RECKLESS AND AGGRESSIVE

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


RECKLESS AND AGGRESSIVE
MIDLOTHIAN, VA: Dr. George B., of Brandermill Woods, observes that reckless, aggressive and road rage driving are simply different varieties of careless driving. He says they are all bad and need to be curbed. Also he believes that true road rage is rare. It has been over-hyped in the media, while reckless and aggressive tactics are more frequent and among the most hazardous travel conditions These drivers make travel more dangerous for the very many careful, law abiding drivers.

In most states reckless driving is defined as any that is dangerous to limb, life, or property. Usually a speed such as 20 mph or more over the posted limit is judged as reckless. Such drivers dart and weave between lanes and are notorious tailgaters.

Those reckless drivers who are, in addition, hostile towards other drivers or traffic and road conditions are better defined as aggressive. Usually they speed, jump lanes, and tailgate plus honking of horns, flashing of lights, and making obscene gestures.

Drivers so overwrought that they use their vehicle as a weapon or, worse yet, use guns, knives, clubs, etc. are the true road ragers. Thankfully they are few but they can be created by other drivers who retaliate for previous aggression and recklessness.

How can you avoid being labeled as reckless? Allow plenty of time to reach your destination. Signal lane changes and look in the mirrors and blind spots before changing. Move with the traffic when in the left lane but do not tailgate. Remain calm when another driver’s actions offend you. Your vehicle is a lethal weapon, curb your anger. When “under the influence” let someone else do the driving. It is reckless, also, to not use the safety belts correctly. It is really rather easy to remain a WRECK-LESS driver.
GHD179 all rights reserved

SLEEP APNEA CAUSES CRASHES

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


SLEEP APNEA CAUSES CRASHES
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: Harlow Z. sleeps fitfully night-after-night, frequently waking up snoring and struggling for breath. Besides being out-of-sorts almost every day, his sleep deficit causes Harlow to dose at inconvenient moments, even when driving. He is a crash waiting to happen. In fact two physicians have published studies which claim that sleep apnea is the root cause of a large number of motor vehicle collisions.

Dr. Paul Suratt’s conclusion is that drivers who have nighttime sleep apnea are 6.3 times more likely to have crashes than drivers who get sufficient sleep. He states that more than 23 % of men and 10% of women in the US suffer from sleep apnea. Some 80 % are not even aware that they have the problem. That means that millions of drivers are at high risk, he writes.

Suratt and his co-author Dr. Larry Findley advise that all state legislatures should pass laws which address this problem. Also they want the Federal Government to issue regulations for control of truck drivers with apnea. Further they want fellow physicians to report sleep apnea suffers to their motor vehicle departments.

Sleep apnea can lead to fatal diseases in addition to highway problems. Resulting drowsiness may be the reasons for many injuries throughout our daily routines. It is correctable. Persons who awake frequently nightly should seek medical observation, more especially if they have daytime drowsiness. Many regional medical centers have sleep disorder centers where apnea and other sleep problems can be diagnosed and treated. Drs. Suratt and Findley staff such centers in Virginia and Colorado, respectively.

When driving, at the very first sign of being drowsy protect yourself and everyone else by immediately getting of the road until the spell is over. Better still, let a wide awake driver take over the responsibility for WRECK-LESS DRIVING.
GHD178 all rights reserved

SAFETY BELTS REVISITED

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

SAFETY BELTS REVISITED
ANYWHERE, USA: In recent years we have, annually, killed more than 42,000 persons on our Nation’s highways and injured about 3 million more. These motor vehicle collisions cost our economy nearly 150 billion dollars each year. Drug and alcohol problems are involved with about 40% of these fatalities and injuries. I have written often about these scourges of roadway safety but the misuse of chemical substances is difficult to change. Another large contributor to these terrible statistics is the failure to use automobile safety belts.

These belts are in every passenger automobile, except some very old ones. Why so many drivers and riders do not use them is a mystery. Occupants are four times more likely to be significantly injured or killed if they are thrown out of the vehicle. They can be flung as much as 15 car lengths away. Yet this widely known information is not sufficient for some persons – something about freedom and too much government regulation.

Only about one half of one percent of the crashes which cause personal injury involve water submersion or fire. Years of experience with safety belts prove that users of safety belts are less injured and more able to escape from a burning or submersed vehicle than those not so belted.

Seventy-five percent of deathly crashes happen within 25 miles of the home location. The greatest number of collisions happen at speeds of less than 35 mph. Crashes at as low as 12 mph have killed persons not wearing the provided belts. Older occupants are more fragile and are seriously injured and killed at low speeds. Wear the safety devices whenever the vehicle is moving, even on parking lots. Head and chest injuries are minimized by the shoulder belt thus making contact with the dashboard, windshield and steering wheel less likely.

Air bags, and now also side airbags in addition to lap and shoulder safety belts, give the best available protection. It is poor judgment to not use the belts because there are air bags in the vehicle. Lap belts alone are of slight protection.

In some states the traffic police cannot stop a moving vehicle just for non-use of the belts. Because so many of us still insist on our right not to use these life and limb savers more state legislatures are permitting law enforcement to stop and cite people primarily for this infraction, including all passengers.
GHD177 all rights reserved

BE REACTIONARY

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

BE REACTIONARY
ALICEVILLE, AL: An e-mail message from alicev@?. She reports that she was minding her own business on Alabama Route 2 on her way to Tuscaloosa when around a bend came racing 2 pickup trucks, one in each lane. Alice barely had time to seek out safe refuge in a driveway and get in there as the racers roared by. She asks for a check-list that would help her decide whether she needs to improve her reaction time skills.
This is what the Maryland Research Consortium on older drivers suggests:
· Do “you feel overwhelmed by all the signs, signals, markings, pedestrians, and other vehicles that you must pay attention to at intersections”?.
· Do “you take medications that make you drowsy”?
· Are “gaps in traffic harder to judge, making it more difficult to turn left at intersections, or to merge with traffic when turning right”?
· Do “you often get lost or become disoriented”?
· Are “you confident that you can handle the demands of high speeds or heavy traffic volumes”
· Are “you slower in recognizing cars coming out of driveways or side streets, or realizing that another car has slowed or stopped ahead of you”?
Here are some ideas that will help compensate for these slow reaction problems:
· Look in all directions before entering intersections.
· Have another person travel with you so that there are 4 eyes looking for hazards.
· Drive before or after the most busy traffic hours.
· Drive in daylight and avoid most night driving, especially in inclement weather.
· Look far ahead to find hazards well before you reach them.
· When possible use roads you travel frequently, even when it is a little farther.
· For unfamiliar areas use road maps or ask for direction before you leave home.GHD176 all rights reserved