SHOULD YOU STOP OR YIELD?

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

SHOULD YOU STOP OR YIELD?
TALLAHASSEE, FL: A safe driving expert answers a reader's question about the meaning of "stop' and "yield". He replies, "STOP" means to come to a full halt and to look in all directions before moving forward. A rolling stop does not count, except at a "YIELD" sign. There the law requires us to look for other vehicles or pedestrians and to make a safe decision about continuing our movement.

In most locales we must yield to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk. By law, no vehicle is in possession of the right of way, all drivers must do the safe thing by yielding to others. However, even if the other driver yields to us, we have a duty to ourselves and all others to proceed with due caution.

If in doubt, better to yield the opportunity to move than to be sorry that we cannot restore someone's right to continue to live. This fair, courteous and safe concept can lead to some very lively discussions among the more aggressive drivers.

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AIR BAGS CAN KILL

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

AIR BAGS CAN KILL
WASHINGTON, DC: While air bags have saved more than a thousand lives since the late 1980's they have also killed more than 40 persons since 1990. The older bags deploy at some 200 miles per hour. That force hitting someone leaning forward (no safety belt) can break the neck. Be sure to adjust your head rest to fully support your head rather than putting it as low as it will go.

The fast moving bag can also hurt or kill small children and frail older persons. Infants in rear facing child seats have been killed by the bags. So, should we ban the bags? Most say that we should keep them and improve on their safe deployment. Reducing the deployment force of the bags is said to save children's and frail person’s lives. But this means more adults killed for lack of full protection, especially those who foolishly refuse to use the safety belts also.

An on/off switch for the passenger seat air bag has been approved for use by vulnerable persons who must sit in the front seat.. But will we remember to turn it back on? Will the "freedom" minded turn it off just like they do not use the safety belts? A better temporary answer is for the vulnerable to be seated in the rear despite their objections to this. Most new vehicles now have depowered front bags as well as added side air bags. Surely the automotive safety engineers will invent even better solutions also for the serious faults of the original air bag systems.

In most states young children must be in approved child seats facing forward and not in a front seat location. Most hospitals will not discharge new borns until the staff has inspected the installation of the child seat and instructed the parents on its transfer to another vehicle.
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HELMETS FOR THE COMMON GOOD

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

HELMETS FOR THE COMMON GOOD
NASHVILLE, TN: Sidney M. asks what does wearing a motorcycle helmet have to do with better driving.? There are a large number of drivers who are also avid "bikers". For the most part they are just as careful and safety minded as when driving their autos. Generally they are willing to put up with the inconvenience of that heavy, obstructive crash helmet for its life-saving benefit.

But there are some "freedom loving" individuals who object to governments mandating helmet use. They say that it should be an individual's right to chose. In theory maybe so. But then, why should the rest of us have to bear the cost of an unhelmeted bikers crash injuries? What about our "freedom" from the cost of other's carelessness?

One estimate is that the costs for a motorcyclist's head injuries can reach $4 million over the remaining lifetime (if there is any life left). Obviously, few bikers have that kind of money but they do want the medical services. Thus all of us have to pay more as these costs trickle through our interwoven economy. There is little doubt that motorcycles are dangerous. Those who choose to ride them should at the least do all possible to protect the public from paying for the potential consequences of their personal thrill ride.

Another source says that bikers are 20 times more likely to be killed than are auto drivers. Critics call them "donor cycles" because they increase fatal injuries which can lead to more organs made available for donation.
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ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
ALL OVER, USA: It is just after a heavy lunch and the sun is hot on the dash. Or you have been driving 10 hours and it is getting dark. Do you feel your eyes drooping? Is it difficult to concentrate on your driving?

You may be falling asleep and driving into a terrible crash.

In one study 30% of fatal crashes were caused by a sleepy driver. About 5% of all drivers have had sleep related crashes. The fatalities are in the same range as those caused by drunk drivers. All this is good reason to park somewhere safe and get a few minutes of shut-eye. Or to let someone wide-awake do the driving.

Of the 1.3 million single vehicle USA crashes each year more than 20% happen between midnight and 6:00 am. In 2 out of 3 of these the drivers did not try to brake nor attempt to get back on the roadway. The implication being that they were drowsy or even into early sleep. We drivers know when we are getting into this sleepy mode, why will we not admit it and stop? Would you believe that some 50% of professional truck drivers admit that they have fallen asleep while driving? An inexpensive warning device is worn at the side of a drivers head. When the head nods the device sounds loudly to awaken the driver, hopefully, in time to avoid disaster. Get one if you tend to become drowsy while driving

Some drivers seem to tire more easily and should be extra vigilant when driving at those times of day or night when, at home, they regularly nod off for a moments refresher. Its OK at home but not when behind the steering wheel
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NARROW MEDIAN STRIPS DANGEROUS

WRECK-LESS DRIVING ©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist

NARROW MEDIAN STRIPS DANGEROUS
ATLANTA, GA: Harris V. says he makes frequent trips South on I-75. He has become ever more aware of the black tire markings and broken concrete high up the barriers separating north from south lanes. For 50 miles or more around the major cities extra lanes are being added to expressways to accommodate the increased vehicle load. Due to commercial growth along these highways and the high cost of land acquisition the extra lanes frequently are carved from the existing wide medians.
Instead of the pleasant grassy divider between opposing directions more often there is a narrow strip, usually with a high concrete barrier. On the former wide grass strip, without a barrier, there was a safety zone for escape of errant drivers. An out-of-control vehicle might find safety in such a wide strip. An alert driver might dodge into the wide median to avoid crashing an unexpected blockage in the roadway.
To be sure, even with the wide median an occasional vehicle might cross it and crash into the on-coming traffic. But this is less frequent than the number of vehicles which crash the new solid barriers. Ah, the price of progress. Older drivers, with declining acuities, need to be more alert than ever to this trade-off of cheaper additional traffic lanes with a loss of a potential escape route.
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