When driving around school, get to school five minutes early and leave five minutes late to avoid the mad dash into and out from the parking lots. Many accidents happen when kids are rushing around. If your school lot does not have angled parking spaces, park in a space you can pull straight out of instead of having to back out. Backing out in crowed lots is tricky.  Take extra care to watch for kids getting on and off school buses.  Always stop for school buses with flashing lights.

      When driving around town, avoid making left hand turns across busy intersections that don’t have turn signals. It takes a while to learn how to gage the oncoming traffic.  Don’t make assumptions about what other drivers are going to do. The only thing you can assume about another driver with a turn signal on is that he has a turn signal on. He might not be turning at all and forgot to turn it off the last time he used it or has changed his mind.  When there’s an obstruction in your lane, wait for oncoming traffic to clear before you pull around. Just because someone’s blocking your lane doesn’t mean you have the right of way in the next or oncoming lane.  Watch out for aggressive drivers and try to stay out of their way.  Don’t do anything that will cause another car’s driver to slam on the brakes such as pulling out in front of him or swerving into his lane.

     When driving in the country, watch out for deer and other animals.  If you see a deer approaching, slow down and flash your lights repeatedly.  Often, the deer will run away. Also, if you see one deer, watch out for others close by–they often travel in pairs or groups.

     When driving in bad weather, be sure your headlights on to increase your visibility.  Double the space you normally leave between you and the next car. You’ll need more space to stop on slick roads.  Braking in bad weather can be tricky. When braking on wet roads: (1) if you have ABS (anti-lock) brakes, do not pump brakes (2) if you skid with non ABS brakes and your wheels lock up, let up on the brakes to unlock the wheels, then brake gently.  Listen to radio traffic reports and adjust your travel plans accordingly. Keep windows and windshield clear. Make sure wipers are working.   Make sure your car has gas in it. Don’t ride around with the gauge on empty–who knows where you might get stranded.