How to Merge Onto the Highway Without Crashing

The following is a description of how you should merge onto a highway safely and without endangering or harming yourself or others.

1. Make sure you are going at the same speed as the traffic into which you are merging as you reach the point where the ramp merges with the highway. This is very important so that those coming up behind you on the highway do not hit you from behind. This is very similar to safely changing lanes at highway speeds when it is done properly.
2. Maintain a safe distance from anyone in the ramp/merge lane in front of you; expect traffic to possibly slowdown or stop, causing you to have to do the same to avoid a rear-end or clip while merging.
   • Never assume others will use correct speed, maintain it or merge correctly.
3. Put your turn signal on so that the drivers on the highway notice that you are merging into their lane. Now carefully and quickly:
   1. Look in the internal rearview mirror then at your driver's side mirror;
   2. Glance to see that there is no car in your blind spot (close behind you in the lane that you are merging);
   3. Quickly, see whether someone has slowed or stopped in the ramp/merge lane in front of you.
4. Determine if you have room to merge onto the highway, if you do not (a car is currently beside you) you will have to speed up or down just a little until you have ample space to merge into.
5. Gradually, never abruptly, merge into the lane, following the natural path of the merging ramp. Make sure to maintain your speed, which should be the same speed as the other cars in your lane on the highway.

How to Be a Better Driver

Good drivers are both common and uncommon. It is possible you might encounter rash teenagers to truck drivers to overly-cautious senior citizens; yet all contribute to how we can learn to be better drivers.

1. Focus. Paying attention to the traffic around you, frequently surveying your mirrors, and anticipating what other drivers are going to do is the most important step to becoming a courteous and safe driver.
2. Allow someone to pass, if you happen to see them going beyond the speed limit. This is no 1950s drag race. Proving your need for speed leads to dangerous circumstances between your car and other cars.
3. Use your turn signals, and use them at the right time. Notify other drivers of your intent to turn or to change lanes early enough that they are able to take appropriate action. Sitting at a red light is NOT the right time to turn on your blinker; if you had done so earlier, the person behind you would have been able to change lanes and avoid sitting behind you when the light turns green.
4. Never switch lanes when in the middle of an intersection. Also, time your entry into an intersection so that you don't get caught blocking it once the light turns red (i.e. "don't block the box").
5. NEVER try to "beat the light." If the light turns yellow and you have enough space to stop safely, then stop. Cyclists, pedestrians, and even other drivers expect you to be completely stopped by the time the light turns red. You endanger yourself and others by running yellow lights, only to save a minute or two, it simply isn't worth it.
6. Keep in mind that it is courteous to allow a vehicle to turn into traffic if the driver is waiting for a break. Do not, however, suddenly slam the brakes in moving traffic in order to let a driver enter. This will most likely lead to a fender bender or worse, a collision from the unsuspecting driver behind you. This occurred at least once, killing the driver who drove behind the car that had suddenly braked in constantly moving traffic. Drivers in moving traffic never expect a sudden brake. Be extremely careful.
7. Remember: maintaining a decently comfortable distance between you and the driver ahead of you is an excellent rule of thumb. You should keep at least 2 to 4 seconds distance between you and the person in front of you. You can use the signs or the paint dashes to judge this distance. Perhaps if the vehicle in front suddenly stalls or stops, you as a driver have enough room to stop safely, or turn into the next lane without causing a backup in traffic. Other weather-related conditions, such as snow and rain, also make it wise to prevent collisions by keeping a safe distance behind for slippery, sliding and swerving cars.
8. Note that residential areas are common grounds for children to run spontaneously into the streets without looking for oncoming cars. Their minds focus on retrieving their ball in the street or catching up to friends by suddenly crossing roads on bikes, for instance. When driving through residential streets, be wary of unpredictable objects and people in the streets.
9. Remember that trucks often give their drivers difficulty stopping, turning, or backing up, we, as drivers, have all witnessed this. When passing a semi-truck, keep in mind that the truck driver has more difficulty braking. It is best to wait until you can see the truck in your rear-view mirror before completing a pass. Also avoid remaining beside a truck when in multi-lane traffic, if you cannot see the truck driver through his/her mirror, then he/she cannot see you.
10. Be courteous of the senior citizens, as well. Senior citizens need to drive just like everyone else. This is especially the case when they have no other means to obtain essentials. Most senior citizens, however, tend to prefer driving during early afternoons when there is less traffic and more daylight. When driving behind a senior citizen, always keep a safe distance and watch for unexpected moves, such as lane changes. Some seniors may change lanes without prior signaling.
11. Make an effort to change lanes when safe if you see utility work, police and emergency vehicles up ahead, or see a lane starting to slow down to a crawl while the opposite lanes are open or have less traffic. Odds are there's an accident, stalled car, or on the shoulder someone is pulled over, broken down car etc. By doing so you make yourself less prone to be in a secondary accident and it helps people who are in a dangerous or bad situation. In Illinois we have Scott's law.
12. Understand that the majority of drivers just aim to get to their destination, just like everyone else does. Accidents happen, but you can take a few steps to prevent many of them from occurring, either to yourself or others. By understanding the way various drivers react, you will have a better grasp of how to be a better driver. The best drivers learn to anticipate possible changes in traffic, and prepare for them in advance by adjusting their speed, their lane/direction, or where their attention is directed.
13. If you are signaled to stop by the police, be nice to the officer and they may let you go despite violating a traffic law. It will depend on what you did and the traffic conditions as to the offense. Not all officers are out to write tickets.
14. Don't use the shoulder or median to get around people not moving with traffic. You will get nailed no matter how many cars you pass.

How to Test Drive a Car

1. If you commute, drive the car in both stop-and-go traffic and at freeway speeds. If you frequently drive into the mountains, try to find some steep grades to climb. Drive over bumps, take tight corners at aggressive (but not dangerous) speeds and test the brakes in a safe location, such as a deserted parking lot.
2. Get in and out of the car several times and be sure to sit in the back seat, especially if you plan on carrying passengers. In short, ask yourself what it will be like to live with this car for a number of years.
3. While you are evaluating the car, don't be distracted by the salesperson's pitch.
4. Don't drive with the radio on — you can evaluate that later. A new car is a big investment; make sure you spend enough time really looking at it. This is particularly important if you are test driving a used car, as you will want to spend at least a couple of minutes listening to the engine at different speeds.
5. Follow your intuition. If you are uneasy about this car, don't buy it. A vehicle purchase decision is too important (and expensive) to undertake without total confidence.
6. If you live in a hot climate, you need to test the car with the air conditioning on. Some cars' performance will be affected while the A/C is on.

How to Overcome the Fear of Driving for the First Time

1. Get comfortable with the vehicle. Sit in the driver's seat and learn about that particular vehicle. Find all of the basic controls, such as the windshield wiper function, the lights, seatbelts, blinker, and pedals.
2. Adjust your seat, seatbelt, and mirrors. First, slide the seat forward or backward so that you can reach all the pedals with the correct feet. Then buckle yourself in, and if the seatbelt is adjustable, make sure it isn't too high on your neck. The mirrors should be adjusted every time you enter the vehicle, beginning with the rearview mirror. Tilt the mirror so you can see clearly out the back windshield, and make sure your night-vision function is off. Both side mirrors should be turned so that you can see your car on the inside of the mirror, and anything behind or beside you should be on the outside of the mirror.
3. Pretend you're driving. If you were driving, what would you do? Go over stopping procedure, turning procedure, and shifting if you're in a manual-transmission vehicle. Make sure you're very familiar with all of the basic controls/levers/switches and their locations.
4. Eliminate distractions. Make sure you're driving with a person you can trust and rely on, and kick everyone else out of the car. You don't need to have an audience when you're learning. Leave the radio off - or play classical music quietly. Make sure you're well hydrated and that you've used the restroom before you get into the car.
5. Remember that driving should be fun, once you get the hang of it. Don't treat the vehicle like an enemy - it will get you wherever you want to go, if you know how.

Carkoon Safety Car Seat for extra protection to your baby in a car crash

Carkoon Safety Car Seat for baby

Does driving a car always drive you nuts especially when you have a baby sitting in the car? Are you too nervous when you have your toddler sipping on its milk on the front seat of your car? Do you always worry about taking out your car even till the nearest doorstep if it’s for an emergency? Well, you better stop worrying now as your kid is extra protected inside the Carkoon Safety Car Seat. It is much more than a car seat and more so like a cocoon which can wrap around your little one and protect it under its shell.

We all know what a car accident can do. It can lead to fire which traps people inside the car and stop them from getting out. During such an event, this Carkoon has devised a way to protect the baby. It is the world’s first child car seat that has employed in itself active AirShield technology. This is what protects the baby inside the shell while the fire fighters fight a way out to rescue him or her out of the car.

It has been designed in such a way that the car seat faces the rear of the vehicle but what does it mean to imply? Well, this simply means that any unwanted force which is due to an accident put on a baby will get spread out on a much greater surface area, that is, the back of the car seat. Just in case if the baby uses forward facing car-seat during a collision, it would automatically lead to great amounts of pressure on the head, back and the neck areas. To avoid this, the car seat is kept facing the rear of the car seat. So, as a parent all you have to do is get a good quality child car seat and install it properly onto your seat.

 What is Driving Fear?

A “specific phobia of driving” requires that you either avoid driving or riding as a passenger because of fear, or that you tolerate driving or riding with high levels of anxiety and fear. Driving fear is not just fear of getting behind the wheel and operating a car. It can also involve fear while riding as a passenger. 
In fact, some driving fearful people are more afraid of riding as a passenger than they are of driving, per se. Not all people with driving fear have much in the way of observable avoidance of driving, although many patients gradually become aware of subtle avoidance habits they have developed. Many people with driving fears get where they “have to” go, but suffer a great deal of distress while in a car. 
They arrive at work in a bad mood or with a tension headache because of excessive tension while driving, or they have multiple “scares” whenever in a car so that their driving experience is quite upsetting. They may also restrict their actual driving or riding to only those “necessary” trips, which results in reduced social and recreational activities. Alternatively, they may alter their commuting routes in a manner that restricts their freedom of movement.

Why is Driving Fear a Problem?

Some people may think that driving fears are pretty trivial or that they are so common that they don’t merit treatment. It is true that some people may be able to lead a life with even a severe driving fear and not suffer many losses because of this fear. However, this depends on the individual’s lifestyle, work and family life, and personal goals. 
For example, the writer (Bill) has a mild fear of heights. This has never been a big problem to him because he has never been a downhill skier, the fear is mild enough that he doesn’t mind looking out of high rise windows, and he has no other recreations that require him to stare down from high places. What would happen, however, if Bill had to ski to work every day, or if Bill had fallen in love with a partner whose main recreational interests were downhill skiing and climbing mountains? Luckily for Bill, there are no mountains between his home and his office. Unluckily for driving fearful people, most of us live in society where transportation in automobiles is increasingly necessary and our roads in urban centers are becoming even more crowded.

Necessary Treatment Activities to OvercomeDriving Fear

Your therapist will help you with the activities described below, but you need to understand that success in overcoming driving fear will depend on you practicing new (or forgotten) skills. To get better, you will need to

a. drive and ride as a passenger much more frequently and for prolonged periods of time

b. focus more on other drivers’ good driving behaviour and courtesy and less on “close calls” or other drivers’ mistakes

c. learn about, and subsequently, suppress your own “safety compulsions”, those habits you have developed to make yourself “feel” safer in a car, but which likely maintain your fear in the long run

d. identify and alter beliefs and automatic thoughts that make you feel more at risk in a car

Solution For Driving Fear

Overcome Fear of Driving on or Over a Bridge

There is a certain logic in having a fear of Driving over or on a bridge. Similarly to how people are afraid to fly, so too the fear of bridges is actually the fear of falling

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can overcome your fear of driving over or on a bridge. Your fear is based in a small degree on real life events but mostly it’s based by the irrational fear that news programs make of the few and very rare occurrences in which bridges collapse.

I’m not going to lie to you and say that bridges don’t collapse. Often, bridges collapse when there’s a flood or earthquake, not just in normal weather. You really have nothing to fear.

1. Don’t drive alone – Make sure to have some friend with you in the car when you go over bridges in the near future until you feel more confident. Being together with someone is important if you want to ease the anxiety that’s bothering you.

2. Take on small bridges first – You don’t have to go over the Golden Gate bridge anytime soon. Find some small bridges in your area and practice on those.

3. Put on a quick and rocky tune on your car radio and sing along with it when you go over the bridge. This will ease your mind.

4. Do visualization exercises in which you picture yourself driving over a bridge feeling secure and confident. Do this everyday for 5 minutes and soon you will feel much stronger mentally.

For a faster way to get over your fear of driving I recommend the following resource: