Right Turn on Red? Look Twice!

SW Florida typically has very good drivers. There are a few busy intersections that challenge even the best of drivers. Here is an advanced driving tip to help the drivers in Naples, FL and surrounding areas avoid this situation.



Today I saw a car stopped at a red light drive right into the back of the car in front of him. The woman driving the car in front drifted and started to turn right on red. The car behind thought the woman continued to go and hit the other car. Crash! Call the insurance company!



Pointer for turning right on red: Please watch the car ahead totally clear the intersection before looking left for oncoming cars. The driver must insure that all cars ahead have gone before checking for traffic on the left. The driver may accellerate into that small gap only to look up and see a stopped vehicle in front of them. Embarrassing at best and worse if a pedestrian crossed between the cars.



Tell your hot rod drivers to read this post at http://www.drivelikeme.com/.



Rob G. asks you to Drive Like Me.

Update Your Driving Skills

The seasonal people are soon coming back to Florida. We in SW Florida love you but please go take a driver safety course before you arrive. Choose any course you want but I know the AARP Driver Safety Program is designed specifically with tips for mature drivers. The course reviews changes in vehicle safety tips, updates in state laws, advanced driving tips, and how the body changes with age. Drivers over 50 years old may also get a discount on their auto insurance, but check with your agent to make sure.



Find a class at www.AARP.org/driver. The six-hour course costs less than $15 and is packed with the latest driving safety tips. Fun, inexpensive, convenient and useful. Take some friends, learn the tips, practice the tips, and make the roads safer for everyone.



Ask your friends and neighbors to follow these updates at http://www.drivelikeme.com/.



This is Rob G. asking all of you to Drive Like Me!

Never use the Car Horn to Express Emotion

While driving in SW Florida I sometimes witness a careless driving act where two cars almost collide. The "violated" driver sounds the horn to get the violators attention and avoid a collision. Good, that is what the horn is designed for.



However, many other drivers continue to blow the horn even after the danger is cleared. Wrong action that defines road rage. This action can also cause certain gestures and even escalate to violence.



Here is a driving tip. Just breath, inhale...exhale...repeat.



There is little to be gained by escalating this incident. Are you trying to start a fight? Are you ready for a gun battle? Even if you win the fight you will face a lengthy trial and certain prison sentence. Why?



As a former police officer named Chuck F. told me his driving tip. Think of the acronym FIDO, which stands for: Forget It, Drive On.

Excellent advice to avoid an even worse situation than the collision itself.

This is Rob G. asking all of you to Drive Like Me.



Tell those hot-heads to follow me at http://www.drivelikeme.com/.

Disabled Traffic Signal Becomes a Four-Way Stop

Power outages happen frequently in SW Florida and elsewhere nationwide. What does a driver do when power is out and the traffic light does not work? Treat the intersection as a four-way stop sign.

Who goes first? There is a standard order for vehicles to proceed safely through the intersection. One must first come to a full and complete stop. Then use this order as compiled from the Florida Driver Safety Manual and the AARP Driver Safety Program:

First- the first car to the intersection is the first to go.

Second- if two cars get to the intersection at the same time, drivers must yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on their right (right has the right-of-way)

Third- if two cars get to the intersection at the same time from opposite directions, vehicles turning should yield the right-of-way to vehicles going straight. Vehicles going straight have the right-of-way.

Be cautious of protected routes where one direction may have a yield sign or a flashing red or yellow signal. These signals take precedence over these rules.

Remember that one must not take the right-of-way, the other driver must GIVE the right-of-way.

Keep the roads and highways safer. Take a driving course to sharpen your skills and update your knowledge. Take a friend and make your roads safer for everyone.

This is Rob G asking you to Drive Like Me.