* Extremely important to maintain a good driving record
* You are the one that maintains the good driving record
* Main risk of driving is accidents
* Highway transportation system
* HTS 3 parts: people, vehicle, road ways
* Purpose of HTS is to move people and cargo in a safe, efficient, and economical manor
* Roadway users are people who: walk, drive, or are passengers
* There are many types of vehicles and road types
* Driving is a privilege not a right
* Laws are passed to help make up the vehicle code
* Cars must get inspected every year
* Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute (IPDE)
* Driving task is everything to do with driving
* Whole body should drive
* Smith system: system designed to make sure drivers can see
* Zone system: makes sure drivers can manage the space around their cars
* Defensive drivers: lowers risk of conflict by protecting you and others
* “Responsible traffic citizen and be responsible on the road”
* Attitude determines how you drive
* Being safe allows you to gain the respect of other drivers
* Driver error causes the most collisions
* Many factors in a collision
* Traffic collisions have socio-economic effects
* Drivers have financial responsibility like fuel and upkeep
* You should use fuel efficient cars
* Encourage carpools to reduce fuel use
* Use public transport whenever possible
* Everyone has to have liability insurance
* Driving is one of the most dangerous things you can do
* Three tiers of driving
* Learners are subject to a zero tolerance law for BAC (0.00)
* Learners permit must be held for 1 year of collision free driving to upgrade
* Seat Belt must always be worn
* Parents might be required to record information of driving
* Late night driving is prohibited by Learners
* Only one person is allowed in the car (multiple parents are allowed)
* If you get a collision before the 60 HRS are done clock gets reset
* Violators have to go to traffic school
* Drivers don’t stop learning
* If you refuse to take an alcohol test you will lose your driver’s license for 1 year
* Implied consent programs
* Organ donor programs can be turned on and off as much as you want
* Pedestrians always have right of way
* Must be able to identify signs and symbols to be a safe driver
* Regulatory signs control traffic (ex. Stop and yield)
* Stop and yield sign control traffic
* Warning signs are shaped like diamonds
* Guide signs give directions (ex.big green signs)
* All other regulator signs have white rectangles with black/red letters
* Always check left, right, forwards, and back at stop signs/traffic lights
* Always come to a full stop at stop signs
* Yield means to allow others to use the intersection before you do
* Right of way means you get to go first
* Driver who arrives first gets to go first (4-way)
* When vehicle stop to the right of left at the same time left yields to right
* Driver going straight goes first, turn goes second
* Pennant shape is no passing sign
* $250 minimum fine for speeding in construction zone
* Always be prepared to stop
* Speed limits are required in ideal weather
* Some roads have minimum speed limits
* school/hospital zones have special speed limits
* Advisory speed limit signs for areas like sharp curves
* Advisory speed signs allow you to identify the special zones
* Yellow, diamond signs warn of upcoming danger
* Red text on white tell you want not to do
* Broken yellow lines doesn’t always mean you can pass
* Round yellow sign means a railroad in nearby
* White cross is at some railroads
* Railroad signs are 250ft before rail in urban areas
* 750ft in rural areas
* A large X could be painted on the road as an additional warning
* Drivers must treat crossbuck as a yield and flashing lights as a stop
* Even number highways go east and west (ex. I40)
* Odd numbers go north and south (ex. I85)
* International signs convey information with symbols rather than words
* Red=stop Yellow=caution Green=go
* In NC you can turn right on red
* Except when there is a no turn on red sign
* Flashing signals alert you to a danger or to stop
* Shared left turns
* Rumble strips warn of hazards by forcing your car to make noise
* Can’t park on yellow curbs
* Can’t park in handicapped spaces unless you’re driving a handicapped person
* White lines mean you are going the same direction, yellow means you are going different directions
* First thing you should do is lock your doors
* Check surroundings before you enter the car
* Check that you have gas
* Speedometer tells you how fast you’re going in MPH or KPH
* Fuel gage lets you know how much fuel you have
* Make sure you have at least ½ fuel in cold weather
* If your car is overheating turn on the heater
* anti lock braking system lets you stop your car without locking the wheels
* Safety belt light: means that you don’t have your seat belt on
* Seat belts must be worn when the car is moving
* Have to turn on your low-beam headlights when it’s raining
* Turn on your High-beam headlights in dark areas
* Turn off HB when another car is approaching
* Cruise control allows you to keep same speed without using Gas pedal
* Only use cruise control going long distance and on the highway
* Never use in bad weather
* Let of of CC every so often so you don’t fall asleep
* If the brakes go out you may have to use the parking brake
* Stick shift cars have clutch pedal to switch gears
* Foot brake slows/stops the car
* Easing off the accelerator will slow the car
* Going just 1 mph over the speed limit can get you a ticket
* Never block the back window
* Headrest helps reduce whiplash injuries
* Inside mirrors show view out the rear window
* Right and left show the rear from the left and right
* Mirrors do not get rid of blind spots
* Make sure that your vehicle is in good shape before you start driving.
* When you are inside the car do a quick inspection inside
* Make sure your steering wheel is \~10 inches from you
* Have your hands at 10 and 2 or 9 and 3
* Right foot is used for every pedal
* Friction point is where you feel the engine take hold and the vehicle start to move
* If you do not use a system to drive you may have higher risk of collision
* Can’t control the road, only yourself
* Vehicle attributes collisions are really the fault of the owner
* Driving is a thinking task
* Use visual cues to identify open and closed zones
* Aim high in steering
* Keep you eyes moving
* Make sure others see you
* Leave yourself an out
* The sooner you identify a hazard the faster you can avoid it
* A zone is one of the 6 areas around your vehicle
* A zone is as wide as a lane and as far as you can see
* You always need to be scanning 12 seconds ahead
* Look for clues around you in a systematic matter
* Evaluate the zones every couple minutes to stay safe
* Everything you can see around you is called your field of vision
* Most people can see about 180 degrees
* Areas you can see next to you is called your side vision
* Area you can see in front of you is called your central vision
* Don’t want to stare
* Use ground viewing to see where other cars are turning and road hazards
* Keep an eye out for “problem drivers”
* Predict other driver’s paths
* Speed is the most important part of controlling your vehicle.
* Communicating is a process of sending and receiving info
* Safest place in traffic is where there is the fewest vehicles
* Always decide to minimize a hazard
* Only deal with one hazard at a time
* Gravity is the force that pulls things back to earth
* Center of gravity is a point in which weight is evenly distributed
* Friction is a force that keeps tires from sliding on the road
* Traction, friction created by tires on the road
* Tread is the groove surface of a tire that grips the road
* For good traction road must be, smooth, paved, level, and clean
* Distance your car travels while making a stop is called total stopping distance
* Perception time, length of time you take to IDPE to slow for a hazard
* Reaction time, time it takes you to avoid a hazard after recognizing it
* Every state in the USA requires a seat-belt
* Active restraint, safety belt
* Passive restraint, air bag
* Babies have to be rear facing car seat
* Children should be in backseat
* Head restraint, padded headrest to protect from whiplash
* It is also illegal to sit in the driver’s seat while the motor is running or while the vehicle is getting towed
* IF your eyes are not 20:40 you can’t drive
* Driving eligibility certificate (issued by public school)
* If you are driving under 18 you are considered the provisional license
* 36 hours required for your license.
* Maximum BAC is 0.08 for 21 and older
* Raised legal drinking age raised from 18 to 21
* DWI: driving while impaired
* If you are caught DWI you have to take a chemical test
* Field sobriety test cannot test BAC
* No open alcohol is aloud in the car
* IF you get 7 points you get driving clinic
* If you pass you lose 3 points
* 5 points for passing a stopped school bus
* Provisional licensee (under age 18)
* Visit driver license office
* Pay a restoration/service fee
* Take a driving test
* Drowsy driving causes thousands of crashed every year
* Cannot remember last few miles
* Hit rumble strips
* Yawn repeatedly
* Difficulty keeping eyes open
* Take a 15-25 min nap
* Stop and take a break every 2 hours (every 100 miles)
* Limit to 300-400 miles per day
* Prescription you have to get from doctor
* Over the counter you can buy at the store\\
* Alcohol is a depressant
* Time is the only thing to sober a drinker
* Farm equipment can fill 1.5 lanes
* Very slow driving is unsafe after you pass the top of a hill
* Stay close to the right edge of the road when turning right
* Bikes are hard to see during a turn
* Turn to the lane closest to you
* Allow 2 seconds between the vehicle passing you and when you reach them
* When backing up make sure you look behind car
* At a four way stop you have to stop, and you have to look in all directions
* If you are behind a car that has to stop, you can’t pass them
* “Margin of safety”
* Secondary road is designed for local transport
* Hills are more likely to be steeper
* Curves may be sharper
* Plan travel at least 2 weeks in advance
* Move far off the road
* Tie a white cloth around the radio/left door handle, contact police, raise hood.
* All nc drivers have to have visible license plates
* Signal last 200 feet before turning
* After the first 10 min of raining is most dangerous time to drive
* Hydroplaning is a skid caused by a layer of water on the road
* In case of a blowout keep the steering wheel straight and reduce speed.
* Flashing red light is the same as a stop sign
* Minimum fine for littering is $250
* $30000 injuries to any one person in crash
* $60000 for all personal injuries in a crash
* $25000 for all property damage in a crash
* Intersections are dangerous
* “Point of no return”
* Your last turn check should be in intended path of travel
* Control intersection signs and signals show the right way
* Controlled by stop and yield signs
* Fresh green light is light that just turned green
* Stale green light is green light that has been stagnant on green
* Protected left turn (left green arrow)
* Delayed green light one side of intersection is green
* Gap is the distance between vehicles
* Traffic is more dense in urban areas
* Series of sharp turns called switchbacks
* Speeding is a leading cause of collisions
* “Pull out areas” to allow people to pass you
* Vapor lock prevent engine from starting when fuel in a gas
* Expressways have more serious collisions
* Don’t back up on entrance ramp/on expressway
* Deceleration lane is on the far right in front of exit
* Exit ramp, slanted road leading off expressway
* Highway hypnosis: drowsy/hypnotic state
* If this occurs, crack window or sit up straighter
* Pull over to stretch
* Take a brief nap if necessary
* Velocitation
* Hours of driving could cause you to drive faster than you think you are driving