It's the Weekly Safety Reminder (WSR) #3So, when I was a kid, we were convinced that we'd all be driving flying cars by now (and of course that hot fudge sundaes would have been found to be healthy). Well, we may not live in that Jetsons world yet, but we can add a bit of Star Trek into our daily driving and make ourselves safer as a result.
I encourage drivers to raise the defensive shields around their cars as they move through traffic. No, I don't have some extra button on my instrument panel. I tell people to imagine an invisible box lowered over their vehicle. The box extends particularly far out in front of the car. This is my invisible barrier that prevents me from getting too close to vehicles in front of me, and provides an extra warning when vehicles encroach from behind and on the sides.
Once I've raised that shield I stop when it bumps up against the car waiting at the traffic light, and I back off when it touches the vehicle cruising in front of me. This is particularly useful at intersections. I never want to be so close to the "other" car that I can't even see their rear tires. I need the space provided by this barrier to give me time, space and options- three very important items to keep a driver safe.
The defensive shields that I use around my car are also variable in size. I increase the size a bit for any extra danger in the driving environment. The size gets increased for darkness. In the winter it increases a bit more. Add some fog or poor road conditions and my safety box becomes even larger. I pick the size and then stay well within it.
Sound a bit hokey? Try it. If you set up that barrier, particularly in front of you, you'll at least think a bit more about it when you come to the next stop light or are cruising on the highway. Give yourself the time and space so that you can exercise all your options.
Have a safe day.
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