Applying Safe Driving Skills to Everyday Living

 

Written by Gary Wonning

The fifth and final principle to safe driving is to Make Sure They See You

To make sure they see you; Communicate in traffic with your horn, lights, and signals to establish eye contact with motorists and pedestrians.

By paying attention to your surroundings you can Be reasonably sure of other people’s intentions and act or react accordingly.

 To see and be seen always make eye contact if possible. 

If you don’t believe they see you or realize they are in your traffic path Honk horn (twice), Turn on/off headlights, or if they are following you, Tap brakes several times in succession.

And last but not least, remember that long lost tradition, Use turn signals.

In living life, as well as driving, Make sure everyone around you is aware of your actions and desires, as well as you of theirs. We can’t negotiate the highways of life if we are unsure of what the people in our circle of influence and ourselves in particular want, need or will do.

It certainly will not solve or prevent  all our problems, however , when challenges do arise,applying the five seeing habits of safe driving to our lives can and will enable you to negotiate the highway of life with a lot less stress and disappointment.

Safe Driving is a way of life.

A UPS driver making a delivery to a beautiful blonde

Gary has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, while studying native cultures.

His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.

He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America and the aborigines of

Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.

He has observed that many of the forgotten cultures had spiritual beliefs that were stronger than ours in modern times.

In technology, we have made advances far superior to those that came before us, but, we have lagged behind in gaining or maintaining our spiritual knowledge.

For us to advance as the human race, we need to combine the spiritual knowledge of those that came before us, not only that of the ancients but the knowledge of our direct ancestors as well, with the technical knowledge we have today for us to propel into the twenty-first century and beyond.

He has published several books about his adventures.

For more information, please consult his website,www.journeysthrulife.com.

Applying the Fourth Safe Driving Skill To Every Day Living

 

The fourth tip on how safe driving techniques can improve your life.

Leave Yourself An Out

  When driving: Always be prepared. Surround your vehicle with space in front and on at least one side to escape conflict.

Leave a 1 car -length space cushion between you and the car in front of you at stop signs and intersections, (check your mirrors to make sure the person behind you is stopping, if not use up your space cushion, move forward slowly or change lanes if possible.)

If the person in front of you stops suddenly, stop as soon as possible, but if you have time , check your mirror to make sure the person behind you can stop before hitting you, if not use up your space cushion to give him as much room as possible.

Whenever you hit someone from the rear, it is automatically your fault, a driver needs to have control of his, or her vehicle at all times. There are no excuses for rear ending someone, regardless of how quickly they stop. 

Always use your turn signals

Stay at least 2 seconds behind the car in front of you(1 car length for every 10 MPH.)

3 seconds in adverse weather

Slow down in heavy rain, your vehicle will hydroplane if you go to fast.

Every vehicle is different, vehicles with wider tires will hydroplane quicker than vehicles with narrower tires.

Check other drivers and vehicles for movement, watch drivers heads for movement, remember, the wheels of a vehicle are the first thing to start moving, check them.

As in driving, in the game of life, Always be prepared and have a plan B, many times at the last minute our plans dissolve and one needs an alternate plan of action to avoid possible disaster and heartache. If life changes and you have no escape route, it is you who will pay the consequences.

A UPS driver making a delivery to a beautiful blonde

Gary has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, while studying native cultures.

His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.

He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America and the aborigines of

Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.

He has observed that many of the forgotten cultures had spiritual beliefs that were stronger than ours in modern times.

In technology, we have made advances far superior to those that came before us, but, we have lagged behind in gaining or maintaining our spiritual knowledge.

For us to advance as the human race, we need to combine the spiritual knowledge of those that came before us, not only that of the ancients but the knowledge of our direct ancestors as well, with the technical knowledge we have today for us to propel into the twenty-first century and beyond.

He has published several books about his adventures.

For more information, please consult his website,www.journeysthrulife.com.

How To Apply Safe Driving Habits To Everyday Living

A UPS driver making a delivery to a beautiful blonde

The third principle to safe driving is to Keep Your Eyes Moving

 Scan- Don’t stare. Constantly shift your eyes while driving, Active eyes keep up with changing traffic conditions.

Check all mirrors every 5-8 seconds

Scan with your eyes every 2 seconds

Never stare at an object for more than 2 seconds, not even at Brad Pitt or Angeline Joline!

Eliminate eye holding patterns

Adjust speed to existing conditions, speed up or slow down

Driving comes first, eating , changing radio, A/C, talking on cell phone, etc, all come secondary.

If you get tired, turn up radio, turn up A/C, sing to yourself, or better yet pull over and take a break.

Applying this principle to our daily lives we need to remember to always remain vigilant, don’t get stuck in  a rut and neglect to pay proper attention to what is going on around you. The business of life comes first , keep from getting distracted.

Stay alert to the possibilities of what could go “wrong” and be prepared for them.

none of us are immune from hard times and disaster striking at any moment.

Gary has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, while studying native cultures.

His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.

He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America and the aborigines of

Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.

He has observed that many of the forgotten cultures had spiritual beliefs that were stronger than ours in modern times.

In technology, we have made advances far superior to those that came before us, but, we have lagged behind in gaining or maintaining our spiritual knowledge.

For us to advance as the human race, we need to combine the spiritual knowledge of those that came before us, not only that of the ancients but the knowledge of our direct ancestors as well, with the technical knowledge we have today for us to propel into the twenty-first century and beyond.

He has published several books about his adventures.

For more information, please consult his website,www.journeysthrulife.com.

The Five Safe Driving Habits Also Apply To Everyday Living

A UPS driver making a delivery to a beautiful blonde

The second rule to safe driving is to  Get The Big Picture

You d this by maintain the proper following distance so you can comfortably determine the true hazards around your vehicle and don’t tailgate others.

Be aware of all objects and obstacles(dogs, cats ,deer, ladders in the road , etc.) scan other vehicles to be aware of things that might fall off into your path. The road isn’t going anywhere, once you know where it is, observe things that might move into your line of travel.

Scan 1-2 city blocks ahead in town and ½ mile on highways, expressways & country roads

Scan sidewalk to sidewalk in town

Fence row to fence row in the country

Be aware of all areas and all things around your vehicle

Back only when necessary and back before parking when you are more aware of your surroundings and those things that can move into your line of travel.

When backing , double check to make sure no one or nothing is behind your vehicle, get out of the vehicle and physically check if necessary. This can be done while walking to your vehicle.

Applying these rules to life we learn to maintain a safe distance between us and the obstacles we may face. We need to be aware of all challenges that may come our way as far ahead of time as possible so the proper actions may be taken to lessen the effects of a possible problem, while only looking back to remember and cherish where we came from and how far we have traveled.

Gary has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, while studying native cultures.

His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.

He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America and the aborigines of

Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.

He has observed that many of the forgotten cultures had spiritual beliefs that were stronger than ours in modern times.

In technology, we have made advances far superior to those that came before us, but, we have lagged behind in gaining or maintaining our spiritual knowledge.

For us to advance as the human race, we need to combine the spiritual knowledge of those that came before us, not only that of the ancients but the knowledge of our direct ancestors as well, with the technical knowledge we have today for us to propel into the twenty-first century and beyond.

He has published several books about his adventures.

For more information, please consult his website,www.journeysthrulife.com.

The Five Safe Driving Habits Also Apply to Everyday Living

A UPS driver making a delivery to a beautiful blonde

The Smith Safe Driving program  operates on 5 key principles, established in 1952 by Harold Smith it operates on the principle that most collisions are preventable if the correct driving habits are learned and practiced consistently. 

Having driven for United Parcel Service for over twenty seven years without a chargeable accident, I have discovered the five principles of safe driving apply to life as well.

Aim High In Steering

Look at least 15 seconds into your future, not just at the vehicle in front of you.

Get the Big Picture

Look for hazards.  (Other Motorists, Pedestrians, Vehicle doors opening, etc.)

Keep Your Eyes Moving

Don’t stare.  Use your peripheral vision.  Stop the fixed habit stare.

Leave Yourself an Out

Monitor the space cushion around you.

Make Sure They See You

Use your signals.  (Directionals, 4-way Flashers, Head Lights, Brake Lights, Horn, Hand Signals.)  Make eye contact.

There are many similarities between driving safely on the highways and byways of life, and navigating the roads of our own journey through life.  After all , that is what life is all about, it is a spiritual journey we all take in one form or another to reach a desired destination.

Life is all about finding our way through the labyrinth of passages and possible paths we can take as we learn valuable life lessons along the way. Life is all about finding our way back to our source and the valuable lessons we learn in the process.

During my previous life as  a professional truck driver, we had certain rules and driving habits to adhere to,  by following these basic principles we could lead a life time of accident free driving which would  enable us to live to a ripe old age. If we didn’t follow the rules, it would certainly lead to a hazardous journey and even possible death at an early age.

I have found these same rules can apply to life and either lead to a happy well rounded life or one filled with disaster at every turn.

The five rules of safe driving are thus explained:

FIVE SEEING HABITS OF SAFE DRIVING

1. Aim High in Steering

 The first principle, aim high in steering, means to  look as far down the road as possible to uncover important traffic information so as to make appropriate driving decisions. One should look ahead to where your vehicle will be in 12-15 seconds.

Applied to life this would imply we should plan as far ahead down the road of life as possible so we can try to comprehend what problems we may encounter and prepare for them by garnering as much security in our life as possible. Not only financially, but emotionally, spiritually, and mentally as well.

None of us knows what lies ahead in our life, but preparing as much as we can for any hardship, we will be better prepared when disaster does strike than we would be if we had done nothing. 

Into all life some rain must fall, by carrying the proper umbrella, the downpour will be much less.

Gary has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, while studying native cultures.

His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.

He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America and the aborigines of

Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.

He has observed that many of the forgotten cultures had spiritual beliefs that were stronger than ours in modern times.

In technology, we have made advances far superior to those that came before us, but, we have lagged behind in gaining or maintaining our spiritual knowledge.

For us to advance as the human race, we need to combine the spiritual knowledge of those that came before us, not only that of the ancients but the knowledge of our direct ancestors as well, with the technical knowledge we have today for us to propel into the twenty-first century and beyond.

He has published several books about his adventures.

For more information, please consult his website,www.journeysthrulife.com.

Winter Safe Driving Tips

As the winter season is once again upon us, it is always helpful to reminded of some useful safe driving tips.

Safe Driving tips to avoid accidents in inclement weather.

Winter is an extremely dangerous time to drive, with snow , ice, driving rains and early darkness, there are many hazards to face if one is the reach your destination safely.

Gary
has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in
nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of
the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary
Islands,much of the Caribbean, and studied Mayan Cultures in Central
America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given
him the opportunity to observe life in many different cultures!

He
has published several books about the various cultures he has studied
and applied what he has learned to solving the many issues facing not
only the United States, but the world as well.

Common Sense solutions to complex problems.

For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks, please check his website.http://www.commonsensejourneys.com

You can also follow him on your Kindle.

 

Winter Safe Driving Tips

Get the jump on winter driving with these safe driving tips.Keep you and your family safe.

1951 Pontiac

Cruising Posters by lifejourneysimages
Browse additional posters and prints from zazzle.com.

Written by :Gary Wonning

A classic in it’s time, the 1951 Pontiac was a real car.

It was the second car I ever owned, the first being a 1952 Henry J that had been given to me by my grandparents when I was 15. They had driven the Henry J for several years and it was close to the end of it’s productive life. That didn’t matter to me, I washed and polished it every week, even though I couldn’t drive it on the roads.

The Heny J lasted several months and it was time to make a change in the mode of my transportation. This Pontiac was in great shape, even though it was 10 years old. It featured a straight 8 engine and automatic transmission.

1000 Places to see before you die.

I once set a speed record by driving between the Iron Bridge in Batesville Indiana to Youngman’s Garage in Napoleon Indiana, a distance of about 13 miles over an extremely hilly and curvy road. Along with the help of my navigator Jim Youngman, we covered the distance in 9 minutes and 30 seconds, a record that stood for several years.

The car saw me through my high school years, and henceforth it was traded for a classy 1956 Ford Fairlane V8 with dual exhausts and all the trimmings.

For   updates, follow me on Kindle.
 Gary has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean. He has studied  the Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different parts of the world!

He has published several books about the various cultures he has observed.

For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks,and contact information: please check his website.www.commonsensejourneys.com

Your comments appreciated

Make money doing what you enjoy!

This informative Ebook describes alternative methods of making money ,often a full time income in photography even if you have no desire to shoot wedding photography. this book gives examples and websites where you can use your photos to supply you with an income, not only to enable you to buy new equipment, but a living income as well.

 

 

Tom Tom: Finding Your Way in Life

As we navigate our way down life’s path sometimes we need all the assistance we can muster up. This is true not only while on our spiritual path, but when we go on vacation or while traversing the highways and by-ways of our daily life.

At one time in the not too distant past, we had to rely on Rand McNally or AAA to safely guide us to our destination. I’ve found fumbling with maps and Trip Tics can not only be confusing but also not the safest way to journey down the nation’s roadways. Luckily, in today’s technical world there is a better way.

The Tom Tom has opened up a who new way to travel, now with the device firmly planted on our dashboard all that needs to be done is enter our destination into the little machine and directions, mileage, and time of arrival is instantly displayed to us in living color. Not only is it colorful, informative, and safe , but entertaining as well.

Regardless if you are traveling across town or across the world , be sure to include a Tom Tom or one of the many other GPS devices in you travel bag.

You can now follow me on Kindle.

1965 Ford: My Favorite Car

 

                                        1965 Ford Fairlane 500 Convertible,

                         My Favorite car was a 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 Convertible

I bought this car new in 1965, in those days one couldn’t just go to a dealer and pick out a car, it had to be ordered from the factory. The worst part of it was the 6 week wait.
I was 19 at the time and it was my first new car, so I went all out, the car featured a 390 engine and black interior. As you can see it was dark green (twilight turquoise)with a white top.With the half moon headlight covers and shiny electrical tape I put on the grill to give it a checkered effect, It was pretty sharp, or so I thought.
After I received the car I installed a 45 RPM record player under the dash, and cut-outs to by pass the muffler. These were right under the front doors so they could be opened and closed by opening the car door and reaching under the car. They were two inch pipe with a cap on the end.
It was a three speed on the column, however I broke it in right , I could lay rubber in all three gears, and wore out 12 tires and 5 clutches the first year. I was a real sensible driver.

 

 

 Gary has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean. He has studied  the Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different parts of the world!

He has published several books about the various cultures he has observed.

For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks,and contact information: please check his website.www.commonsensejourneys.com

Your comments appreciated

A guide to safely reach your destination during severe winter weather.