Rule No.4

Keep up with traffic.

This may sound weird, but I believe that it's better to drive as fast on average as the other cars on the road. In other words, I like to avoid driving too fast or too slow. Both of these conditions can cause an accident. By too fast or too slow, I'm talking about ten miles per hour difference. For example, if the speed limit is 60 miles per hour, many drivers will go around five to eight miles per hour faster. Most traffic policemen will allow this. Driving over ten miles per hour faster results in changing lanes often and unsafe encounters with slower vehicles. At least 75% of drivers admit to speeding at one time or the other, and speeding is the major cause of fatal vehicle accidents. Many roads, especially in rural areas, are not made for high speed. In order to speed you need a highway like the German Autobahn. On speed-unrestricted sections of the Autobahn there are no speed limits, only advised ones.

In a practical sense, driving more than ten miles per hour slower than the other vehicles is also a possible accident cause. Other drivers end up trying to pass, either to the left or the right, and changing lanes is always a possible accident situation. Many highways have minimum speed limits. It just isn't safe to drive on a super highway too slow. Don't be a snail among a bunch of hares.

All of this applies to driving on a highway, not on a city street. Driving on a street requires moderating the rule of ten-miles-per-hour leeway. One must adjust for the width of the lanes, the number of businesses with driveways and the amount of pedestrian traffic. Congested city streets require care and courtesy. I realize that nowadays courtesy is a forgotten art, but it's important when driving on congested streets. Again, the rule is: keep up and don't go too slow or too fast. And, for goodness sake, don't make any moves without signaling.

The other thing that many people don't take into consideration on city streets is motorbike and bicycle traffic. These types of vehicles are difficult to see and it's easy to get into an accident with them, especially at night. It seems that you must have eyes in the back of your head to navigate city streets with both pedestrian and bicycle traffic. It can become challenging. The easiest way to avoid an accident on a busy street is to stay alert at all times and have patience. Relax and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading.