Saturday, January 21, 2012

Please Do Not Tailgate

We have had snow and sleet fall here in Columbus, Ohio recently. Such weather usually brings about comments from people I know about road conditions and how bad people drive here in Central Ohio. One comment I remember from last winter still gnaws at me. A Facebook friend asked other drivers not to stop too fast when the roads are slippery. If you think the drivers in front of you are stopping to fast, you are following too close.

I have mostly overcome my road rage, but I still have an issue with tailgaters. I overcame my road rage by assuming that I am invisible whenever I get behind the wheel of a car. This technique is not always effective when dealing with tailgaters. I pull over and let tailgaters pass whenever I can, but sometimes it would be dangerous to pull over to the side of the road. I have the impression that many drivers do not understand what a clear and safe distance is. They seem to think that they are supposed to follow as closely as possible to the vehicle in front of them. They do not seem to understand that they would not be able to stop in time if the car in front of them were to stop suddenly.

Snow and ice make maintaining a clear and safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you even more important. A good way to avoid tailgating is to observe the three second rule. Maintaining a clear and safe distance is much easier to do if you are not texting or talking on the phone while driving. Please do not tailgate.

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