I know I touched on Driving Efficiently, but here’s a quick, simple tip on how to drive safely. It applies to both drivers and pedestrians:
Make Eye Contact with Other Drivers
Whenever I’m driving and come upon an intersection, whether I’m required to stop or not, and there is a car waiting, I strive to make eye contact with the car’s driver.
I often notice many drivers usually do not attempt to make eye contact, but rather they look only at the other car. However, only Autobots drive themselves, so it’s more important make sure that the other driver sees you, otherwise the odds of an accident increases.
This especially applies even when you’re a pedestrian. In fact, even more so, as your very life can be on the line.
I recall being one of three passengers in a car driven by a friend who was a fairly new driver. Upon making a right turn, she braked, and then looked left for oncoming traffic, unaware that on the right a mother and her child were about to cross the street. Our friend proceeded to turn, and almost ran them over! We were horrified, but luckily no one was hurt.
For me, there were two lessons to be learned:
- My friend was in the wrong — she failed to look right to make sure it was safe to turn.
- The mother did not look at my friend — she only noticed the car was stopped (momentarily while my friend looked for oncoming traffic). Had she tried to make eye contact, she would have noticed that my friend had not seen her. She should have then waited until either saw that my friend saw her, or until the car had made its (rude) turn.
To this day, I am especially careful crossing the street (even when the light is green). When it comes to Human vs Auto — Auto wins. Every time.
Be safe!
