How To Be The Best Driver

How Be The Best Driver

To be the very best Driver on the Road takes one and only thing. Focus on the Other Guy, not yourself and your Skills. That amounts to not Showing off how good you are. Once you have Mastered the Skills of operating the Vehicle, it is not necessary to show your fellow Drivers the Skills you possess. That will come when the other Drivers you are sharing the Road with, screws up, the ones who haven’t reached your level of Consciousness. Knowing that Three Thousand pounds of Steel travelling at a Seventy Miles per Hour, Impacting, parallels with a Stick of Dynamite. Traveling at high speeds in a Congested Area doesn’t prove to anyone how skilled you are. It only tells them that you are a Ticking Time Bomb, Speeding towards Calamities.

Being Vigilant all the Time while you are behind the Wheel, is what it is all about. If you are always putting the Pedal to the Metal you loose Focusing to a great Degree. You are spending way too much time focusing on your Hood and don’t see the Big Picture. US19 is one of the most Dangerous by Design Roadways in Pasco and Pinellas County. Within Seven years of me using this Road there have been a Minimum of One Hundred Fatalities, Pedestrians, Motorcyclists and Cars. Dangerous by Design, twenty five Miles of Road Jam packed with Stores on each side, Stop Lights every half a Mile, six U-Turn Lanes between each Lights, yet it is posted 55-MPH, average speed 65-MPH.

Five years old not a scratch, like it left the Showroom. I have been Driving the same way for fifty years.

The Numerous times I have come up on Accident Scenes and have seen someone on the Pavement covered up, tells me that Being vigilant and focused is the Key to saving lives. Always Hotdoging it behind the wheel is testing Fate, eventually you will find Disaster, worse, you will be the on who created it. Most People do not possess the Coordination of a Wide receiver, nor the Skills of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Yet they run a Three Thousand pounds Vehicle in congested areas at high speeds every time they get behind the wheel, even just to go one mile. The only time I run my Engine is when I am Traveling Hundreds of miles, on open Roads. Doing eighty MPH for four Hours straight, separates foolish Vehicle Operators from Seasoned Motorists.

Traveling eleven Hundred Miles I have less fear of having an Accident, than Traveling Twenty five Miles on US19. Because those same foolish Operators Fly when it comes time to travel eleven Hundred miles. Doing long Hauls I spend little time looking out for the other Guy, I focus on staying alert. Commuters are the most Amazing Drivers, you would think that taking the same Route every Day for Twenty years, would make them the safest and skilled Drivers. Not so, instead of having a pleasant relaxed experience everyday, they have a Nail-biting Hairraising run of the Gauntlet. Twenty years of Driving like that takes years from your Life. Not to mention the Havoc you have created. Looking out for these People every Day for fifty years with no Accidents, gives you Bragging Rights. That is how you stand out not Driving like them and being part of the Problem.

The Driver of this Maserati killed himself and his two young Sons, his Wife severely injured.

The Stats speak for Themselves

Tampa may not have as high a number of traffic accidents as some other Florida counties, but it still has its fair share of them.

Here is a closer look at some of the accident statistics from Tampa and the surrounding Hillsborough County in 2018:

Total Number Of Crashes – 29,037

Injuries From All Crashes – 20,114

Fatalities from Crashes – 179

Total Bicycle Crashes – 519

Total Bicycle Fatalities – 10

Total Motorcycle Crashes – 628

Total Motorcycle Fatalities – 29

Total Pedestrian Crashes – 625

Total Pedestrian Fatalities – 54

In Pinellas County there were 28,000 crashes 100 Death’s 4400 injuries. The estimated Economic Cost of crashes, Injuries and Fatalities in Pinellas County for 2015, $1,500,835,100.  I decided to omit my County, Pasco, however I pay an extra $40 Monthly for people who don’t have Insurance. Here is the Overall Stats for the State of Florida.

Florida motor vehicle accidents decreased in 2018 over 2017, but only by a little more than one percent. Statewide, agencies reported there were 397,812 total accidents reported in 2018. This includes 251,970 injuries and 3,004 fatalities. This is an improvement over the previous year. I don’t know how it is in your Neck of the Woods, but you can see that I have no other choice. I focus on who I am sharing the Road with, I cannot afford to Drive like them. Life is too short and Precious for me to throw Caution in the Wind. Finally please do not become one of the Statestics. Drive like your Life depends on your Vigilance, it Does.

Logic Behind The Wheel

 

Logic Behind The Wheel

The Onboard Computer in my Car receives Signals from different Sensors  throughout the Car. It then calculate and sends me a warning to fix it. The other Day my check Engine Light came on, stressing to some Degree, I had it Diagnosed. The Problem, a broken Solenoid plugged into the Top Cylinder of the Engine. The Camshaft Intake Solenoid, I replaced it after Researching where it was Located. I was never one for Artificial Intelligence, in High School we Discussed Big Brother and watch Si- Fi with Mister Spock talking about Logic. Never did I imagine owning a Car that Talks to me, Diagnosed itself and gives me Text Messages.

With slight adjustments my Car can Drive Itself, it already has On star. Anyway that’s enough of the Shop Talk, even though this is a Driving Blog. That is Plenty enough Technology for me. But what are you going to do with it. Watching a Riderless Horse wins a Race tells me that we Impede ourselves making Judgement Calls when we are Driving local, or Riding long Distance at the Interstate Allowed Speed. Both have cost Lives, that’s why I Drive with Logic behind the Wheel. The first and most Serious lack of Logic is, Traveling side by side at 85 MPH, a Recipe for Disaster. The Roadway is wide open, all you have to do is find yourself a Pocket and it’s smooth sailing. When I Travel eleven Hundred miles that’s how I Drive. Sometimes I go Hundreds of miles without having to use my Brakes.

Ever since Day one of me Driving a Car by myself for the first time. I’ve always asked myself what is it about Staggering the Traffic Flow, that the Mass do not Understand. Wheather it’s City or Interstate, there is always Clutter. Now we have Smart Cars, there should no Accidents, because the Car automatic Breaking System compensate for our bad judgments. It tells us the need for Staggering and to always Focus. It’s Front and Rear Sensors tell you that you are doing something wrong with a Chime. Welcome to Computer Assisted Driving, my Car is smarter Than I am. Without me sitting inside it using what I call Dumb Logic, it could Drive Itself safely indefinitely, with no Accidents. Yet with all this Technology I see Cars far more Equipped than Mine, in Bad Wecks.

I am forever Beating my Gums about the Bad Wrecks you Created, using Dumb Logic, Thinking that when you get to the Intersection, if the Light beats you, you are still going to take the Turn. Or for another matter beating the Railroad Crossings. Racing your Engine from one Light to the next is being on a Flight of Fancy. Taking off on a Flight of Fancy behind the Wheel is Stupid. It doesn’t Matter, even if you are my Favorite Racecar Driver, R.I.P.  One O’clock in the Afternoonon on the Van Wyck Expressway, two Brand New Cars blew my Doors off doing Ninety, they were Racing. Two Hundred and fifty Yards in front of me, they both Simultaneously decided to enter my Lane , the middle Lane. They bounced off each other, Rolled several times then Disintegrated, littering the Highway.

At fifty MPH I could not Differentiate the Bodies from the Debree.  This happened Forty years ago. Whenever I think about it, the Vividness is still clear, yet you wonder why I waste my Time writing Blogs about safe Driving? Whatever I say to you doesn’t Resonate anyway, because bad Drivers are like Alcoholics, they don’t think they have a problem. Today we have Smart Cars and Dumb Drivers. In my Hometown  in less than four Years, Thousands have lost their Lives on the Road, including one Hundred Bicyclists and more Pedestrians. Hello! Remember the Riderless Horse. Within the last six months two People went on Flights of Fancies on the Howard Franklin Bridge driving at speed approaching 100, in Rush Hour Traffic. The outcomes, Catastrophic, six months later one Body still haven’t been recoved.

And you still wonder why I Drive like a Jedi in a Meteor Storm. People Drive with everything except Logic, their Emotions, their bad Attitudes and nasty Temperaments rules. Where do you believe that Road Rage comes from. I have never recounted this Story to anyone because I am not proud of my behavior. Once Traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike going to work. I must have inadvertently made a Trucker mad. He followed me closely trying to Rearend me for Miles. Realizing that my Life was in Danger I began to change Lanes frantically. That didn’t work, Working in Construction there were alwaysTools and Materials all over the Car. I began unloading them onto his Windshield.

Not even a Can of Paint smearing his Windshield deterred him wanting to Rearend me shoving me off the Road. However when I raised a two pounds Hammer he backed off, knowing that my aim was precise, hitting his Windshield with everything that I had thrown. Thank God I didn’t travel with a Gun. Others who weren’t as Resilient as I was have lost thei’r Lives on the PA Turnpike from Diesel Dummies in a Fit of Rage. As did the young Mother who was ran off the Road into a Tree by a Trucker she cut off. Thirty years later I am Driving a Car that is a Technology Wonder, that does 170. If I had it back then, there would be no need for tossing things. Equipped with On Star and it’s own Telephone, all I had to do was call 911. Driving a Truck for many years I didn’t invent the Word Diesel Dummies. That’s what good Truckers call Inept Drivers. Better than fifty percent of the People on our Roadways use dumb Logic or no Logic at all. Because of this I am Driven to Write Blogs about Safe Driving, wheather I want to or not, someone has to carry the Torch. I have seen the Damage done from Mindless operation of a Motor Vehicle far too many times.

Distracted Driving

 

Backseat Drivers

There is no one more Qualified than myself to be a Backseat Driver. I guess I should call my Safe Driving Blogs ” The Backseat Driver. One reason is that I am always observing my Fellow Drivers on my Daily Commute. Many times they are so bad, all I can hear in my Head is the Song ” I don’t care what you do, I wouldn’t want to be like you. For instance Carpooling with one of my Coworkers. The Fog was so Dense you could not see twenty five feet, yet I looked at the Speedometer and he was doing seventy. After calling him stupid and asking him to pull over and let me out, he then reduced that Idiotic speed. That’s what a Backseat Driver is supposed to do ” call them out”. Years later I found out that the Fog Speedster had three bad Accidents, each time he was thrown through the Windshield.

That is my greatest problem with bad Drivers, they could have many near death experiences. It doesn’t send them a message that there is something wrong with their Driving.

Once I had car trouble so we had to make do with one car. I thank  my Wife for letting me dropping her off at work, then  going on to my Job. I was always late and always leaving early. I also thank my Boss for Appreciating what I did and not  watching the Clock. One Day on one of my early Departures, a Supervisor asked . How come Tony can be late and leave early all the time. If Tony goes so do I . The Project Manager told him , if you leave, you are Fired. He elaborated, if Tony works for me for five Minutes, that’s quality Time. That is more than I get from all of you.

All my Life I have always tried to do a Quality Job at whatever I did, including Driving. I once noticed the words written on a Monument, ” Whatever thy Hands touchet do it with all thy might” That’s why I will never stop writing Blogs about Safe Driving. It is too important of an Issue to be Undermined.

I have not posted a Blog on Safe Driving in Months, every time I think that the Subject is covered, I am proven wrong. Knowing how you Drive forces me to Drive like a Jedi in a Meteor Storm. It is a practiced way of Driving, knowing that whatever can go wrong always do. Yesterday going to work I entered the Bridgespan that allows me to Clean out my Fuel Injection System and Combustion Chamber. Twenty yards on the Span I cleared the Congestion, some people do not understand that when the speed Limit say fifty five, it doesn’t mean that we all should do 55. For that matter 70, that’s what causes Clutter.

Staggering Traffic is the Smart way to Drive. Not only spacing yourself front and back but side by side also. I covered the Bridgespan travelling ten miles over the Limit, leaving the clutter behind. At the end of the Bridge there is an ongoing Construction Project for over one year. Commuters using the Bridge daily knows this. I took my foot off the Gas to accommodate the 45mph speed Limit, now all the Daydreamers I left behind was now blowing  my Doors off. They were  doing sixty on the Bridge and now they were in a Construction Zone doing the same speed, tightly packed. I learned my lesson about spending years ago travelling through New Jersey.

I was clocking on this Highway that was under Construction, all of a sudden one of the Workers darted across the Highway. As a result of always Driving like a Jedi I missed him by six feet doing seventy. In my Nightmares I see Body parts littering the Roadway like when I hit a Deer doing the same Speed. That my Friend is, whatever that can go wrong. Driving in North Country at Night you have to be extra vigilant, looking for Deers crossing the Highway.  A Friend of mine who wasn’t being Vigilant ended up with a Deer in his Lap. The Impact pushed him and the Deer into the backseat. When you are behind the Wheel, it should be as comfortable as playing a Video you have Mastered, that’s how I Drive. Never deviate from being Safety Conscious, never Overdrive, you can’t see around Blind Bends. Tailgating does not give you enough room to do evasive manoeuvres.

Condolencing by me saying that Speed Kills, I see the Memorials by the Roadside on my Commute, they weren’t there a Day ago. I call these Markers Roadside Graves, some poor Soul who didn’t make it back Home. Wheather it was their fault or the other Guy it doesn’t matter, they made their last run. My Driving Instructor will forever be my Backseat Driver, he told me to always drive like I am the only one out there that knows what I am doing.

 

This is Rush Hour on Ulmerton Road

 

 

Related

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.

Be The Driver

Be the Driver

Every time I think that there is nothing left to be said about careless and recklessness behind the Wheel, you prove me wrong. Stay at Home Rule is in effect, the Roads are less congested by more than fifty percent. Yet this morning I woke up to the News that there was an early morning Fatal Crash in my Area. This brings to mind a Joke I told my Wife when I was teaching her to Drive. I told her that it doesn’t matter what time of Day it is, no matter where you are, Highway,  Rural or City. Always know where you are on the Road, who is in front, beside and behind you. The Joke went like this, I could be in the Desert at three A.M. no one in front of me for five miles and no one behind me for five miles yet I would still have an Accident.

She asked how so, I replied, they would fall from the Sky. No word of lie that’s how it is out there. These Days I go to work at the Courthouse, there is no Traffic on the Road, no Court in Session, yet there are Cars in the Parking Lot. The only Employees allowed to come to work are Clerks collecting Money for Fines. The only People coming there are People whose Fines are past Due. With no Traffic on the Roads People are still killing themselves and others,  by yielding to the temptation of Speeding. These People who are always heavy footed are clueless when it comes to Evasive Maneuvering. For instance your Car ends up on two Wheels, your Passenger side is in the Air, they don’t know that turning your Steering Wheel slightly to the right will set the Car back down on all four. Over compensating will flip it on the Passenger side.

The Driver of this Maserati killed himself and his two young Sons, his Wife severely injured.

Yet these same People are always Driving at Breakneck speed. In an earlier Blog I wrote about Harry, he Drove at Breakneck Speed all his Life crashing BMWS and the likes. All his bad crashes were caused by excessive speed, yet he learned nothing. His last and final crash, they had to cut the Car apart to remove his badly mangled Body from the Car. He broke his Neck in two places, his License revoked for all the other crashes that were charged to his recklessness. I am forever amazed by People like Harry blowing off my Doors, in a hurry to Calamity. My Car will be five years old in two months, I change my Oil religiously and frequently add Fuel injector cleaner to my Gasoline. The Car runs better than the Day I drove it of the New Car Lot, in Idle the Tachometer never leave 750 RPM.

One Night around two A.M. all by my Lonesome on the Bayside Bridge, I decided to exercise the Lifters and blow out the Combustion Chamber. I punched it slightly at sixty five, in the bat of an Eye the Speedometer read over 100. With all that Power I am still one of the most Civilized Driver on the Roadways. Traveling from Florida to South Carolina the Speedometer never passed eighty. Yet there were People leaving me in the Dust. The same ones who don’t know how to set the Car back down, avoiding a rollover. I think that it all Boils down to Respect, they don’t respect the Vehicle, it’s Engineering or its Capabilities. Most importantly they don’t respect their Privilege to Drive and their fellow Drivers. Why do you think that there are so many incidents of Road Rage.

It doesn’t matter if it is two A.M. or two P.m. you will always find these same Flighty People on the Roadways creating Havoc. Your Job is to know that they are out there in the Nevada Desert waiting for you at two A.M.  It’s for you to be (The Driver) the one who save Lives, the one who always make it back Home to the ones who love you. What I love most about writing Blogs about bad Drivers is, bad Drivers are like Alcoholics, they don’t like other people telling them about themselves. They resents it to no end. If you think I’m lying, next time you are the Passenger, ask why is he Driving like that. When I was a Teenager, whenever I was driving too fast, my Mother  would always ask me where is the Fire. Those words  always Irked me, Back Seat Drivers I mumbled to myself.

Nonetheless they taught me not to create Anxiety in my Passengers. My Friends call me Repetitious when I remind them of our young and Reckless Days. I do the same to my Readers in hope that one of them comes away with something that will save a Life. So here we go again. It was late Night on a Saturday. Five young Men partying the Night away. The oldest being twenty two, the youngest being me at seventeen. The two older Guys had just acquired Brand New Cars. We were Party hopping, each stop the Drivers had one to three mixed Drinks. After three stops on our way to the last, which almost became our final stop on this Earth. The Drivers decided to Race each other.

This was nothing short of The Young and Reckless, no respect for the Odometer reading one Thousand Miles. Sitting in the Passenger Seat I couldn’t help noticing the Needle teetering 115 MPH. When we got to the Exit Ramp we were going way too fast to negotiate the Ramp. Halfway through the Ramp I was sitting in the Drivers Lap. The Car was on two Wheels, I accidentally touched the steering Wheel to the right, which sat the Car back down. Eyes still glued to the Speedometer reading 90 MPH when it entered the Ramp, Halfway through, it only dropped down to 50. Well it must be true that the Lord looks out for Babies and Fools, otherwise I would not be here writing this Blog. I feel compelled to Reminisce these Tragic events hoping to save a Life. This one is for you Precious, my Friend Precious lost her Life at nineteen years old. The Driver taking her Home from a party was Intoxicated, he hit a Light pole sending her through the Windshield. Speaking out about Reckless People is something that’s been Bottled up in me for fifty years.  Parting words, ” Be the Driver, Be the Responsibile one” there are enough Reckless Drivers out there.

Over Tampa

Once again Perilous Times are with us, so I thought it was Appropriate to Re-Blog this one. Once again I ask the Lord to keep me Safe and warm from the Storm.

07/16/2018Anthony Dixon

Over Tampa

It is seven AM the day after Irma visited the tranquility of my Sanctuary called Home. The appearance of daybreak was bleak as late Dusk. Nonetheless I said a silent Prayer, giving God thanks for doing his thing of man-handling and controlling his atmosphere. The damage done in the southern hemisphere was catastrophic for many Islanders, the lost of lives due to the Havoc laid by a category five monster Hurricane was condolencing. For many days I was apprehensive as to wheather I made a mistake of not evacuating further North to safer ground. On the other hand the  me of years ago who lived the life of Tom Sawyer didn’t have the slightest intent of leaving and missing the greatest adventure of my life.

Moving from the Sanctuary of the Pocono mountains to the Flatlands of Florida was a willing choice four years ago. I could hear Tom’s voice as he Rafted the mighty Mississippi “you have lived all these years and have never experienced the life and death Rush of a Hurricane, now you are going to evacuate ” the twelve year old in me said you are in it for the Ride. My only concern was that of my Wife, I would not have made the decision to ride out the Storm if she wanted to leave. She had no intention of leaving, her reason far aloft of mine. Her reason  was you can’t circumnavigate the will of God. Her unshakable Faith was a Revelation for me

In my Community all the Homes are twenty two years old built to storm specifications, which gave most of my neighbors a feeling of false security, their preparation was miniscule. Not me , after following their lead for days, I finally decided to at least take minimal precautions. I spent an hour travelling to all the fair weather big names  Commercial outlets to find them all closed the day before the event. Lowes was the only one open to assist their faithful customers in their hour of need. Supplies had dwindled,  what was left was only of use to someone with MacGyver’s mentality, I took what was left,  went home and put my neighbors to shame with ingenuity. I prepared for the worst making the House airtight and waterproof.

When  Irma  made landfall one hundred and fifty miles from me it had sustained winds of one hundred and twenty MPH and a category four. Not the same as it was over Cuba, nonetheless enough to vanquish trees and Buildings. Before the crest the wind was fierce with sheeting Rain. Something I witnessed, with lasting memory, Lightening turning the Sky a perfect Turquoise Hue. I can still hear the song my wife kept singing all day long, God will take care of you. by the time it got to Tampa which was lined up to the Eye, it had withered to a category two. The song had given tranquility to my adventurous anticipation, I slept like a Baby when it passed over Tampa. my wife kept vigil.

Addendum

I may have taken my first Hurricane lightly and delt with it in a Gregarious manner. However the Storm of the Cov19 is more Deadly than any Hurricane. I am not taking this Storm lightly or slighting it’s Dangers in the least. Four Months ago the Bacteria from Ptomaine Poisoning ran Ravaging through my Bloodstream and took me down like a fallen Tree. I know what its like to be knocking on Heaven’s Door. One Month later I had a Flu with Symptoms pretty much like the Corona. Never before have I ever experienced a Flu like that. While the Fever ran it’s course, I was changing there or four T-Shirts a Night. The way Governments operate by Divulging Information on a need to know basis makes me wonder. This was three Months ago, makes me wonder did I dodged the Bullet once again.

As I have said this time around I am not leaving anything up to chance. The Day the News broke about this Contagion, I immediately started to take defensive measures. Working in a Courthouse where Affluent People who Traveled frequently, to People who did Time in Prison made me extremely Cautious. In one of my many Jobs during my work Life, I worked closely with Hygienists. I learned how to Handle everything from Mercury, Bacteria and Blood Pathogens. So once the News broke I immediately started my own Sterilization Program at the Courthouse. Very few People there developed a routine to protect themselves, by wiping down Phones, Door knobs, Faucet Handles, Elevator Buttons and everything other People touched. Even tho it wasn’t my job, I did all the above, two and a half weeks later the Housekeeping Department caught up to my Bumper. Isn’t it a Shame that the Public have Emptied the Shelves, yet very few travel with a Bleach Wipe wiping down anywhere others have Touched. It wasn’t my Job to Sanitize the Building where I work, I did it to protect myself. Once again, keep me Safe and warm.