Davis-Moore Blog

March is Safety Sales Event month at Davis-Moore, which means that every week we’ll be highlighting a different vehicle safety tip. This week we’re going to focus on something taught when you FIRST learn to drive, but something that many of us let slip as we get a bit older and a bit more comfortable behind the wheel: Defensive Driving. The National Safety Council’s Defensive Driving Course states Defensive Driving as “driving to save lives, time, and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others.” Defensive Driving goes beyond the rules of the road and mastery of the mechanics of driving-it focuses on anticipating and avoiding dangerous situations. Here are a few tips to becoming a better Defensive Driver:

DO NOT do unto others.
There will unfortunately always be crazy people on the road, swerving in and out of lanes and cutting others off in their haste to get to their desired destination. Don’t play their game by trying to cut them off to get ahead of them, resort to blaring your horn, or hand gestures-these only make the situation worse, and even more dangerously, they distract you from the road! When you find yourself on the road with someone driving dangerously, step up your awareness of what is going on around you and stay out of the way. Give aggressive drivers plenty of room to get around you.

NEVER insist on your right of way if another driver is challenging you.
Just because you follow the rules of the road and there are laws to ensure that our roads are safe-not everyone abides by these rules as they should. Even if the right of way is yours by law, custom or common courtesy, always remember that the number one objective is to get to your destination safely. When someone plows ahead of you, make sure to keep your ego in check and yield anyway.

Overcome overconfidence behind the wheel.
How many of us have been known to say “I’m a great driver, it’s everyone else on the road that is dangerous!” We all think that we are good drivers, but make sure that if you make that kind of claim that you can back it up by your actions. Slow down, obey traffic laws and always wear your seat belt. If everyone on our roadways followed those easy tips and treated each other with courtesy, our streets would be much safer for everyone.

Be aware of your surroundings!
Distracted driving can be as blatant as texting or applying make-up, or can be as unintended as letting your mind wander on the five o’clock drive home. As a driver, you should always be scanning the road for the unexpected and keeping an eye on those around you. Watch out for pedestrians, and those on motorcycles and bikes that can easily be lost in your blind spot. You can’t afford to be distracted for a second!

Take a refresher course in driving.
The skills being taught to our children to be safe drivers are long forgotten by many of us who have been on the road for several years. Do you sometimes drive or turn using only one hand instead of two? Do you sometimes come to a “rolling stop” (which isn’t a stop at all and could merit a ticket if there is a police officer in the area), or maybe not fasten your seat belt for those short trips? All of these are driving basics, and no matter how comfortable you are driving, should ALWAYS be followed.

Be aware of yourself and your surroundings, and set a good example for others who may be passengers in your vehicle. Remember that the road is no place for ego-the objective, no matter what, is to arrive safely at your final destination. So relax, and enjoy the drive. Slow down-and remember to always buckle up!

What: Car Seat Check
Where: Davis-Moore Chevrolet - 8200 W. Kellogg
When: Saturday, March 20th
Time: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Each car seat check will take 20-30 minutes, so get there early and plan to be there for a bit. We will start the last checks around noon. Brett Harris from B-98 FM will be broadcasting live from the Chevy dealership at 9am on Saturday! GM is a proud partner of Safe Kids Buckle Up and the safety checks are done in conjunction with the Safe Kids Campaign through Via Christi.

Davis-Moore is celebrating it’s 10th Annual Safety Sales Event by giving away a NEW CAR!!! You may register to win the new car with each test drive during the month of March. Ten finalists will be drawn at the end of the month and the winner will be drawn from those finalists and announced April 3, 2010. And, if you buy a car during the month of March and end up winning the free one- we’ll write you a check for the value of the car we’re giving away!

*Note: Car to be given away will have value of $12,000 or less, plus tax, tag, title and license fees. Davis-Moore employees, affiliates and relatives of employees are not eligible to participate. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years or older, have a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance. Finalists must be present at April 3, 2010 drawing to be eligible to win. See dealer for complete details.

ELIMINATE BLIND SPOTS:
By Changing the Way You Set Your Side-View Mirrors:

Learning to set your vehicle’s side-view mirrors so you no longer have dangerous blind spots is one of the most important adjustments you can make to improve your driving safety.  Once your mirrors are set correctly, it will be much easier to safely change lanes and merge into traffic, because any vehicle coming up behind or beside you will be visible in at least one of your mirrors at all times.

The rearview mirror is easy to adjust:  Its purpose is to show what’s directly behind you.  But many people make a crucial error when they set their side-view mirrors – creating dangerous blind spots on both sides of their vehicle.

BLIND SPOTS
Some of us were taught to adjust our side mirrors by sitting behind the steering wheel and turning the mirrors so we can see the sides of our vehicle.  But this actually creates tunnel vision to the rear of the car, and overlaps much of what your rearview mirror already shows you.  It also creates blind spots on the left and right sides of your vehicle, momentarily preventing you from seeing a vehicle that’s attempting to pass.

THE CORRECT WAY
To eliminate blind spots, adjust your side mirrors as follows:

1. Sitting in the driver’s seat, lean over to the left until your head touches the driver’s side window.  Adjust the left side mirror outward until you can just barely see the very edge of your car – with your head still touching the glass of the driver’s side window.

2. Now, lean the same distance to your right, until your head is in the middle of the car.  Adjust the right mirror outward until you can see just the very edge of the car – with your head still in the middle of the car.

3. Sitting in your normal driving position, all three mirrors should work in harmony with each other. Your rearview mirror should show what’s behind you. The left mirror should show you what’s coming up on your left, and the right mirror should show you what’s coming up on your right. Before upcoming traffic leaves your rearview mirror entirely, it should be visible in one of your side mirrors - with no blind spot, no delays.

After you make the initial adjustments, you might still need to tweak them slightly. And driving (and backing up) with your mirrors set this way may take getting used to. Learn to rely on your rearview mirror first, and get used to what your side-view mirrors are reflecting. Once you get used to it, you should find it much easier and safer to change lanes, pass other vehicles and merge into fast moving traffic. By taking the time to adjust your mirrors correctly, you’ll be able to drive more confidently - because you will have eliminated dangerous blind spots.