Life
is fragile, and although we humans are tough creatures,
it doesn't take much for us to exceed the limits of what our
bodies can take. How do we mitigate the dangers of an active
life? For me, the answer is to consider the risks and eliminate
or manage them. That's why I practice defensive driving. It's
learning where the dangers are and planning ahead to avoid
them.
I ride my motorcycle to work on the congested
and busy freeways of Phoenix, Arizona. I don't have to
tell you this is a dangerous ride. A motorcyclist in the city
at rush hour is mixing it up with people who are angry, harried,
pressured and distracted. If I don't keep track of all of
them, and ahead of myself, eventually I will end up a hood
ornament on somebody's Trans Am.
I face different dangers, depending on the
route I take. Riding on city streets or boulevards, I'm
subject to an intersection collision (the most common fatal
collision in an urban area). On the freeway, I risk being
run over if I have to brake suddenly (so I carry as much following
distance as I can, and I actively work to keep people from
tailgating me). Another big danger is the driver making a
sudden lane change without looking. My preventive measure
is to keep away from clusters of traffic congestion, to keep
an open lane beside me (even if it is a shoulder), and keeping
an eye on everyone -- even two lanes over. I figure the risks
are more manageable on the freeways, so I prefer them to riding
on boulevards.
On my way home each day, I take Interstate
10 to SR51, and transition over a freeway "stack"
interchange from one to the other. Once I get onto the northbound
lanes of SR51, the safest place for me is in the car pool
lane. To get there, I have to cross three lanes of heavy traffic.
Vehicles of all kinds are changing lanes to the left while
others are changing lanes to the right to exit at the next
off-ramp. A motorcyclist, at that place and time, is like
a crippled duck on a pond on opening day of hunting season.
I found another way. My new route goes
around downtown Phoenix on a street that has little traffic,
and I get onto SR51 about two miles south of that congested
stack interchange. The traffic is lighter, and the lanes increase
one at a time over the two miles. I can move left in a leisurely
manner, and be in the car pool lane before I get to the dangerous
stretch. I managed the risk by choosing a safer route.
As you plan your trips, especially over routes
you use repeatedly, think about where the dangers are.
Can you take a different route to avoid a particularly dangerous
intersection? Can you use a route that has fewer left turns?
Is there a freeway route where the traffic is lighter, that
avoids a route with thirty intersections between you and your
destination? Thinking ahead and minimizing risk by making
better choices is part of driving defensively.
As always, keep it between the fenceposts!
<Rule
68: Don't "Pump" ABS Brakes!
Rule 70: Use Uncle
Bob's Defensive Driving System>
