-'y 7-- - - Wh itby Free Press, Wednesday, Apoi 20, 1994: Page '1T mi MI L i 1DRI VING SAFELY. wîth RANDY RANOY McLEAN 15 A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER WHO SPECIALIZES IN TRAFFIO SAFETY. Mr. McLean has reviewed thousands of individuai motor vehicle accident reports and his close working relationships with police agencies, goverrnments, safety assodations, industry anid the public, have given hlm a true overview of ti'affic safely issues, problemns and solutions in Canada. Slow speed mm hî«gh rîsk As a driver, what do you do when you glance ini your rearview or sideview nirror and see another vehicle approaching at high speed? Most motorists recognize the potential danger the approaching vehicle presents and respond by paying a littie more attention and preparing te take some evasive action if necessary. Hopefully, even the speeding motoriet -- regardiess of what we might think of his or her attitude -- is watching and anticipating the movements of the vehicle it's passing. He or she may not be able to stop in tiîne, but at Ieast they wilI get a good look at what they're about tohMt. But vehicles don't have to be travelling at high speed to present a potential danger. The only have te be moving at relatively high 4ped You may recali in an earlier column, 1 noted that it is not the absolute speed of a vehicle but the speed differential (iLe. the difference in speed between two vehicles) that is the critical factor in most accidents. Two vehi clos, each travelling at 100 kilometreW/hour only inches apart, will remain inches apart as long as they both maintain exactly the same speed. But, if the first vehicle slows down or the second vehicle speeds up, a collision will occur. The collision force will depend on the difference in speed between the two vehicles at the moment of impact. The key point is that any time there is a speed differential, there is the potential for an accident. The greater the difference in Speed, the greater the accident potential, and the greater the need to exercise caution. Simple enough concept. Now cornes the tricky part, applyîng this principle te our everyday driving habits. One common driving situation where this principle should be, but frequently le not, applied probably occurs several times on almost every trip we take. Youre travelling on a road that has two lanes in each direction. The left lane has, stopped or is moving slowly because one of the cars up ahead is waiting te turn. The right lane continues to move unimpeded at the legal speed limit. You are fortunate enough to be in the right lane. As you approach the taîl end of the queue that has formed in the left lane, what le the one thing you know about almost every driver in the slow lane? They want te be in the fast lane. Your lane. Why is this a risky situation? First, traffic in the slow lane will be tightly spaced. For any car in the ime, the vehicle ahead will force a lane change te be made at a sharper angle than desirable. The vehicle behind will obscure the sightline to cars approaching in the fast lane. This uncertainty often leads motorists te use the ' cross-your-fingers-and-hope' method for important decisions as they 'jump' into the next lane. Once this driver has started te jump lanes, he or she has virtually no ability to take any corrective action if another vehicle is approaching in that lane. Second, many motorists in the fast lane driving at the speed limit are not aware of the potential danger of the situation. Consequently, they are mot paying any particular attention to traffic in the slow lame and are mot prepared te take any evasive action when someone jumps out in front of them. The results are (frequently) obvious. Whose fault is it? It really doesn't matter. Defensive driving means driving to prevent accidents in spite of the actions of others. The driver chamging lanes may have caused the accident, but the approaching motorist could have avoided it. Whenever you're drivimg on a multi-lane road, where one lane is moving faster than the other, rernember speed differential equals accident potential. Motoists hate te wait; they particularly hate te, wait for other motoriste. Pay a little extra attention te vehicles in the slow lane. You know they want te, move into the fast lame. Watch for and expect someone te turn out in front of you. Be prepared. Don't let somneone else involve you in their accident. Drive safély. Now that Woolco Canada is no longer in the auto repair business, we'd like to extenid our assistance to you in satisfying your auto service warranty needs. If you have had any brake, exhaust or suspension work performed in a Woolco Canada Auto Centre, Canadian Tire Whitby, wiIl honour the remainder of your Woolco Canada parts and service warranty*. Quality MOTOMASTER parts and service from our licensed trained technicians are available at over 420 locations across Canada. *Proper Documentation Required. LUBE., OIL & FILTER CHANGE plus 20 point inspection i$SaI297endsendpil 27th. Most Cls mig7o Appointment Neoessary CAAINTIRE WHITBY ONLY - 400 Glen Hill Dr., Whitb~ & 668-1296 Servicing Canadian vehicle needs since 1922. 1