize that a significantly increased risk is likely applicable to any group who engages in texting behavior while driving. A 2007 survey of 16 and 17 year old drivers found that 61% of teens admitted to engaging in risky driving behaviors; 46% of these teens said they text while behind the wheel. ("Teen Risky Driving Habits Include Text Messaging Behind the Wheel", AAA, 2007). Car accidents are already one of the leading causes of teen death; additional distractions from texting can only increase the risk. (Source: Suite101.com)
Your environment when you are moving is constantly changing, and it changes faster relative to your speed. If you look at your phone to dial a number, it will take approximately 3 seconds. At 60 mph, you have traveled 264 feet without looking where you are going. That’s almost a football field in length!
Most accidents that occur can be attributed to one or both drivers not paying close attention to their driving. There are so many hazards out there for a driver. Taking your focus away from them is taking a chance with your life or someone else’s.
This is why it is so important to be sharp on the road. Being tired or sick can rob you of your focus. Alcohol and drugs will certainly affect your reaction time, and distort your concentration. Remember, you are wheeling an object around that weighs 3000 pounds or more, it demands your complete attention!
Emotions can be distracting as well. We all have different things going on in our lives that consume our thoughts, especially when we have some idle time behind the wheel. Driving while very emotional is dangerous. If you are consumed with emotion (crying, anger, etc), try to spend a few minutes to calm down. If you can’t, you should consider someone else driving you where you need to go. Everyone daydreams some while they drive so it’s necessary to develop certain driving skills that compensate when this happens. Keep your eyes on the road ahead so you can pick out possible hazards as they approach. Even eating or smoking can distract you, so doing as little extra curricular activity as possible will give you the opportunity to avoid hazards.
POINTS TO REMEMBER…
- Stay focused
- Know what’s going on around you at all times
- Limit distractions like cell phone use and eating
- Learn to recognize when you shouldn’t drive
3. ANTICIPATION
The act of looking forward, visualization of a future event or state.Concentration and anticipation are the two things most likely to keep you from being involved in an accident. There are elements that are out of our control, but to give yourself the best possible chance, these two skills are vital. Anticipation is the art of expecting the unexpected. If you are looking for the worst scenario as you drive, you are increasingly able to avoid hazards. For example, say you are rolling down the road and you see a vehicle waiting at an intersection for you to pass. If you expect them to pull out in front of you, (maybe didn’t see you), your response will be quicker and more calculated. We call this a planned reaction versus a panic reaction. If you weren’t paying attention to this potential hazard and the vehicle did pull out in front of you, your reaction would probably be a stab brake or stab steer maneuver that could cause you to crash yourself. This happens a lot when people aren’t focused and drop a tire off the pavement, overcorrecting themselves and end up in the ditch after all. Being caught by surprise is not something you want happening to you while driving.
Learning what to anticipate is important, picking out the hazards that would directly affect you or your path of travel. The more you drive, the more you will be able to identify these hazards. Teens aren’t aware of all the possibilities, so we parents need to point them out anytime we are driving.
Your focus on driving is paramount. If you are constantly seeking hazards, your focus stays intact. Once you learn and master this skill of anticipation, your chances of being caught by surprise or involved in an accident diminish drastically.
POINTS TO REMEMBER…
- There will be situations for you to avoid — BE READY
- Keep space around you for an escape — BE READY
- Think ahead about your trip, will there be lots of traffic?
- What could possibly go wrong in this situation?
4. PATIENCE
Steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.Three things are certain, death, taxes, and you WILL experience an angry driver or a challenging set of circumstances at some point while driving. Maintaining a peaceful attitude behind the wheel isn’t always easy. There are more people on the highway that are in a hurry now then there ever has been, and many drivers think or act like the road was built for them only.
People who are impatient with others on the road easily stir up a recipe for road rage, and road rage can lead to disaster. When this happens, the rules go out the window and unsuspecting drivers around them become very vulnerable to risk. Sometimes you will make someone mad and not know it until they drive by with a finger in the air. It’s how you handle this attitude that makes the difference. It is truly best to not even acknowledge someone who is angry on the road. Don’t let them ruin your day on the way to ruining theirs, besides you don’t know what they have in their vehicles to harm you.
Another element of patience is driving smoothly. A couple of benefits come from this, people driving around you are more at ease, and you have more control when you don’t make erratic movements.
Patience is also important when you are driving near tractor-trailers and big vehicles. They rely on momentum to help carry them up hills, and when they start up a hill, they lose speed because of their weight. Understanding this concept will help you know what to expect around them.
Do everything you can to prepare for a trip, even to the store, so you don’t have to be in a hurry.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Learn to control your emotions behind the wheel
- Don’t acknowledge rude people while driving
- Try not to be in a hurry
- Drive smoothly
5. RESPECT
An act of giving particular attention, high or special regard."Treat others the way you want to be treated"; we’ve all heard the saying, if only everyone took it to heart on the road. One thing we need to remember is that driving is a privilege, not a right.
Most people like to be appreciated. This goes a long way when you are out on the road. Thinking about those around us on the road will help us to be aware of them and courteous to them. Some will take advantage of your goodness but most will appreciate it. Respect means being responsible for yourself. So be nice, or if you’re not in the mood, behave.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Driving is a privilege
- Be courteous
- Be responsible
- Everyone is counting on you to be a safe driver.
[Retrieved from: http://driversetiquettecom.ipage.com/blog/?page_id=7]
References
Safe Driving TipsWise Bread's Wise Driving Guide
Everyday Driving Tips
