Safe Driving Tips

Knowing the rules of the road and knowing how to drive safely are critical skills.  Make sure you know how to keep yourself and others safe while driving.  

Safe Driving

This has been a summer of construction all around town. Watch signs and follow instructions. Fines in construction zones are higher otherwise.

People tend to drive faster and in a less safe manner when weather conditions improve causing more accidents.  The penalties for driving faster than the speed limit or conditions cost you a ticket:

• A basic speeding could cost  $175
• Speeding through construction and school zones: a ticket costs $300

Tail gaiting (driving too close to the car in front of you) can also get you pulled over. Weaving in and out of traffic (especially without using your turn signal), rolling through stop signs, trying to beat a red light are other aggressive driving behaviors that could cause harm to you and those around you. Drive defensively and keep yourself and your family safe not just because you can get caught.  

Here are Some Refreshers for the Proper Way to Drive through a Roundabout:

Roundabouts (also known as traffic circles) are becoming more and more common; usually because they are proven to be safer (roundabouts reduce fatal accidents by up to 90%), more efficient (roundabouts increase traffic capacity by 30-50%), and less expensive (roundabouts save an average of $5,000 per year in electricity and maintenance costs) than traditional, 4-way intersections.  For more information and statistics about roundabouts, explore these links:  Indiana Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration.  

• Slow down and stay in your lane
• Yield to vehicles already in the roundabout
• Obey one-way signs at all times
• When traffic is clear, merge to the right and continue to stay in your lane
• Continue through the roundabout until you reach your exit point
• Avoid stopping in a roundabout
• Yield to pedestrians and bicycles when there is a crosswalk
• When exiting, signal and exit to the right
• Left turns are completed by circling around the center island and then making a right turn to exit
• Indiana State Police also say state law requires motorists to yield the right-of-way to semi-trucks while driving inside a roundabout.

Photo source:  https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures/roundabouts 

School will be starting soon. Here are some Rules of the Road to help keep our children safe:

• You must always stop for a bus that is loading or unloading children. The bus lights flash red and the stop sign arm is out. This is true even if there are multiple lanes of traffic.
• If the roadway is divided (has trees, grass, or cement separating the directions of traffic) and you are on the opposite side of the road from the bus, you do not need to stop.
• Watch and obey the reduced speed limits in school zones.
• Watch for children playing or congregating near bus stops.  
• Be aware that children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking
• Be prepared to stop when yellow flashing lights appear on the bus, which warn drivers the bus is coming to a stop.  

Photo source:  https://www.oshkosh.k12.wi.us/district/communications/district
-news/details/~board/news/post/oshkosh-school-bus-practice-run-happening-august-25

Staying Safe on the Road Around Emergency Vehicles

Driving laws require you to pull over and allow emergency vehicles (such as ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles) to pass you.  However, there are some exceptions to this rule:  

• For example, you’re not allowed to break the law to pull out of the way. 
• Additionally, you shouldn’t put yourself or other drivers in danger while attempting to pull over. 
• Also, you don’t have to stop if you’re driving in the opposite direction on a divided highway.  

If you are driving and an emergency vehicle approaches, you can follow the SIREN method to navigate the situation safely:  

• Stay alert.  Keep the noise level in your car down far enough that you can hear sirens of emergency vehicles when they approach. Also, be aware that more than one emergency vehicle could be nearby.  
• Investigate.  Use your mirrors to determine where the emergency vehicle and what you can do to pull over out of the way.
• React.  Move calmly and as quickly as you can to safely and smoothly pull over to the side of the road. Always use your turn signal, and don’t slam on your brakes.  
• Enter.  Before re-entering the flow of traffic, look around carefully and use your turn signal.  
• Never.  Don’t pull over if you can’t do so safely or without breaking the law, and don’t try to outrun an emergency vehicle or follow it too closely.

Here is a quick, three-minute read that explains how to drive safely near emergency vehicles.  

Vocabulary words:  

• aggressive:  forceful, bold; this can also mean violent and argumentative.  
• congregating:  when several people gather together in the same place.  
• dart:  run quickly
• defensively:  in a manner that protects you and others.  
• pulled over:  stopped by a police officer for breaking a traffic law.  

Citations/Resources:

• Information About Roundabouts from the Indiana Department of Transportation
• Information About Roundabouts from the Federal Highway Administration
• How to Yield to Emergency Vehicles (3-minute read)