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'New Year's Safe Driving Resolutions' From AAA

1 January 1998

'New Year's Safe Driving Resolutions' From AAA

    SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1 -- For more courteous and secure auto
travel in 1998, AAA offers California motorists twelve "New Year's Safe
Driving Resolutions:"

    * Tailgate no more.  Tailgating is the "cause of most rear-end crashes,"
according to DMV.  Depending on driving conditions, AAA recommends you keep a
"safety buffer" of at least six seconds from the vehicle ahead at highway
speeds.
    * Learn to love your turn signal.  Signaling -- it's courteous, it's the
law and it's a crash avoidance procedure that could save your life or others.
    * Use your horn to warn, not to punish.  Your horn is a safety device, not
a weapon to punish careless drivers.  Use it only to avoid dangerous
situations, and then, just enough to warn.
    * Limit your speed to the speed limit.  On a 30-mile trip, if you drive
five miles over the limit, you only "save" under three minutes.  California's
"Basic Speed Law" says "never drive faster than is safe for the present
conditions, regardless of the posted speed limit."
    * Apologize when you make a driving error.  If your driving mistake
involves others, offer an "I'm sorry" gesture.  In a recent AAA survey, the
favorite driver's apology sign is the "tap on the head" as in "what was I
thinking?"
    * Don't drive drowsy.  If you doze off while driving, you have lost
control of your vehicle.  If you are sleepy, don't fight it, find a very safe
place to park for a nap.
    * Stop red light running.  In 1998, running a red light in California will
cost you $270.  The law for yellow lights is "you should stop, if you can do
so safely.  If you can't stop, look out for vehicles that may enter the
intersection when the light changes."
    * Pull over for emergency vehicles.  If you block an emergency vehicle,
you are interfering in a crisis.  When you hear approaching sirens or see
flashing lights, the law requires you "pull as close to the right edge of the
road as possible and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed.  Don't stop
in an intersection, continue through then pull to the right as soon as
possible."
    * Pedestrians have the right of way -- always.  DMV requires motorists
must "always stop for any pedestrian crossing at corners or other crosswalks.
They have the right-of-way at corners, whether or not the crosswalks are
marked by painted white lines."
    * Share the road with bike riders.  The DMV Driver's Handbook states,
"bicyclists are not out of place on the roadway -- they are part of the
traffic and share the road with other drivers."  Do not expect a bicyclist to
get out of your way, even if you think they are impeding traffic; just
carefully change lanes to pass.
    * Give road construction workers a "brake."  Road workers warn you of
their presence by using orange or lime-green signs, equipment, flags, jackets
and vehicles.  Slow down and drive with caution through work areas.
    * If you drink, steer clear of the wheel.  In California, last year,
alcohol was involved in half of all fatal crashes, and drunk drivers caused
the deaths of more than 1,200 people.  If you drink alcohol, have a designated
driver or taxi take you to your destination.

    The AAA affiliate for Northern California, Nevada and Utah serves nearly
four million members with an array of automotive, travel and insurance
services.

SOURCE  AAA