What Not To Do at a Stoplight

What Not To Do at a Stoplight

Remember the days when you stopped at a traffic light, not a care in the world, before we all felt the need to be doing multiple things during every moment?  These days, we’re all guilty of trying squeeze in every little thing at a stoplight. The truth is, it may not be saving us time. A lot of people are focused on anything but the road. When you become so engrossed in something else that you forget to be aware of your surroundings it can cause time loss, create traffic problems and jeopardize safety. 

Whatever is distracting you can’t be that important that you forget you’re behind the wheel. Driving is a privilege and a responsibility to yourself and to others around you.  There’s a lot of precious cargo travelling around daily.

Being alert to where you are in line and the traffic patterns is helpful. Don’t be the person everyone’s honking at because the green arrow expired while you completed that Facebook status update. So when you’re in a hurry and you’re behind “that person” and the tables are turned, remember to set an example by changing your behavior and not be mad. People are more likely to mimic what they see rather than what their told.

Some of the examples that follow are more common and familiar offenders while some are plain ridiculous. You know who you are. There are usual suspects like texting, posting, playing video games and tearing the car apart in search of something that fell between the seats. Then there are those who change clothes, get out and rifle through the trunk, put on make up, dry shave, give over zealous affection, read, watch a movie on an overhead DVD player, cut their toe nails, paint their toes or try to figure out directions. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen?

It’s ok to do certain things at a red light so long as you’re not oblivious to everything else around you. So if you must do it, glance up and around you frequently so you’re ready when the light changes. Kind of like checking your rear view mirror when you’re driving. It will eventually become a good habit.

If something is really so important that it’s distracting you from driving, it’s probably in everyone’s best interest that you pull over and resolve the issue before continuing on. A little preparation before departing can alleviate much of the strange behavior we observe at traffic lights.

People tend to think things won’t happen to him or her.  Until it does.  That’s when the resolution is made NOT to do whatever caused a problem again. Don’t let it happen at all. Let’s all try to be more courteous and aware on the road. Together we can improve our environment and interactions while arriving safely and happily at each destination.

Have Road Rage? Find Out in Our Quiz

When I was a young boy, I remembered a phrase my mother used to tell me on occasion.  She would begin to speak loudly, pause to look at me and say “earmuffs”.  At that moment, I would press my hands over my ears, drowning out the onslaught of curse words that proceeded to leave her mouth.  The more the vein pulsed on her neck, the more feverishly she would curse. This happened most often in the car when one of two occasions occurred: One, she was cut off by another driver, or two someone did something completely reckless, putting our lives in danger.  Road rage was funny to me then, but since those moments as a child, I’ve come to understand its power.  Do you have road rage?  Find out in a quiz courtesy of Progressive to find out if you fit the bill.

Yes or No, Do You ...

1. Overtake other vehicles only on the left?
2. Avoid blocking passing lanes?
3. Yield to faster traffic by moving to the right?
4. Keep to the right as much as possible on narrow streets and at intersections?
5. Maintain appropriate distance when following other motorists, bicyclists, motorcyclists, etc.?
6. Provide appropriate distance when cutting in after passing vehicles?
7. Use headlights in cloudy, rainy, and other low light conditions?
8. Yield to pedestrians?
9. Come to a complete stop at stop signs, before right turn on red, etc.?
10. Stop for red traffic lights?
11. Approach intersections and pedestrians at slow speeds to show your intention and ability to stop?
12. Follow right-of-way rules at four-way stops?
13. Drive below posted speed limits when conditions warrant?
14. Drive at slower speeds in construction zones?
15. Maintain speeds appropriate for conditions?
16. Use vehicle turn signals for all turns and lane changes?
17. Make eye contact and signal intentions where needed?
18. Acknowledge intentions of others?
19. Use your horn sparingly around pedestrians, at night, around hospitals, etc.?
20. Avoid unnecessary use of highbeam headlights?
21. Yield and move to the right for emergency vehicles?
22. Refrain from flashing headlights to signal a desire to pass?
23. Drive trucks at posted speeds, in the proper lanes, using non-aggressive lane changing?
24. Make slow, deliberate U-turns?
25. Maintain proper speeds around roadway crashes?
26. Avoid returning inappropriate gestures?
27. Avoid challenging other drivers?
28. Try to get out of the way of aggressive drivers?
29. Refrain from momentarily using High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to pass vehicles?
30. Focus on driving and avoid distracting activities (e.g., smoking, use of a car telephone, reading, shaving)?
31. Avoid driving when drowsy?
32. Avoid blocking the right-hand turn lane?
33. Avoid taking more than one parking space?
34. Avoid parking in a disabled space (if you are not disabled)?
35. Avoid letting your door hit the car parked next to you?
36. Avoid stopping in the road to talk with a pedestrian or other driver?
37. Avoid inflicting loud music on neighboring cars?

Score Yourself ...

Are you an Aggressive Driver or a Smooth Operator? Answering "No" to more questions means you're a more aggressive driver.

Number of "No" Answers	How You Rate as a Driver
1-3 4-7 8-11 12+	Excellent Good Fair Poor

Learn how to make money just by driving your car!

Have you ever wondered who is sporting the vehicles with the giant advertisements all over them? Have you ever wondered if that person driving the car thinks he’s cool with all of those stickers plastered everywhere? Well he might be more than cool.  He might even be smart, and he might not even work for the company that’s advertising on the side of his car.   How is he smart you ask? He may have found a company that’s willing to pay him to drive around in his car.  So what makes him so smart? Read this to find out.

Vehicle wrapping is a new form of advertisement that allows 3M vinyl wraps to cover a large portion if not the whole thing to the exterior of the car.  But there are some rules to consider. 

·      You need to be over 18

·      You must carry insurance

·      You must drive in a populated area

·      You need to park in a populated area

·      You need to drive more than 800 miles per month

If you think you have all those rules down and would like to learn more about car wrapping there are several websites that can tell you how to turn those stickers into cash.  Although we do not endorse these companies in any way, check out paidtowrap.com or just do a Google search on car wrapping.

You can check out some websites to find out more.  Most websites will guide you through the requirements. They can also help you locate advertisers that are looking for you to help spread the word and brand them.

If it all works out you might be able to drive your car for next to nothing.  That's one smart way of making money with your car!