Have you ever seen a person make a right turn from the left lane? How about someone trying to cut in to a line of cars while even with you? Both of these are cases of bad positioning. Now before we go any further, there are two ways to communicate with other drivers - signals (both hand and lights) and positioning. There are many instances where both are used together, but today we are just going to focus on positioning.
When you are trying to communicate with another driver about what you plan to do, the worst thing you can do is send conflicting signals. The driver who moves left before turning right is one of those. If a driver slows and moves slightly to the right in the lane, they give the impression that he or she is turning right. A driver who wants to merge into a line of cars does not barrel to the front, but picks a logical space in-between cars and signals their intentions. A person looking to parallel part, stops before the space with their blinkers on, waits until the car behind recognizes them and then pulls forward and backs into the space.
The one obvious use of positioning is when making a left turn under a traffic light. If space allows you pull forward and to the left, not entering the other lane but leaving room for cars going straight to move around you on the right. [note: in most states it is legal to pass on the right in this case, but because something is legal, it doesn't make it safe. The passing car should slowly move around the stopped car.] Just staying in line gives the wrong impression to cars behind and I have seen cases where a car illegally tries to pass, on the left, the car waiting to turn left!
In future posts I will talk about other cases where positioning is important to safe driving.
2 comments:
Drivers on Route 8 South in the morning commute all need this clear reminder! It's wild out there!! What's your recommendation for more docile drivers in the cut-throat commuter scene. If you stay in the right lane, "merging" traffic cuts you off (no one told them about the "merge" part) & there's no where to go to let them in.
Sorry for taking so long to respond - Even though you say docile, even a docile driver needs to be active. I grew up in NYC traffic so someone "cutting in" is to be expected. Take the Merritt, if you are in the right lane and coming up on an entrance, sometimes you have to move left and clear the lane for the entering drivers. This means you might have to speed up an merge with the LH lane - ooops - sounds like another post!
Post a Comment