Safe driving resolutions are something we should all try
Q
A few years ago, my New Year’s resolution was “to better obey the speed limits.”
I was not a speed fiend, but I would sometimes find myself going above the speed limit. Perhaps I’d turned off an expressway and not slowed enough, or I’d crept above 25 mph in a residential area. So I resolved to do better. This did, indeed, help. Maybe others could try this.
— Sally Warren, Mountain View
A
We can hope. Traveling slower can be so relaxing, and heeding the 25 mph speed limit will endear you to nearby residents whose kids may be playing or bicycling nearby.
Q
Interstate 280 looks like the Woodside Grand Prix these days. Little Hondas, panel vans, big pickups doing over 80, weaving in and out to get around others driving sanely, and more. Where’s the CHP when you need them?
— Edward Oates, Portola Valley
A
Put this on your New Year’s wish list.
Q
I don’t recall seeing anything in your columns regarding the sample driver’s tests that DMV offers online. I take them periodically and find that there’s almost always something I don’t know or forgot. And they seem to still put in those tricky questions that you have to really think about. Good practice for everyone.
— Roman Perry, Marina
A
Go to www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-handbooks for a look.
Q
We were driving on Highway 85 in lane number 2, and we needed to get over to lane number 3 because our exit was coming up. The freeway was crowded, with traffic moving at around 50 mph.
I put on my right blinker and looked behind me. There was a car about three car-lengths back, so I waited for a few seconds for him to either pass me or allow me to move over. His speed was constant, so I safely changed lanes in front of him.
The driver got angry, I gather, because I moved into “his” lane in front of him. He changed into the on-ramp/ off-ramp lane, hit the gas, passed me on the right, and then moved back over into the lane in front of me. I gather he just had to be in front of me because I used “his” lane. I moved to the offramp lane and exited the freeway without looking over at him. What is wrong with drivers like this, and why are there so many these days? What happened to driving safely and being courteous to other drivers?
— Frank Jensen, Campbell
A
You were right not to get angry or further interact, which might have provoked him. It’s always wise to keep your cool and, for those for whom that’s sometimes tough to do, make it a New Year’s resolution to do so.