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A couple of good articles from the November/December issue of Road King magazine that are worth a look... Color Me Safe - High visibility seat belts encourage truckers to buckle up  - more truck manufacturers are offering, and more operators are installing, brightly colored seat belts. Trying Times - During some tough years this driver discovered his resolve to succeed - a 25-year veteran of the highway shares his experiences with health, family, and finances...

Many states, Texas and Florida chief among them, have promoted the development of defensive driving courses. States have incentivised the private sector to develop these tuition based training facilities, by offering what amounts to moving violation credits. In many jurisdictions, this means you can have that speeding ticket wiped out in exchange for going to school...

I was talking to Vikki (pilot of the red Pete on your left) the other night, and she told a story that emphasizes a point I made in my CarSpace Guide Driving With The Big Rigs - specifically item number 4. Vik said she was hauling a piece of construction equipment on a flatbed.  She was slowing down for a traffic light when another vehicle not only changed into her lane, but did so while slowly coasting, causing Vik to really lay into the whoa pedal.  At that point, Vikki said she heard the terrifying sound of a tie-down chain snapping due to the change in weight transfer force.  "All I could think of was that bulldozer joining me in the cab," she said.  After a barrage of bad language into the CB, Vik pulled over and replaced the chain before proceeding. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles includes the following stat in its driver's manual: - stopping distance including reaction time from 55 mph in a car is 190 feet - stopping distance including reaction time for a loaded tractor-trailer with hot brakes is 430 feet Before you make that lane change to "jockey for position" at the red light, make sure you have not cut the available stopping room for a much larger vehicle behind you.  Unless of course, you like the idea of potentially being pushed into an intersection of cross traffic at speed.  Or as in the situation Vikki had, if the other chains had not held, you could cause serious injury or death to a trucker without ever making vehicular contact.

Yes, that annual assault on the highway by families with freshly-dismissed-from-school kids in the backseat playing those corny road trip games or poking each other until a parent bellows "Don't make me come back there!" In the current issue of Road King magazine, there's an article reminding truckers that the assault is near, and to be careful of those drivers who may be in over their heads.  In the article, Roehl Transport's Brian Hammond, the orientation and driver development manager, mentions something I have been saying for ages... "[Hammond] often wonders why there aren’t similar licensing requirements for driving the RVs as there are for semi-truck drivers."  I don't know about you, but when I see some old guy trying to handle a full-size Winnebago on any road, I get FAR away from him.  If the stricter CDL is required for people who generally still have their reflexes, you have to wonder why retirees are allowed to pilot similar sized vehicles with just the ability to pay for the thing. If you are planning to partake to the roads this summer, keep the same things in mind the article advises truckers.  Expect everything.  Yes, that car will dart out in front of you.  Yes, that van will speed through the puddle and splash water 10 feet in the air before you can close your window.  Yes, your kids will only want burgers and fries the whole trip.  (OK< that last one really isn't a driving concern, unless you just passed a fast-food joint and the next exit with one is another 80 miles.) But above all, be patient.  If you're sitting in traffic like this, just relax.  Everyone around you is also sitting in that traffic and their need to move forward is no greater or lesser than yours.

Yesterday, there was a rather unusual weather front that passed through NJ... ahead of some heavy downpours of rain, the temps soared into the mid 70s.  Today. we're back down to the normal-for-February 30s...

Defensive driving is predictable driving. When other drivers know what you’re going to do, it’s easy for them to keep a safe distance. On the other hand, when your actions behind the wheel take other drivers by surprise, they may not be able to react fast enough to avoid a collision...

The last thing a misbehaving child wants to hear on a road trip... New Jersey is thinking about coming back there.  The state assembly has introduced bills that will strengthen the existing seat belt law to include adults in the rear seat(s), and to raise the fines for not securing a child from $20 to as much as $500. Most of us with sense buckle up as it is, so such a law should not intrude on the majority o drivers.  But it will be interesting to see if these bills face challenges, and on what grounds.  There was also no immediate information as to whether the proposal would apply to cars for hire, such as taxis and limos...

In order to be courteous to a fellow human being, one first has to be aware of them… to notice the reality of them… isn’t that correct? The dictionary uses the locution “consideration toward others” to define politeness. Let’s consider this for a second, shall we?..

Hope you and yours enjoyed Thanksgiving! Those of you about to engage in the hell that is Black Friday, keep your wits about you and don't take out your frustration of missing the deep-discount sale item on the other vehicles!

Woke up to this scene this morning. For those of you in the winter climates, be sure to check my CarSpace Guide regarding the proper way to get all that white stuff from your vehicle. One benefit to living out here in the mountains is that the local crews really know how to plow snow...