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The Virginia Department of Transportation is trying a new strategy to slow us down on the roads, zig zag lines on the roads. I've seen the dots on the highway to help maintain proper spacing between vehicles and control speed and they seem to work in the places I've seen them, so why not squiggles? I bet it would definitely work if you made the center line zig zag!..

Red light cameras seem to be popping up in more and more places, and the hue and cry about them never ceases to amaze me. The main point is always that the cameras aren't about safety or traffic control, but are about revenue. Well it's pretty simple...

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.

What scares me the most nowadays is the seeming lack of depth of thought out there. No consideration is given to consequences or reality, just decide that whatever it is is a great idea, or just do this simple thing and all will be well. Reducing CO2 emmisions is a hot topic now and a motoring organization in Great Britain thinks they have a way to reduce them...

Generally I find truck drivers to be among the safer and more courteous drivers on the roads. A better way of putting that might be that I can expect them to react in a consistent manner in any given situation. I'm not sure if this is the case around the world...

I used to marvel at the Tour de France and those who could ride 1000 miles on those tiny saddles at amazing speeds. Not so much any more. We're in a university town and every year it seems to get worse as groups of cyclists seem to think the roads are their to do with as they please without regard to traffic laws or their own safety...

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 younger you are, the easier it is to take technology for granted. Whether you are cynical or, like me, more easily entertained, I find mapping services like G-Maps or Mapquest simply astounding. The people who have brought together these tools over the last 10 years are brilliant...