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She was about to turn left into her neighborhood from a major arterial road. Had to wait in the unprotected, not indented, left driving lane for oncoming traffic. She waited with wheels turned left.

She previously waited to enter her neighborhood in prior years a hundred times. And for a hundred times, she may have waited with her wheels turned left. Nothing problematic had ever happened.

Today, she was hit from behind as she waited. Her car, thrust into the path of oncoming traffic, was struck. She was killed and left a son and a daughter in high school without a mother.
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It’s all about cushion of space in front of your vehicle.

Two car lengths for every 10mph posted on speed sign.

Keeps options open. Relaxes you. Saves money.

If you listen closely, you can hear the green lights sobbing very, very softly. We’ve heard this as we attempt to traverse many intersections. So, we set out to interview a green light and we found one willing to talk…at 45th and Marshall Avenue.

WDRIVE: That sobbing; how long and why? Especially from such a stately perch you have!

It’s Green:  Not that long, really. But, you’re right; my crying is real. It emanates from all the way down my pole. It started 4 years ago.
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efficient turning…dexterity…prepared for emergencies…comfort

These are the concerns, essential as they are, to each and every driver.

You must be set upon the steering wheel in such a way as to be able to handle the emergency. Emergencies are surprises. You have no time – none – to change your hand position to respond.  Your best steering positions afford comfort and are best situated to respond instantly to all emergencies. If you do not have this method, there is no guarantee that you can emerge unscathed from an emergency.
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Want people to think of you as wise, considerate, economical, a conservationist, pleasant, and overwhelmingly fun to drive with? All in one?

They will, if you stop one car length behind the car ahead at your traffic stops.  Be able to see a bit of pavement between your hood line and their back wheels.
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Your shiny vehicle, your treasured and dependable transporter of those you love, travels 45 feet (at 30mph) when moving your foot from the gas to the brake.
Forty-five feet! Is that too much distance covered? Does that allow you to be hit by someone running a red light or stop sign?
Yes! Even for drivers reading this who have wisely trained a fast foot reaction from gas to brake…it is too late. There is no intersection wide enough to save you.
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WHEN TO START BLINKING
Blink at least 100 feet before a city turn and at least 200 feet before freeway exit. (This conforms to the law.) Recognize that people are not always looking directly at what you are doing, they drive distracted, they think about many things other than driving when they drive.
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Trouble can be warded away with effective blinking.
A blinker can do this for you;
– creates more space around you while also diminishing danger to you;
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Birds that fly south still here. Squirrels very active. I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A QUICK SPRING TIME. So, here, in my sorrowful humility, are the musts for Winter Driving.
Space Cushion. Thee most important skill you have for slippery winter driving. But the amount of space we have at other times of the year (2 car lengths for every 10mph posted speed) works for Winter also. Now, I know that few people have this much space; but those people have until now been lucky people.
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ALWAYS HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE!
Look at them all, stopped for a light. Helpless beings. Got themselves into the ubiquitous trap. Some unsuspecting. Some watching nervously their rear view mirror. Where do they go from here should the car approaching from the rear not stop in time, be on the phone, or asleep? They can not escape because they are too close to the vehicle stopped ahead.
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