Driving: Other

• Remove as much ice and snow from your car as you can reach! Why? First, snow on any of your windows reduces your vision, which is always a Bad Thing. Snow on your hood will blow up into your windshield -- see above. But what about snow on your trunk or roof? That will blow off your car... and obscure the vision of the next driver! Even worse, ice can break off as a slab, and even break the windshield of the next car!

• When it's your turn to go, GO! You may think you're being nice by waving the other guy through the stop-signed intersection. But if he doesn't see you waving, you're both going to just sit there like a pair of idiots -- delaying both of you, and everybody behind either of you.

• Those broad white single stripes across the lanes at intersections are for stopping behind. There are two reasons to stop behind, or at least not very far in front of, those stripes. At a stop-sign, stopping that far back ensures that the driver behind you realizes that you have stopped for the sign. Otherwise, he could think you're just running the sign, expect you to keep going, and be taken very much by surprise when you stop! This could lead to you getting rear-ended. Though he should have been watching where he's going, many states will take your action as "contributory negligence" so that you are held at least partly responsible. In some states, this means that the other person is let off entirely! And, of course, it's better not to have had the accident in the first place! The second reason not to overshoot those white lines, at least by much, is:

• Those diamond/octagonal/whatever "scars" in the roadway approaching a stop-light are for wire loops that act as metal detectors. The more metal over them, the sooner it "knows" there are people waiting, and therefore the sooner you can go.

• Keep a pair of sunglasses in your car -- and when the sun gets bright, use them! Don't slow everyone else down by slowing to such a crawl that you won't cause much damage if you hit something you couldn't see through the glare; eliminate the glare! If you can afford a car, you can certainly afford sunglasses. There is no excuse for the massive slowdowns when driving sunward. (Credit for this item goes to Polly Goldman.)

• YIELD does NOT mean STOP! In fact, it doesn't even mean slow. Look to see if there is anyone coming to yield to. (You might have to slow down in order to look, though.) If not, then don't even slow down, just get your butt in gear and GO! This is especially important on the on-ramp to a highway -- sitting at the end of the onramp is begging to be rear-ended! Instead, use the acceleration lane to get up to speed (that's what it's for, hence the name!), so you can merge.

• Give stopped heavy vehicles heading uphill lots of back room! (Yes, I know that's rather a mouthful. Sorry, I couldn't find any other reasonably short way to put it.) Operators of such vehicles have a very difficult time preventing them from rolling back a bit when they start. (Credit to Judson L. White.)

• Be cautious of slow vehicles. Of particular danger are farm vehicles, as they generally do not have the kind of lights (for seeing and signalling), brakes, mirrors, etc. that normal "roadworthy" vehicles are required to have, so the driver might not see you, and might not be able to slow down enough if you cut him off. (Of course, being a polite and considerate driver, you wouldn't ever cut anybody off, would you now???) Pass them with extreme caution, if at all, since the driver might not see you, and might be unable to signal an intended "inward" turn! You can often spot normally-slow vehicles way in advance by noticing (they're hard to miss) a bright orange triangle, often with a strip of red reflector tape on each side. (Credit to Judson L. White.)