| AVOIDING DRUNK DRIVERS ONLINE DRIVER SAFETY TRAINING It's tempting to think that with the severe penalties these days there wouldn't be any drunk drivers on the road, but as you know, such is not the case. Taking a good driving safety course will help you to be an all around safer driver, but this article will deal only with protecting yourself from drivers who have had too much to drink. So the question is how to stay out of their way, and not be a victim. It's a good idea to try and figure out whether the driver is asleep at the wheel or is a drunk driver, because each should be handled differently, but how do you tell the difference? Granted, you may not have much time to decide, but a drunk driver will most likely be weaving, or driving erratically, while a person who has fallen asleep at the wheel will probably be doing a slow drift out of their lane. Let's say that you're driving on a four lane road, in the lane closest to the center of the road, and the vehicle coming towards you is in the lane closest to the center of the road, except that they're weaving in their lane. It's probably a drunk, so immediately change to the other lane if you can, or go off to the shoulder of the road, and slow down. If you're on a two lane road, get over as far as you can towards the shoulder. Don't blast your horn or flash your high beams; the driver might think you are angry with him and that you are trying to retaliate. Just keep as much space from him as you can, then call police. Now if we take the same scenario as above, but substitute a driver who has fallen asleep instead, then flashing your high beams and blasting your horn may startle him into waking up. Still, you'll want to get as much distance from him as you can, so look for a space for your vehicle, even if it means taking the shoulder of the road, or the sidewalk, and slow down. There's no one on the sidewalk, right? What if you suspect the driver in front of you is intoxicated, and is driving erratically? Don't flash your high beams or blast your horn, just drop back and keep lots of space. Don't try to pass. If the driver is also very slow, still stay well back and switch to another lane if you can. Some drunk drivers drive very slowly. Call the police as soon as you can. If you're driving on a one way street and you spot a driver coming towards you the wrong way, he may or may not be a drunk driver. Perhaps it's just a confused driver. In any case, you'll want to get out of their way as quickly as possible. At a time like this you won't worry about the rules of the road, improper lane changes or anything else-it will just be a scramble to avoid a head-on collision. Do whatever you need to do. Be vigilant driving at night, especially around the time when bars close. For example, let's say you're approaching an intersection and you have a green light. Make a brief glance each way to your left and right, as far down the road as you can. Drunk drivers have been known to go through red lights. You will find more defensive driving tips in my ebook "Learn To Drive And Survive." http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/index.html
http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/avoiding_drunk_drivers.html
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