Driving 101: The Calculus of Driving

Recently, on a long drive out to a remote part of Western Massachusetts, my wife and I got into a discussion about the philosophy behind each of our driving styles. My philosophy on driving is that a good driver is able to manage what I think of as the calculus of driving: a complex analysis of the huge variety of factors that are thrown at the driver anytime they are behind the wheel where every little detail matters and even the tiniest of elements should not go overlooked. The philosophy really applies no matter what I am in control of, but behind the wheel of a nearly two-ton hunk of metal, it becomes increasingly important that my "calculus" gets to be pretty good. The idea here is that driving is more than just operating the pedals and directing the vehicle, it is about making decisions and choices that help keep traffic flowing smoothly and avoids creating a hindrance for other drivers.

Let's take a look at what it means to perform the calculus of driving by examining some real world situations.

Driving 101: Courtesy is a double-edged sword

Frequently, we find ourselves in situations behind the wheel where a little courtesy can go a long way. Think about those situations where you are waiting to turn onto a side street and the backed up traffic traveling the other way makes a hole just big enough for you to slip through. Or perhaps you have been in one of those situations where you arrive at a stop sign at the same time as another driver and they wave you through. Another common one is when someone making a turn waves you around them when it is safe to pass. All of these are situations that many drivers come across with some regularity, but how often do we really think about just how those situations impact other drivers?

Let's take a moment to break down some of those common courtesy situations and look at just how an oblivious but courteous driver can raise the blood pressure of everyone around them through their random act of kindness.

Driving 101: Interacting with pedestrians

Image courtesy of erikweems.com

Many years ago, during one of my first morning commutes into downtown Washington, DC, I happened upon a scene that continues to give me a smile whenever it comes to mind. Those of you familiar with DC know that the section of K Street around 18th Street is set up with the main roadway and a distinct parking/right turn thruway that is physically separated by a concrete island. This thruway is frequently backed up because of cars parking or making right turns and is often congested. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic are plentiful as well during the morning commute, adding to the confusion.

On this particular morning, things were no different. I was standing on the concrete island waiting to cross K Street when I hear a series of horn blasts followed by a string of epithets coming from behind me. I turn around to see a very late model gray Mercedes S-Class patiently waiting with its turn signal on as pedestrians crossed the street with the walk signal. The source of the ongoing string of profanity was a cabbie, who seemed none too pleased to have to wait. A few more blasts of his horn and a few more angry words finally ticked off the driver of the Mercedes. The door to the luxury sedan popped open and out stepped a rather large black man dressed like a gangster rapper - Timbalands, saggy jeans, long flowing dreads, and plenty of bling on display. Undeterred, the cab driver continued to spout off; at least, until the driver of the Mercedes started reaching into his waistband.

Now, the cab driver was in clear violation of the basic rules of interacting with pedestrians, especially given how pedestrian unfriendly many US cities are already. As drivers, we have an obligation to be more attentive to those road users who are more vulnerable than us. Bicyclists may move quickly and be maneuverable, but lack the protection of the steel cage of a car. Pedestrians move slowly have no protection whatsoever and it is therefore our duty as drivers to be evermore vigilant when we are around them. There are a few common scenarios where drivers will encounter pedestrians and this is intended as a reminder on how best to interact with them in these instances.

Driving 101: Interacting with Bicyclists

This month, as we continue our ongoing Driving 101 series, I want to focus on interactions with one of the other primary forms of road users, cyclists. Despite being a more vulnerable road user, cyclists are in a rather unique position to be both a benefit and a challenge for drivers. They are a benefit in that the more cyclists there are, the fewer drivers there are clogging up our roads in their individual cars. However, they present a unique challenge in that they tend to travel at average speeds that are less than cars while in motion, but because of their narrow width, have the ability to move in-between other vehicles and catch up when cars are stuck in traffic. As an automotive enthusiast, I want to see more cyclists on the road to help reduce congestion. As a cycling enthusiast, I want to see greater awareness of cyclists and their rights from my fellow drivers.

Driving 101: Lane discipline

Image courtesy of courgarnews.com

Continuing our lessons on driving, our next topic of discussion is very near and dear to my heart, mostly because it is one of the things that irritates me the most regardless if I am on two or four wheels. The concept of lane discipline is absolutely lost on most American drivers. The idea is that if we are more disciplined with how we occupy traffic lanes, then there will be freer flow of traffic and everyone will have a much more enjoyable behind the wheel. That is the ideal situation, anyway. Reality feels more like total chaos with most drivers more interested in asserting their dominance as opposed to demonstrating their mastery of driving.

Drivers generally occupy whichever lane has the fewest cars or wherever they happen to feel like being with little consideration for the impact this has on other drivers. However, this often results in traffic being tied up as people rather selfishly, or perhaps just obliviously, occupy the lanes without a thought to traffic patterns at large. Sometimes, this is due to distractions in the car, which is a whole other topic, but sometimes it is due purely to a lack of understanding of how their actions can impact everyone around them.

So, through a series of examples, I hope to highlight several key situations and point out which lane discipline principles to apply to help make traffic flow more smoothly for everyone.

Driving 101: The Roundabout

Growing up in Southern California, I had never even heard of roundabouts, much less seen one. Every intersection had a stop light or stop sign, but none had traffic circles. When I moved to the DC area a decade ago, I encountered some roundabouts, though the majority of them were some sort of Frankenstein hybrid of a traffic circle and stop light controlled intersection. Honestly, to say they were a mess is probably being far too generous. It is somewhat understandable then that people around DC struggle to navigate this variety of intersection. However, a few years ago I relocated to just outside of Boston and, likely due to the age of the city, roundabouts seem to be extremely popular everywhere around here. Unfortunately, despite their popularity, it seems that people still struggle to understand how to safely make it around one of these without nearly killing at least one other driver or at the very least pissing someone off.

So for the second installment of our Driving 101 series, we are going to cover the basic tips for safely navigating a standard traffic circle.

Driving 101: Winter Driving Tips

With all of the crazy winter weather we have been getting in much of the US lately, I felt it would be appropriate to start our Driving 101 series with some winter driving tips. Growing up in Southern California, the closest we came to winter weather was a little bit of hail on the rare occasion. However, in college, I had my first experience with true winter weather when, during a particular cold snap, I experienced a run-in with the side of a mountain after hitting a patch of black ice high up in the mountains. Following that experience, I made it a point of learning how to handle myself in even the worst conditions and was ultimately able to get to a point where I felt like I could tackle most any winter driving condition.

What follows are some of the lessons that I learned and are focused on not only keeping you and your passengers safe, but also making sure that the road conditions are safe for everyone else using the roads.