It is a beautiful day! The driver of the Camry (we’ll call him Jimmy) is on the way to his league softball game. Up ahead, there is a “T” intersection. Jimmy is on the through street. The driver of the cement truck, up ahead, and to Jimmy’s right, upon reaching the “T” intersection, must by law, yield to passing traffic.
Jimmy has the right-of-way!
The driver of the 65,000 pound cement truck, however, is not going to yield. At the last instant, the 65,000 pound cement truck is going to end up directly in Jimmy’s path. Jimmy, in his 3000 pound Toyota Camry, is going to broadside the cement truck at 30 mph.
Jimmy’s 3,000 pound Toyota Camry, traveling at 30 mph, and hitting the side of the 65,000 pound cement truck, will come to a complete stop in 1/10th of a second … the same length of time it takes to blink your eye.
But how can all of this be? Jimmy had the right-of-way!
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
PHYSICAL CONDITION
After purchasing my second car, the $100 dollar scrapheap Toyzuki hybrid, it didn’t take me long to realize that the beast had the directional stability of a twenty-five-year-old shopping cart. The steering unit was worn and wobbly, from age, stress and fatigue.
Just as the physical condition of a vehicle is important to driving safely, so too is your personal physical condition.
A driver’s physical condition can be affected by age, illness, a temporary or permanent handicap, stress or fatigue.
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
Any of these types of physical factors could be the reason.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
AGING
My sense of direction has always been terrible, and as I have gotten older, I find that I have a harder time following directions as well. I have recently discovered that whenever someone is giving me directions, before they finish talking, they begin speaking Latin. “You wanna go about four miles and take a right on Highland Avenue. Then you’ll go about two, maybe three more miles, and where the road splits, don’t worry you can’t miss it (that phrase is the kiss of death), take a left. You’ll go over a hill and after you pass the big mango tree, you will be edominus, orum, completsi, losto.”
It’s a fact of life; as we get older, our senses begin to diminish. So as we get older, we must think about adjusting our driving behavior to compensate for the changes that are taking place with our minds and bodies.
An older driver will benefit by creating more time and space around their vehicle. They may consider using a standard 3-second following rule, checking their mirrors more often than they did in the past and working to give themselves more opportunity to react. By making these kinds of adjustments, older drivers can continue to drive as safely and legally as any driver on the road.
Older drivers should also visit their doctor regularly to have their hearing and vision checked. Wearing corrective lenses, if required, is a must.
For drivers of any age, it is important that we ask our doctor, whether it is safe to take a specific medication and drive, or what type of driving restrictions might make sense. If you want a second opinion, ask your pharmacist the same question.
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
Older drivers, who may not see or react to hazards as quickly as they might have when they were younger, could be the reason.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
HABITS, FEELINGS, ATTITUDES AND EMOTIONS
From a study of driver behavior, when stuck in traffic for more than thirty seconds in back of a horse trailer and while looking at a horse’s behind, 48.9% of drivers polled reported thinking of their boss. Others reported thinking of wide open spaces, going to the rodeo or of being on vacation, while 1.8% reported actually thinking about riding a horse.
When presented with the identical stimulus, individual drivers often react with a broad range of responses. As human beings, we are each a complex combination of habits, feelings, attitudes and emotions, that all come into play when we drive.
Strong or heightened feelings, attitudes or emotions, can interfere with our ability to think and reason clearly. Add in a few bad habits, and you have created the profile of a dangerous driver.
If at any moment you are uncertain whether your present attitude, feelings or emotions, will hinder your ability to drive safely, make the decision not to get behind the wheel!
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
Bad habits, or an individual who has gotten behind the wheel in a heightened mental or emotional condition, could be the reason.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
A BROKEN OR DIRTY WINDSHIELD
Heaven forbid that it should happen, but don’t ever let your vehicle actually break down at a self-serve gas station. Instead of offering any actual repair services, the owner or managers only concern will be that you immediately tow your obstruction away as quickly as possible, to keep you, and it, from blocking the access of customers wishing to purchase three day old hot dogs or 94-ounce fountain drinks the size of small children.
While self-serve gas stations certainly don’t offer much in the way of mechanical service, when you stop to fill up, they do provide you with an opportunity to clean your windshield and to check it for any cracks or other damage that may have occurred recently. And this is important, because windshields are a crucial safety and operational feature for any vehicle.
A dirty windshield will keep you from seeing as much as possible. A windshield not only provides you with visibility, but it also protects you against wind, heat, cold, rain and snow.
A broken windshield can limit your field of vision. It is illegal to operate any passenger vehicle if the windshield, a side window, or the rear window, is so damaged that it impairs a driver’s ability to adequately see.
Every motor vehicle, except motorcycles, must also be equipped with properly working windshield wipers. The windshield wipers must be able to wipe clear the window during all ordinary weather events and to provide clear vision through the windshield for the driver.
You should be careful when you affix, apply, install or place anything upon your windshield, or your side or rear windows, that could obstruct or reduce your field of vision.
Examples include:
- A vehicle registration sticker or other document required by law.
- A device for the purpose of making electronic toll payments.
- An after market rear view mirror.
- An after market rear window wiper blade and motor.
- Window tinting.
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
A broken windshield, a dirty windshield, or an obstruction placed on or near the windshield that blocks the driver’s view, could be the reason.
HERE’S A TIP: Determine how many miles your vehicle can travel on a tank of gas. Then each time you stop to fill up, clear your trip odometer and it can act as a backup to your fuel gauge.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
GLARE
My grandmother drove a ’59 Rambler. The car had no antilock brakes, no airbags and no radial tires. It didn’t have four-wheel independent suspension; actually, it bounced around so much, I’m not sure that it had any suspension system at all. It had no seat belts, no energy-absorbing bumpers, no disc brakes, no rack and pinion steering and no padded dashboard. In fact, the dashboard was made of steel. If you hit your head against that sucker, you were a goner!
Antilock brakes, radial tires, seat belts, air bags, padded dashes and many other engineering improvements, have all been incorporated into the vehicles designed since my grandmother’s 1959 Rambler came off the assembly line.
However, the problem of glare is just as much a concern for today’s drivers, as it was for those of my grandmother’s generation.
Sunlight that can reflect off of the ground, buildings, signs, your windshield or other vehicles, can cause a glare that can be blinding. In the morning, or in the afternoon, when the sun is low on the horizon, it can blind a driver as well.
Your vision is the key factor in knowing what is going on around you as you drive. Anything that impairs your vision may prevent you from seeing a hazard and being able to react safely to it.
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
Being blinded by glare, stemming from a variety of possible sources, could be the reason.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
LAWS OR LANGUAGE
In order to drive as safely as possible, it is important that you take the time to read your vehicle owner’s manual. Mine appears to have been written by nuclear physicists. The manual for my car details the following procedure to turn on the heater: Enter the Command Mode, choose the Edit Temp Function, select the Adjust Humidity Default, prepare for Solid Rocket Booster separation, main tank cut-off and External Fuel Tank jettison … then make your Comfort Temp selection.
In order to drive as safely as possible, you must also be sure to stay current with all of the rules of the road. When new driving laws are passed, you are responsible for making yourself aware of their language, intent and application.
For some drivers, interpreting the meaning of traffic signs, signals and markings can be difficult due to language or cultural differences.
For example, when my wife Betty and I took a driving trip through England a few years ago, it seemed to us as if the speed limit system was based on the Duke of Windsor’s most recent cribbage score.
When you add England’s unfamiliar signage system to the effects of jet lag, our naked fear of driving on the left hand side of the road, along with some nice cliffs and escarpments, I am sure that the Englishman motoring behind us at 37 pegs per hour, probably thought we were escapees from the Monty Python School of Driver’s Education!
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
Not knowing all of the existing traffic laws or having difficulty interpreting the meaning of traffic signs, signals or markings due to language or cultural differences, could be the reason.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
A BLIND SPOT
As a fan of the classic television show, I have sometimes imagined myself being arrested by Hamilton Burger and having Perry Mason as my attorney. I know that from the moment Perry asks Della to phone Paul to instruct him to begin investigating my case, I would be able to heave a sigh of relief, being certain that within one hour the truly guilty person would get tripped up on the witness stand, confess, and I would be set free.
To help avoid getting tripped up when you are moving through another driver’s blind spot, it may be wise for you to imagine that each driver you pass is wearing a cap with “Space For Rent” written on it. Don’t ever assume that the other driver knows that you are there, be sure to stay on your toes, and always be ready to react.
There are not only blind spots caused by vehicle position and design, but also, there is a field of vision blind spot that we all have to be aware of. To help demonstrate this, you will find the letters “T” and “O” on your computer screen.
Please do the following:
- Sit back about three to four feet from your computer screen.
- Cover your left eye with your left hand.
- Stare directly at the “T.” You will still be able to see the “O” in your peripheral vision.
- Keep staring at the “T” and begin moving slowly forward towards the computer screen.
- When you have moved forward just a few inches, you will find that the “O” disappears from your field of vision.
- The “O” will now be hidden in your visual blind spot.
This is the same visual blind spot that can completely hide other vehicles from you in the driving environment.
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with a drivers visual blind spot or a blind spot caused by a vehicles position or design.
But Jimmy Had The Right-Of-Way!
Why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
It could have to do with:
ANYTHING FROM A-E-I-O-U
For those who have ever visited Hawaii and rented a car, once behind the wheel, it soon becomes apparent that the Polynesian language consists mainly of vowels. As visitors attempt to navigate their way around the islands, they often become confused and disoriented from so many streets that all have names like Kaliaiouamaaeio Avenue. After having this experience, some of these drivers swear that they have seen street signs in their home town, generating additional vowels right before their eyes!
Drivers who are distracted by hard to read street signs, can unintentionally fail to yield the right-of-way.
Other reasons why a driver may fail to yield the right-of-way, include:
- An obstruction on a corner, such as a bush, a sign, or a parked vehicle, which may block a driver’s view.
- A driver may be tired and fall asleep behind the wheel.
- A driver may be drunk or under the influence of either over-the-counter medication, prescription drugs or illegal drugs.
- A driver may be multitasking and not paying enough attention to his or her driving.
- A driver may lose control on a roadway that is slippery from rain, snow or sleet.
- Brake failure or some other mechanical problem can result in a driver failing to yield the right-of-way.
- A driver could get hit from behind and be pushed into oncoming traffic.
- A driver may be having a heart attack, an asthma attack, a panic attack, or is possibly a diabetic who may have passed out from a lack of insulin.
So why might another driver not always yield the right-of-way?
In our hypothetical collision, whatever the possible reason, the bottom line for Jimmy is that his 3,000 pound Toyota Camry, traveling at 30 mph, is going to collide with the side of the 65,000 pound cement truck, and come to a complete stop in 1/10th of a second!
When a collision like this occurs, there is a tremendous amount of force involved. This force can propel an unbelted driver into the steering wheel, the dash board, or to a point well beyond the interior of the vehicle itself.
