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Car Guy
Clover Conditioning
A Saturday at the Court-Community Corrections Program Driver Improvement course.
(Page 3 of 3)
One guy — there’s one in every class — raised his hand (again) to ask what one should do when caught behind a tractor doing 5-7 MPH on a country road with a 55 MPH limit where there is a double line and so no legal passing zone. Even if it’s clearly clear for the next two miles — no opposing traffic coming — the cops said: Be patient. Do not pass.
Right. As if he would sit in his squad car doing 5-7 MPH in such a situation. For the next 5-7 miles, until the tractor gets where it’s going.
Similarly with regard to passing cyclists. The law says you must give the cyclist two feet of space as you pass. But of course, this is not possible sometimes without also treading the dreaded double yellow. The common sense thing to do, assuming the opposing lane is free of traffic, is to give the cyclist the space and briefly — for as long as it takes to execute the pass — allow your left side wheels to come into contact with the sacred double yellow. It’s safe — and it’s considerate. You pass the cyclist without getting dangerously close to him. And there’s no conga line of frustrated, getting angry drivers stuck behind the cyclist. Except of course, this is all against the law. Better to be a good Clover and obey. Even if it’s an affront to common sense.
And so it went — for hours.
Finally, four o’clock arrived and with it, the Final Exam. A “knowledge” test of all the foregoing points — or rather, an exercise in Repeat After Me:
Speed kills. All Laws are Good Laws. Cops are there for your safety.
Submit. Obey…
About the Author
Eric Peters is an automotive columnist and author of Automotive Atrocities: The Cars You Love to Hate (Motor Books International) and a new book, Road Hogs.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (8) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Eric Peters
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Appleby| 7.17.12 @ 7:42AM
I failed my first driving test because my Dad, a dirt track stock car driver, taught me the Rules of the Road that Mr. Peters espouses herein. I took my driving test on a 1964 Galaxie 500XL with dual four-barrels and a Lincoln Hemi engine, and I scared the bejeezis out of the examiner, including a handbrake turn I did when he signalled a turn when I was already past the apex.
I learned the lesson that Dad had not taught me: that you have to pass the test by giving them back what they want to hear, even if you "know better." And Dad had a story he dined out on until the day he died -- watching his 17 year old daughter do a handbrake turn in traffic as she came back to fail her driving test and hear the parting words "Don't ever bring this car OR HER back here again."
JimH| 7.17.12 @ 9:42AM
OK, we get it. Traffic laws are not there primarily to promote safety, but to raise revenue and increase insurance rates. You, like Rain Man are an excellent driver. It’s just all the other idiots causing the problem. How about this for a proposal, we eliminate all speed regulations, maybe all traffic laws. We also get rid of no fault insurance and far more strictly enforce the liability of the person determined to be at fault in an accident. We do this to the point where if you are responsible for causing a death your life is forfeit as well. I suspect that when people are not so insulated from the consequences of their actions by their insurance and lax vehicular homicide laws they will be far more careful on the road.
lost| 7.17.12 @ 3:32PM
Sorry but traffic laws can not always be followed blindly, drives have to make judgement calls. Don't believe me well I can give an example: Many highways have minimum speed limits but there are times where road conditions do not allow for that speed. So now what do you do drive safely and disobey the posted speed limits or obey the posted speed limits and drive too fast for conditions. Either way you are now breaking the law.
mike 3/505| 7.17.12 @ 10:24AM
Driving at "excessive" speed has never at anytime killed anyone, ever.
Moe Blotz| 7.17.12 @ 10:25AM
Control your road rage Eric, and you won't get those invitations to class that you don't want. Do you lose your temper around big trucks as well? Blowing past an Assyouvee and hitting 50 in a 35 mph zone tells me you are the problem, even if the dough head in the other vehicle did something stupid. Being in control of your vehicle includes being in control of your own head.
John Navratil| 7.17.12 @ 3:35PM
Moe Blotz,
We all can't be saints. One does wonder why Officer Safe T. First wasn't paying attention to the SUV pulling into a moving lane of traffic without yielding. That might just be the greater affront to safety, don't you think?
But, it's a judgement thing. The radar machine makes judgement unnecessary. It's all a part of the same story. Dumb everyone down, reduce everything to a check box on a sheet of paper and, by all means, stamp out all personal judgement.
Stilton A. Cheese| 7.17.12 @ 10:34AM
The *Old Ten and Two* has been replaced by *Nine and Three* by drives who drive in a *sporty* manner. Try it, you'll like it.
Archie| 7.17.12 @ 9:46PM
Where do you live?
"what one should do when caught behind a tractor doing 5-7 MPH on a country road with a 55 MPH limit where there is a double line and so no legal passing zone. Even if it's clearly clear for the next two miles -- no opposing traffic coming -- the cops said: Be patient. Do not pass."
C'mon! 2 miles clear and double lines. Not likely.