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