Inside CR: Brushing up on driver safety

Every fall, several dozen employees from Consumers Union spend two evenings learning how to be safer on the roads. This is an organization that already focuses on safety (we’re supposed to cover hot beverages as we carry them from the cafeteria to our offices in case we bump into someone on the way), so it’s not surprising the driver-safety course fills to capacity every year.

The course we take has the same basic components as hundreds of others given across the country, but we’re lucky enough to be taught by Bob Fogel, a 17-year veteran of driver safety and president of the Drivers Safety Program, who treats each class like an evening at the improv. He knows what he’s talking about, and he delivers the facts in a way that keeps our attention.

Fogel’s background is in electrical engineering, followed by 20 years in the insurance business, where he saw up close the smashed results of bad driving. It’s that extra knowledge that makes the material resonate. We all may not remember everything that Fogel says, but most of us remember some gem, and it could just be the one that keeps us out of an accident on any given trip from point A to point B.

We asked around the building to see which tips stuck with various CU staffers. Here are a few worth sharing:

• At a stop sign or red light, stop far enough behind the car in front of you to see its rear tires. That ensures you have plenty of room to maneuver should you have to pull out of line.
• Click your seatbelt low across your lap, not higher on your waist. In an accident, the belt could do some serious damage to internal organs if it’s riding too high.
• Turn your lights on when your wipers are on. The fact that your car has daytime running lights is no excuse; they don’t activate your tail lights, so you’re not as visible in the rain from behind. It’s the law in many states anyway, but people seem to ignore it. Especially, we’ve noticed, people in silver or gray or beige cars, which seem to disappear into the road on a rainy or foggy day.
• When in doubt, go right. That’s especially true when you hear a siren. You shouldn’t waste time figuring out where it’s coming from; just pull over to the right so you’re out of the way no matter where it is.
• If you’re the first car in line at a red light, glance quickly in both directions after it turns green. The guy who’s supposed to have stopped at the intersection may have chosen to gun it through the red instead, and you don’t want to be the one he hits.
• Making a left turn across traffic? Keep your wheels straight while you wait for an opening in the line of cars. If your tires are turned left and you get hit from behind, you’ll be torpedoed into oncoming traffic.
• To judge a safe driving distance from the car in front of you, start counting as it crosses a particular point – a tree, a road sign, a mail box. There should be three full seconds before your car passes the same point. If not, slow down and leave more space. This works for speeds up to 50 mph; faster than that requires more stopping room and you’ll need more seconds between cars.

Your movements should never be a surprise to other drivers. Use your signals, be sure your lights and brake lights are working, and stay far enough back from trucks that you can see their mirrors. "You're safest when you're seen by other drivers," says Fogel.

Driver safety courses shave a percentage off sections of your insurance, and may reduce points you’ve gotten on your license for moving violations, both very good reasons for spending the time and money on the course. But the best reason is the tip or two or three that stick in your mind, and may save a life.

Comments

[Roy E Smithson]

My wife and I attend the AARP 55 Alive classes every three years, and have done so for decades. All the tips given above are included in these classes. We pay $20 each to attend these, but they save us $30 every six months for 3 years on our State Farm insurance premious (total of $180.00 vs $40 cost + 8 hours of our time).

More important that the overall cost savings, is that we're convinced the classes improve our driving. We need the reminders, refreshers.

In our opinion something like this should be absolutely mandatory for every driver. And, I do mean something like what ARRP and CR obviously does, not the gooffing off that goes on in many ticket reversal classes.

RES

[Mike Donohoe]

I have taught defensive driving and driver improvement since 1956. My greatest joy is when I hear from a former student telling me that something they learned in my class saved their life.

[Judith Bader]

Thanks for the information about adjusting rear-view mirrors. I have had problems with a blind spot in my car, so I needed this info.

[Cindy]

Why wasn't anything said about "Look out for motorcycles" they are not what people have on their mind so missed most often.
Look out for motorcycles please

[Thomas Litsch]

May I suggest that you take the AARP Driver Safety Program in your community which will qualify you for a 10% to 5% discount on your insurance in most instances for a three year period after which you can re-take the course (which is constantly updated and approved). The usual cost is $10.00, but if you take a course before June 15th and you also happen to be a card carrying AARP member; you can take someone else with you at no additional cost. In many states the course entitles drivers of ANY age to get the discounts on their insurance. You don't have to be an old timer. Use Google to go to the AARP web site and you can discover when and where courses are being offered in your area. The course can be offered in one full day, or two evenings as desired in your community.

[z]

Thank for sharing this info.One becomes rather over confident of ones 'years of driving experience' and can end up making some stupid errors
I speak from experience my drivers license had expired as I was out of the country and had to retake the road test thanks to my son who acted as my mock examiner all the safety rules have been reinforced in me. As much as I resented it,I know having my son be a very strict examiner and done the road test and passed has made me a safer driver on the roads.
Yes, I did get upset with my son and he with me and agree you should not learn teach your family to drive but my son was like an angel sent from heaven to assist me. It is very helpful when you are reminded of these safety tips especially when you have been driving for many years and you ride on those years.
Please let me know where this course is offered I live in Cary, NC.SAFE DRIVING ALL

[Maurice Wachtel]

All of the previous comments are valid, but how do we get the auto makers to put an interconnect between the windshield wiper switch and the lights? This would eliminate having to take two actions when you turn on your wipers. Also, in some states, you are not required to turn on your lights if yu only have your wipers on "Interval", so it a matter of personal choice as to whether the rain is heavy enough to warrant turning on your lights.

[Dave Gallagher]

RE: Len Heitin's good post:

One problem with left and right-sided mirrors: many differ in their focal width and apparent distance. For example an approaching car that appears 10-feet way in one mirror, can (more accurately) appear 5-feet away in another car's mirror. I do NOT believe the ultra-wide oblong- shaped accesory mirrors that stick onto the auto mirrors themsleves are a safe solution. When used, now a driver has to acclimate to two fields of focal vision.

What are you thoughts about the accesory cameras, (correctly mounted around the license pate/rear tag) that have a monitor within the drivers focal vision that give a truer distance image?

[Juergen Kuehnm]

The reason Larry Stringer has this problem is that most motorists have not taken a Defensive Driving Course as mentioned above.

The vehicle turning left is supposed to move to the middle of the intersection until the end of the string of uncoming vehicles or thge light changes. Most motoists seem wait at the white line instead. This could mean nobody was able to turn left or perhaps just one or two vehicles.

[Robert A. Brown, Jr.]

Having been sick it would be of great importance for me to take Brushing up on driver safety course[s].

Since I live in the city of Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334{BROWARD COUNTY} are there any courses of this type in my area.

Please let me know contact numbers, E-mail addresses and or street addresses so I may sign up.

Thanks ahead of time for this information ahead of time

Sincerely,
Bob

[Carol L. Schulman]

I agree with Mr. Morgan. You indicated that these are "a few (tips )worth sharing". I am interested in knowing the rest. Thanks.
(It doesn't matter whether this comment appears on this blog. I just want you to know that I think the idea of a DVD is a good one that might help keep all of us safer.)

[Larry Stringer]

All of the hints listed would be good if we lived in a world with adequate highways. However our highways are crowded. If everyone left the amount of between cars specified in the first hint at some intersections I use only about half as many cars would get through each signal. Space between intersections and turn pockets would fill and block additional lanes.
The 3 second rule is good, but impractical in many instances, shch as jamed freeway lanes. If I allowed this space at the 101 and 880 interchange in San Jose at 4 PM, I would end up stopped for an hour because of cars changing lanes in front of me.

[Ross Nooney]

I am a driving instructor and retired policeman. This info is right on. The blind spot comment is true as well. Nice work!

[Arnie Robinette]

One of the best ways to eliminate blind spots is to do a quick glance over your shoulder in the direction that you are turning. Remember "SMOG." Signal...Mirrors...Over the shoulder Glance whenever your car makes a maneuver other than going straight, i.e. turning, changing lanes, getting on/off the freeway, and every parking maneuver.

[Len Heitin]

How to eliminate blind spots:

We have all been surprised by a car being beside us as we attempted to change lanes. This is likely because our side mirrors are not properly adjusted thereby creating a “blind spot” We tend to adjust our side mirrors so that we can just see the left or right side of the car from the driver’s seat. This is wrong. An ex military driver showed me how to adjust the side mirrors to eliminate the “blind spot” and it works.

The following setting of the mirrors will minimize the “blind spot”:

1. While parked, rest your head against the driver’s side window and then adjust the side mirror so that you barely see the left side of your car.

2. For the right side mirror, lean toward the centre of the car until you are behind the rear view mirror mount. Now adjust the right side mirror so that you can just see the side of the car.

3. Now sitting in the normal driving position you will not see the sides of the car but you will see cars on either side in your rear view mirror.

4. Now for the adjustment in your mind as to how to use your mirrors. Vehicles will be in your side mirrors before they disappear from your rear view mirror and most importantly they will be in your peripheral vision before they leave the side mirrors.

It will take a day or so to get used to using your new mirror settings but it works. I now train my eyes to shift from the rear view mirror to the side mirror and it is amazing to see the approaching car disappear from the rear view and appear at the same time in the side mirror and then my peripheral vision without turning my head. I still do head checks as a final precaution but I have not been surprised since to find a car suddenly beside me.

[Nathan J Morgan]

Does Bob Fogel have a DVD on the material he presents to you on driver safety. Your article was interesting but a DVD would be helpful. Could it be possible for C.U. to produce such a product?
Thank you.