Driving & Mirrors

I've made several entries about driving because I do a LOT of it, have been doing it for over 20 years, but love learning new things, and just want to share with you. Click the Driving Advice tab at the top to see some of my driving related entries. This one is about how to adjust your mirrors properly according to the Blindspot and Glare Elimination (BGE) settings to be able to drive more safely. Rather than re-write what has already been done, I am using the entry on the Driver's Ed Guru website as my reference. I'm summarizing that info here, but please do visit their website for more information about the BGE settings. Yeah, they even have a video you can watch...but I have it here too...

The Blindspot and Glare Elimination (BGE) mirror setting was developed in 1996 by a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers named George Platzer. The BGE setting reduces the usual two large blindspots to four mini blindzones. None of these four mini blindzones are large enough to completely hide a car.

There are several advantages to the BGE setting:

• You no longer have to turn your head to look into the blindzones.
• Only a brief glance at the side mirror and inside mirror is needed.
• By glancing at the mirror, you keep the road ahead in your peripheral vision. Turning your head completely eliminates the road ahead from your field of vision.
• Glare from the side mirrors is almost entirely eliminated. You should no longer have a trailing car’s headlights shine directly into your eyes.

This is how to set up the BGE setting:

• Place your head against the driver’s side window and adjust the driver’s side mirror so you can barely see the driver’s side of your car.
• Move your head as close to the center of the car as possible and adjust the passenger’s side mirror so you can barely see the passenger’s side of your car.
• To check your BGE settings, watch as a car passes you in an adjacent lane. It should enter your outside mirror before it leaves the rearview (inside) mirror. Also, the car should appear in your peripheral vision before it leaves the outside mirror.
• Remember, your inside rearview mirror is your primary mirror and it will take time to get accustomed to no longer seeing the sides of your car in the side mirrors.

As a personal note, I will ALWAYS use the shoulder look to confirm what I might see, even though their bullet point above says I don't have to. Sorry, been doing it for so long that I will still do it. But, employing this information means that I don't run the risk of sitting in a body shop any more than I need to...

Drive safe...

Car Wash

I was young once... and had dreams for a career. I wanted, in the 70s, to be a truck driver, an OTR guy. But I paid attention to the drivers, and I respect them deeply for what they do for us. I yield to them when I can, and flash them when they do the same for me.

The best advice that I've gotten from them, is to park my car outside in a rainstorm. This is actually the BEST car wash that you can ever experience. You don't have to expend any elbow grease, the rain does it for you. And, because rain is organic, you don't have to "buff" it to get the polish.

I've learned a lot from the truckers...and am just passing it forward...put your car out in the rain, and reap the benefits of it all...I triple dog dare you...

Toska

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook a word that expresses a very deep spiritual feeling and it made me stop instantly because I hadn't heard that word since I was about 14 or 15. Of course, as most of my posts point out, I was with my grandparents. I can actually remember the discussion I had with my grandfather about this particular word.

My grandfather (who was Greek) and I were tromping through the woods behind their house. They were VERY deep woods, but we were heading towards the powerline cut because both sides of the cut were completely covered with berry bushes, and it was time to go pick several bushels (I'll discuss that in another post) so we could make pies.

As we walked, he looked at me and said "you look troubled, what are you feeling?" I explained that "I just didn't sleep well last night. I don't know why. My mind just wouldn't stop. And now, I feel sad." He was quiet for a while and we journeyed farther into the woods. He was quiet, and didn't ask me any more questions. He knew that my mind was still whirling trying to figure it all out. It was processing what I was "feeling" and "what caused it," but it was getting nowhere. I was pretty much left alone to process the spiritual side of myself, and my grandfather was the kind of man that just let it step forward on it's own path. He was there for guidance, and teaching. But, when the emotions where on the overwhelming side, he could tell. And he could put it all into a perspective that I could embrace.

As the morning wore on, and I picked a seemingly ENDLESS amount of berries, the sun warmed my back. And I absorbed the energy of the heat. It warmed me from the inside and restored the stability that my spirit needed. Each handful of berries that I put into my basket reassured me that "by tonight, this will be delicious." So, my spirit was lifted.

I looked down the path to my grandfather, and asked him "why did I feel sad even if nothing happened?" He said, "There is only one word that explains it... toska." He explained it to me as "a feeling of sadness and pain, way down on the inside...but you don't know what has made you feel this way...your brain and your soul are just having a conversation about something that you feel and something you don't realize you know. It will pass when you find the positive moment of your path."

I have to admit, that at my age, that didn't make a lot of sense to me. But, it kinda did. By the time the journey into the woods ended, I was stabilized, and we had nearly 3 bushels of berries.

All these years later, when I read toska on that Facebook posting, it brought back that memory with my grandfather, but also made me look it up. Just to "define" it a little better. It is best explained by Vladimir Nabokov in the following quote:

"Toska - noun /ˈtō-skə/ - Russian word roughly translated as sadness, melancholia, lugubriousness.
"No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning. In particular cases it may be the desire for somebody of something specific, nostalgia, love-sickness. At the lowest level it grades into ennui, boredom."

 And...I'll just leave it at that...

Winter Driving Preparedness & Safety

I was doing some research for a post about driving in the winter & general recommendations for vehicle preparedness to accompany my Night Driving and Headlights When Driving posts. I came across all of the info I was drafting on Wunderground.com. Rather than re-write it, I've linked directly to it and just copied & pasted the content here.

Winter weather driving can be a challenge for even the most experienced drivers. Use these tips to help you drive safely during the winter season.

Car Maintenance

Make sure to prepare your vehicle before the winter season begins. The following handy steps will help you ensure that your vehicle is safe to drive during winter weather.

1. Check your brakes and tires.

1. Check for wear and fluid levels of brakes.
2. Make sure the tires have adequate tread - minimum tread is 1/16" for adequate traction. All-weather radials are usually adequate for most winter conditions. However, some jurisdictions require that to drive on their roads, vehicles must be equipped with chains or snow tires with studs.
2. Check that your battery and ignition system is in top condition, and that battery terminals are clean.
3. Check radiator coolant and sturdiness of hoses and belts.
4. Check your anti-freeze and thermostat. Ensure that they are sufficient to avoid freezing.
5. Check your windshield wipers and de-icing washer fluid. Keep spare window washer fluid in the trunk and make sure the washer blades are in good working condition.
6. Check your headlights, tail and brake lights, blinkers and emergency flasher.
7. Check your exhaust system, heater and defroster.
1. Check for leaks and crimped pipes and repair or replace as necessary. Carbon monoxide is deadly and usually gives no warning.
2. Ensure that your heater and defroster work properly.
8. Check fuel and air filters. Replace and keep water out of the system by using additives and maintaining a full tank of gas.
9. Check your oil. Refer to the vehicle's manual to see if a lighter grade oil is recommended for winter driving. Heavier oils tend to congeal at low temperatures and do not lubricate as well.
10. Properly lubricate door locks that may be prone to freezing.

Driving Safety

1. Before beginning your trip, check the current road conditions and weather forecast. For statewide highway information 24 hours a day checkout your state's Department of Transportation. For the best weather information all day everyday, check out wunderground.com
2. Keep your car's windows, mirrors and lights clear of snow and ice.
3. Always wear your seat belt.
4. Leave a few minutes early.
5. Start out slowly in the lowest gear recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer.
6. When accelerating on snow or ice, take it slow to avoid slipping and sliding.
7. Be aware of sleet and freezing rain.
8. Be aware of potentially icy areas, such as shady spots and bridges.
9. Brake early, brake slowly, brake correctly, and never slam on the brakes.
1. If you have anti-lock brakes, press the pedal down firmly and hold it.
2. If you don't have anti-lock brakes, gently pump the pedal.
3. Either way, give yourself plenty of room to stop.
10. Keep a safe distance of at least five seconds behind other vehicles and trucks that are plowing the road.
11. When driving on ice and snow, do not use cruise control and avoid abrupt steering maneuvers. When merging into traffic, take it slow. Sudden movements can cause your vehicle to slide.
12. Don't pass a snowplow or spreader unless it is absolutely necessary. Treat these as you would emergency response vehicles.
13. Keep an emergency winter driving kit in your car.
14. Maintain at least a half tank of gas during the winter season. This is good for emergency preparedness and it keeps the fuel line from freezing.
15. Most importantly, drive smart!

Headlights When Driving

I live south of Cleveland, Ohio and since we are in the winter season, there is a lot of snow and ice. My point is related to the entry about Night Driving and lights, in particular; headlights. Why don't people turn their lights on when they should? Just because you can see everyone else while you are driving, doesn't mean that we can see YOU if your lights are off. Especially if it is raining, snowing or is at dusk and you are in a white/silver/grey (2011 Color Popularity Report) vehicle coming up behind us, passing us, or coming the other way.


Most vehicles now come with Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) which makes you more visible to others. I actually keep my low beam headlights on ALL the time. I want to be as visible as possible to everyone. Regardless of the time of day, weather, conditions, etc. Part of that comes from learning to drive from my grandfather & he told me I should always do it, but also from getting the motorcycle endorsement on my license and learning why motorcycles are required by law in nearly all states. VISIBILITY

Sunset

Speaking of "laws," I did some research on my state laws on headlights, and the Ohio Code 4513.03 (summarized HERE and detailed HERE) clearly says that headlights must be on from sunset to sunrise & any time that windshield wipers are being used due to precipitation on the windshield. How many people are driving home from work or the mall, just before dinner, but don't have their lights on? Remember, in winter the daytime light is the shortest.

According to the law today (1/2/12) and Wunderground.com, I must have my headlights on from 5:09 PM until 7:53 AM. How many people do you pass that are on their way to work or home from work, that don't have their lights on? And what about how bad the weather is? A white vehicle, in the morning/evening during a snow storm is severely dangerous to encounter.

Please folks, look up your state laws, learn them, know them, and think about everyone else out there on the road...driving is now defensive not offensive... Safe driving.