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It’s easy to say “Drive Nice” but what does that really mean practically for drivers? We hope that “Drive Nice” means that drivers will pay more attention to their driving. It’s not as easy as it sounds. One way to do it is to pick one driving habit each day to focus on. Here are some of our suggestions:
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Challenge yourself to stop completely at a yellow light, instead of trying to run it and risk a dangerous collision in the intersection. When approaching a yellow light, repeat to yourself: Yellow Means Mellow.
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Challenge yourself to check your rear-view mirror each time you break. If you see a car coming up too fast from behind, maneuver out of their way to avoid being rear-ended. When driving, repeat to yourself: Foot to Break; Eye to Mirror.
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Challenge yourself to turn your head and body when reversing. Don’t just rely on mirrors. When preparing to reverse, repeat to yourself: Look First Before I Reverse.
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Here are some tips we suggested for the first Drive Nice Day in 2007:
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Drive with High Aim Vision. That is, look further down the road – at least 12 to 15 seconds ahead of your vehicle. When in heavy traffic where your view is often blocked, avoid staring at the taillights of the vehicle in front of you. Instead, try to look around or even through the vehicle in front of you. Looking further ahead – High Aim Vision – provides you with more reaction time, and makes you more aware of things all around your vehicle.
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Give your driving a S.P.A. treatment: when the road and traffic conditions change, adjust your Speed, Position and Attention level. If the road conditions worsen, or there is more traffic, slow down, choose the best lane to be in or even move your vehicle within its lane slightly to see better, and pay more attention to what’s going on around you. Remember, adjust your Speed, Position and Attention to suit the conditions.
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Put your cell phone away. Nothing bad will happen if you wait to make your call after you arrive at your destination. Something bad could happen if you don’t.
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Be patient. If you were to drive as fast as you possibly could, you will only ever gain a few second or minutes during a typical commute, but the extra risk inherent in doing so is much greater. Think of taking your time as, “Short term pain for long term gain.
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Finally, think about others on the road not as other vehicles, but as people. See other drivers just as they are – as humans – and not as a large mass of steel, rubber and plastic. Every single vehicle on the road with you is driven by a fellow human – treat other vehicles as you would any other human if you were face to face with them.
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