HOW NOT TO DRIVE.COM      

 

Mistake # 1: GET CLOSE

& DON'T PAY ATTENTION

 

Follow close to the car in front of you, and do not pay attention for even one split second - The most common crash, and always the rear-ender's fault, not the driver who hit the brake hard, suddenly and without warning and for no apparent reason like they thought they saw a ghost or spilled their coffee or didn't want to hit a squirrel, or simply because the driver in front hit the brake hard, suddenly, for no reason...

 Read more below, and then go to Top 10 accident number  2


More videos below!

GET OFF THE GAS, *$$
And relax.
We're all going with the flow, and you're no better than the rest of us.
 
Can't stand the slowness of the flow? Seek psychiatric help, but go easy on the meds, ok?
 
The two second count is the only accurate way to measure following distance. Use a light pole or any crack in the road or piece of garbage on the road to measure the distance by time. When the car in front passes the mark, count. If you pass the mark before you count two seconds (slow heartbeats,) then you are following too close.
 
Once you have measured the distance, you know what the distance looks like, take a mental snapshot and you won't need to ever count again for the rest of your stupid life.
 
BUT, of course, don't forget that if you double your speed, say, going from residential to a freeway for example, you need to double the 2-second distance that you originally measured. But you only have to estimate that distance once in your lazy life also, you bum.
 
Of course, just because you get close doesn't mean the driver in front will slam on the brake, but it can happen, it can happen at any moment, and it happens to someone every day, and statistically every hour in the average-sized city.
 
Unfortunately, for many people, counting seconds is just too inconvenient. Boo hoo! So, instead, the second best way to measure the space in front of you is to always leave enough space for someone else to go into that space. Then, when someone signals to go into that space, release the happy pedal (gas pedal) and double the space for the other driver to go into. Simple as a pimple, and by doing this you'll never cause an accident.
 
See: Lane changes and merges
 
Of course, that leads to your attitude towards other people and their right to change lanes into the space in front of you, and the fact that when they do, you'll need to get off of your 'happy pedal' (gas pedal.) Cry me a *%^$#&@! river.
 
Waah! I have to slow down to let other people lane-change!
 
Not only do you need to let someone into that space, and release the gas to make space again, you'll need to do the same for everyone who signals for a lane change.
 
Remember, the signal for a lane change is not a request, it's a warning! Aww!
 

FURTHERMORE, THE LEFT LANE IS SUBJECT TO THE SPEED LIMIT, AND A DRIVER MAY DRIVE SLOW IN THE LEFT LANE TO TURN LEFT OR PASS AN EVEN SLOWER CAR. Cry me a river.

 

IF YOU MUST MAKE A LEFT TURN, YOU MUST BE IN THE LEFT LANE.

 

Best defense is a good offense.

 

If you're being 'pushed' from behind, push back - gently. Afraid of  road ragers? Your loss, you pay either way.

 

Of course, there's always the jerk who doesn't like the fact that you're following close, who will slam on the brake to cause and accident, and then make an insurance claim with your insurance company, but if they say in court they thought they saw a squirrel then you're toast. Unless the judge is an squirrel-hater. Even so, you're still at fault for following close to a psychotic person.

 

If someone is following close behind you, relax. It's probably just some cowboy who doesn't realize what he or she is doing - they are not, I repeat, not sending you a message to speed up and get closer to the car in front of you. And if they are, too bad for them. Try not to brake hard, or they will hit you. BUT DON'T WORRY,  IT WILL BE THEIR FAULT! BWA-HA-HA-HA!

 

LESSON NUMBER ONE: NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN FOR A SECOND, GET CLOSE TO THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU. IT'S EASY TO REMEMBER, EVEN FOR MORONS.

 

It's rule number one because it's accident number one. And don't forget, it's accident number one because everyone is doing it.

 

Don't follow the flock, don't follow close, just follow the rules and go with the flow.

 

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I BRAKE, YOU HIT, YOU PAY; END OF STORY, NO EXCEPTIONS

It is not illegal to push the brake pedal. Ever. Even if I brake to avoid a squirrel. Driver in front of you brakes, you hit, you pay. (Except when the driver in front purposely causes an accident. But try to prove in court he/she did it intentionally, without a confession. Good luck with that.)  It is illegal, however, to follow closely to the car in front of you, whether or not the person in front is a psycho. Even if I brake to avoid a squirrel, if you are not following close, you will not crash. Unless you weren't paying attention. It is therefore illegal to follow too close, to not pay attention, and to not pay attention while following too close.
 
If you feel you must push the brake, and you do push the brake, and the driver behind hits you, it is not your fault. Period. Of course, try not to cause an accident by slamming on the brakes, no matter whose fault it is, but don't worry about pushing the brake as necessary, like stop lights and pedestrians.
 
There are only two reasons why people crash the front of their car into the back of the car in front of them:
1) they are following close, 2) they are not paying attention, and
3) both, at the same time.
 
Even if you are paying attention, if you are following close, not even Superman can hit the brake fast enough. Ok, maybe Superman can, but you can't.
 
No matter how hard you hit the brake, or for whatever reason, if the driver behind you is not following close (and is paying attention,) there will not be a crash. Period. Therefore it is illegal to follow close (and also to not pay attention. Duh...) It is not illegal to slam on the brake. And the rear-ender is the the most common accident. Consider those facts before you push the gas (the 'happy pedal') and get 'cozy' or 'pushy' with the car in front of you.
 
Take a chance, you might save a few precious seconds.
 
Unfortunately, this situation has everything to do with your attitude toward chance, i.e. gambling. What are the chances the driver in front of you is suddenly going to brake for a squirrel? Regardless of what you think the chances are (approximately the number of cars divided by the number of accidents, and divide again by 3, as in one third of all accidents,) if the driver in front does brake, and you hit the driver in front, even if the driver in front braked for a squirrel, you pay. Period. Get over it, and get off the gas.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear pays front. Always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do people follow close? Three reasons: stupidity, ignorance and laziness;
OR IN OTHER WORDS:

a) impatience,

b) fear of the people behind

c) lack of self-awareness.

 

Half the people don't know better, half don't care, and the remainder forgot because they were concentrating on something else, like the remainder from two halves, or something stupid like that.

 

People tend to drive by feeling, and are often unaware of the fact that they are pushing the gas pedal too much. It just doesn't feel right to go slower than normal. That doesn't mean you can get close to the car in front of you.

 

Others are pushy, trying to send a message to the driver in front to speed up or get out of the way, which, according to most driving manuals, causes the driver in front to actually slow down.

 

Some are actually afraid of the people behind them, but are not aware of the fact that they are responding to this irrational fear.

 

And some just never read the manual, which says if you are being tailgated, slow down - don't get out of the way. Speeding up and getting out of the way actually increases the risk of an accident.

 

 

Actual intersection video footage of one car hitting the back of another car.

 

Law enforcement? What law enforcement?

 

Very few people ever get tickets from the police for following close until after the accident, because the police don't want to get in their cars and chase people, and second because it's difficult for the police to prove in court. However, it's no problem to prove it in court; the evidence is your front end imbedded in the back end of someone else. Either you were following close or you weren't paying attention - or both. Your choice, bub.

 

Thus, because few people ever get "following close" tickets, few ever learn their lesson, until it's too late.

 

 

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TOO MUCH SHOULDER CHECKING

How to change lanes properly.

Hey, you've got mirrors, use them! Every time you shoulder-check, you can't see the car in front of you. If the driver in front of you brakes, even just a little, you will crash if you are shoulder-checking at that moment. The more you shoulder-check, the more likely you will have an accident.

See the motorcycle? Well then if you are shoulder-checking to see the motorcycle which you can see in the mirror, then you're not looking at the car in front of you that is suddenly braking for no apparent reason. YOUR FAULT!

The only reason we have mirrors (other than to go in reverse) is to see who is passing. Is the motorcycle passing? If not, then shoulder check to see if a different vehicle is beside you. If the motorcycle is passing, then don't shoulder-check. Wait for them to pass, then look in the mirror again, and then finally shoulder check if no-one is passing.

  1. Signal (what you plan to do, not what you are doing. NO "BLINK-N-GO"! Let the signal blink at least three times.)

  2. Look in the mirrors to see what the other drivers are doing in response to your signal

  3. If no-one is passing, look ahead for pedestrians, signs and lights, and then shoulder check quickly and only once (to see if there is someone beside you.) If someone is beside you, get off the gas and let them pass, and then repeat the process, using the mirrors first, and then looking ahead before you shoulder check.

If you shoulder check first, and you see the motorcycle, you have just increased your risk of an accident. Then you have to look again, and if you shoulder-check again, you will increase your risk of an accident even more.

 

LOOK IN THE MIRRORS FIRST.

Then, if it's safe, shoulder check once, quickly, just to see if someone is beside you.

 

When you shoulder-check, you can't see what's happening in front of you. The rear-end accident (where you hit the back of the other car) is the most common accident!

 

BOTH, THE MIRRORS AND THE SHOULDER CHECK

See the vehicle in the left side of the mirror? It is beside. Even if it is beside you can see it if you set your mirrors out far enough. You must also shoulder-check to see if a car is beside you, as it is difficult to see the car beside you entirely in the mirror, but do not shoulder-check too much! Use the mirrors first, and only shoulder check after you have looked up ahead for signs, pedestrians and lights.

 

YOU NEVER KNOW IF THERE IS SOMEONE BESIDE YOUR CAR UNTIL YOU LOOK.

 

Look in the mirrors first to see if anyone is passing, and then if no one is passing, then shoulder check.

 

BUT LOOK FOR SPEED SIGNS AND PEDESTRIANS AND BRAKE LIGHTS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS

BEFORE

YOU

SHOULDER-CHECK!

Once you pass a speed sign, you can't go back to look at it. Once you pass that 'point of no return' you can't go back in time. Look ahead before you look behind.

In this next video, watch on the right as the drivers begin to slow down, pushing their brakes. One driver was following close (and couldn't brake fast enough), or wasn't paying attention. Most common accident!

POLICE VIDEO OF REAR-ENDER ACCIDENT

 

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