Herb Bustle

"Rules of the Road" for Monday August 11, 2104 After reviewing last weeks Rules of the Road, it is apparent I need to use spellcheck, LOL. Having said that, Today will begin the start of schools opening for the year. BE ALERT! We will begin to see school buses stopping to pick up children. These buses have "Flashing Red Lights". It is against the law to pass a bus when the red lights are flashing. In addition, when nearing schools, be careful of cross walks. Last but not least, if you are a parent bringing children to school, please do not drop them off on the opposite side of the street to have them get to school. Every year there seems to be a tragedy where a child is dropped off and darts out into traffic. Please consider safety first and being on times second.

"Rules of the Road" for Monday August 5, 2014. Stop Signs and Stop Signals. This is one of the most numerous, following speed, of the violations I see. When stopping at a stop sign or intersection, the law requires you to stop behind the white line. Citations can be issued for stopping beyond the white line. Stop Lights - in Modesto we have several intersections that have traffic cameras in operation. These cameras are very efrective at taking very good pictures. Know that when the light turns yellow, it will soon be truning red. When it utns red the sensors are on and should you cross the white line, it will trigger. Next week we will talk about citation implications.

"Rules of the Road" for Monday, July 13,2014. When you are driving in the vicinity of a large truck or a large motorhome, not only do you need to be concerned about the dynamics of what your vehicle can do, but more importantly the dynamics of what a larger vehicle requires. The average car weighs in at about 3,000 pounds wher a large truck can weigh in at easily 50,000 pounds. These trucks do not have the capacity to stop in the same distance that a 3000 pound car. For that reason, avoid cutting them off and/or cutting in front of them. Even though these drivers are professionals, they can't change the laws of physics and stop a moivng mass faster than what it is capable of being stopped. Give them some space! M .06 .05 .04 .04 .03 .03 .03 .02 Driving Skills

"Rules of the Road" for Monday July 7th. Freeway merging provides both the opportunity for a smooth transition into the right lane or an opportunity for an accident to occur. DMV recommends at least a four second gap rule. This provides you and the drivers you are merging with at least two seconds each of reaction time. One of the most dangerous scenarios on merging onto the freeway is not merging, but stopping on the on ramp. The expectation sof all the drivers is that you are going to merge, NOT STOP. Stopping places you at risk of being rearended and places other cars at risk as well. Plan your merge and time your speed appropriately to merge safely.

"Rules of the Road" for Monday June 30, 2014. What is aggressive driving? There is a questionnaire right out of the DMV handbook for you to determine if by chance, you might be. Take the test and find out! ARE YOU AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER? DO YOU (Check the appropriate box): Yes No Overtake other vehicles only on the left. Yes No Avoid blocking passing lanes.... Yes No Yield to faster traffic by moving to the right. Yes No Keep to the right as much as possible. Yes No Maintain appropriate following distance. Yes No Provide appropriate distance when cutting in after passing. Yes No Use headlights in cloudy, rainy, low light conditions. Yes No Yield to pedestrians. Yes No Come to a complete stop at stop signs, etc. Yes No Stop for red traffic lights. Yes No Approach intersections and pedestrians at slow speeds. Yes No Follow right-of-way rules at four-way stops. Yes No Drive below the posted speed limit when conditions warrant. Yes No Drive at slower speeds in construction zones. Yes No Maintain speeds appropriate for conditions. Yes No Use vehicle turn signals for turns and lane changes. Yes No Make eye contact and signal intention where needed. Yes No Acknowledge intention of others. Yes No Use your horn sparingly. Yes No Avoid unnecessary use of high beam headlights. Yes No Yield and move to the right for emergency vehicles. Yes No Refrain from !ashing headlights. Yes No Make slow, deliberate Uturns. Yes No Maintain proper speeds around roadway crashes. Yes No Avoid returning inappropriate gestures. Yes No Avoid challenging other drivers. Yes No Try to get out of the way of aggressive drivers. Yes No Focus on driving and avoid distracting activities. DO YOU AVOID: Yes No Driving when drowsy. Yes No Blocking the right-turn lane. Yes No Taking more than one parking space. Yes No Parking in a space designated for the disabled. Yes No Letting your door hit the vehicle parked next to you. Yes No Using the cell phone while driving. Yes No Stopping in the road to talk. Yes No Inflicting loud music on neighboring cars. ARE YOU AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER? DO YOU (Check the appropriate box): Score Yourself: Count the number of NO Answers (1-3) Safe Driver (4-7) Good Driver (8-11) Semi-Aggressive Driver (12+) Aggressive Driver

"Rules of the Road" for Monday June 23, 2014. Ever thought about how much time 30 seconds is. For some, 30 seconds is an eternity. Have you ever been in traffic and there is someone who is zipping between cars trying to get ahead. For example, driving up El VistaOakdale road and a car is zipping between cars and ultimately runs a red light on El Vista. I watch as I continue up Oakdale Rd, only to see the driver turn into the car wash on Oakdale Rd. So, I ask you, would the fifteen or thirty second difference been worth the damages that could ahve been caused by running a red light? In the hurry scurry of the day, the vast majority of times between places you have to go would only be altered by less than a minute. Is it worth it to you, and your conscience if you were to seriously injure someone. Think about it!

Monday "Rules of the Road" How many times have been in a Double Left Turn Lane and almost been hit? It happens all too often. Remember, when there is adouble left turn lane, and you are in lane 1, (nearest the medium) your are to turn into the lane nearest the medium. All too often, people will be in the #1 lane and complete their turn in the #2 lane. This will represent a "lane violation" and ac accident will be charged to you. So remember, start in the #1 lane, end in the #1 lane. Start in the #2 lane and end in the #2 lane. Everybody goes home safe.

If you haven't noticed in my postings, there is a little "gremlin" who gets in and mispells some of my words. If you see him, corral the little rascal!

"Rules of the Road" Beginning today and each Monday I will be bringing a new segment my site, "Rules of the Road" (California Style). I hope you will find these helpful. The circumstances will vary from week to week. Todays will focus on comon sense. Seems overly simple, but common sense can reduce a lot of accidents. Keep in mind that the vehicle we drive is capable of causing great bodily harm if not operated in a safe manner. As I was once told, it is always safer ...to err on the side of caution. The roadway is not the best place to exercise your RIGHTS! You can be right, but dead right too. Take the extra moment and yield to someone. We often ASSUME that the other person knows what we are going to do or not do. An assumption can cause an accident. Take an extra moment and yield and both you an the other car will get to where you are going. See more

Watch for "Rules of the Road" coming on Monday Jun 9. It will be a weekly posting on some of the aspects of driving that can help mitigate an accident.

As we travel through the streets and freeways of Modesto, it is important to rmember that not everyone is having a good day. Sometimes that unhapiness manifests itself in distracted driving. Think kindly for them and maybe their day and driving habits will change.

Memorial Day Weekend. Don't forget why! Far too many have forgotten. Look around and appreciate what you have, where you go home to, and those around you. Threre are many who have given "their all" so we could have what we have. Thank you to my fellow servicemen from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Herb Bustle ( USS Bainbridge DLGN-25 ) 1970 -1974

Start this sunny day off by extending kindness to someone who might need a little kindness today!