Quote:
- Always signal when you change lanes, especially if you're near another car. |
NO!!!!! Don't qualify the statement...
ALWAYS signal when you change lanes.
I ride a motorcycle. A really fast one. And yet somehow just about every time I have a near-death experience, I'm going the speed limit or close to it, in and around the city. It actually seems to be safer pushing 200kph out in the country.
Why? Because of the dickheads around who do any of the following:
- don't indicate when changing lanes
- don't check their blind spots when changing lanes
- change lanes from the wrong lane -- e.g. right turn from the middle lane
- don't pay attention to right of way
- and the absolute worst... think that because motorycles are smaller, they can share a lane with me. NO! NO! NO!
So I have some very simple advice, and I don't think anyone here will argue with it.
Concentrate on the road. Don't blast music when you're driving, especially not when you haven't been driving for long. Hearing is important in driving.
Don't look at people in the passenger seat or the back when they talk to you. My girlfriend does this, and it drives me insane. Look at the road, and constantly scan the road surface.
Be on the lookout for things big enough for someone or something to come out from behind (including police cars). Children, dogs, etc. seem to spring from behind parked cars, bushes, and signs when you least expect it.
Become a good driver. Enjoy it. I don't mean necessarily just being a lout, and going fast, but really learn how to control a vehicle. It makes driving more fun, and safer.
Trust me on this... sometimes I drive faster than just about anyone I know, both on my bike, and in very fast cars, but do so at the right time. Don't put other road users at risk because you think you're impressing someone. Really good car control impresses people -- not crashing into a wall.