COLUMN: Welcom o driving 2010
Due to the popularity of my prerequisite driving 1010 article, I’ve moved you all on to the 2010 level. It is a little more advanced, so you may need to take notes this time. Keep in mind each of these lessons comes from recent observation.
There are some activities that can be done while driving. These include listening to music, singing, talking to other passengers and in some situations, talking on a cell phone (though you should wait until you’re in the upper division driving class before you attempt this). Most other things cannot be done while behind the wheel. Women should not attempt to apply make-up, while men should remember to shave before leaving the house. No one should ever try writing while driving, even if it is really important.
The next thing everyone should know is there are some common cues from other drivers to help you evaluate your progress. If you hear a honking noise, it usually means one of two things. Either another driver knows you and wants to wave, or (more likely) the driver behind you is telling you it’s past time to go. This is most often seen in left turn lanes, especially at intersections.
You should also be aware that if another driver, or in some cases a pedestrian, waves to you, but only has one finger raised, it’s time to pull over and think about what you’ve done. This holds especially true if you just heard a thump and someone appears to be bleeding.
Now, last time we discussed the importance of slowing down at signs that say “yield.” It’s time to take it a step further and realize there are also signs that require a complete stop. To make them easy to recognize, the city has marked these signs with the word, “stop.” Often, these signs are at intersections where only two out of four directions are told to stop. This means if you don’t, you may get hit by someone who doesn’t need to.
Stopping is defined as when your vehicle ceases to move. Once this has occurred, it is at your discretion to decide when you can go again. The best way to make this call is to look in both directions. One thing to remember about the stop sign is if you don’t see one at an intersection, you should not stop. Doing so may result in the driver behind you stopping by the force of your back end.
Now it’s time to focus on some campus-specific driving issues. When you’re dropping someone off, you should always pull as far to the right side of the road as possible. This is important to remember, so others can get by you. For the same reason, don’t ever stop on a road that isn’t wide enough for anyone to get around you, such as the road between the west end of the Taggart Student Center and the LDS Institute Building.
The last thing that needs to be learned from this lesson is to always remember the HSS, or Human Stupidity Syndrome factor. You may be doing everything right, but that does not mean the other drivers are, so you should still watch out.
The other day I saw a perfect example for this lesson when a man walked across a crosswalk against the light and in front of moving traffic. This man was lucky the driver has apparently taken this course, because she saw him and stopped fractions of a second before having a new hood ornament. This type of incident is not uncommon on campus and in town as well.
This covers the basics of driving. Hopefully everyone has been paying attention, so we can all enjoy the streets of Logan, especially because once you start driving, you may not be able to find a parking space. We’ll discuss that next year.
Have a safe summer, and remember the high school prerequisite course, don’t drink and drive.