Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/245179
Bad Habit 2: TAiLgATing # It's no secret that aggressive driving is a problem on Alberta roads. Media stories about road rage seem to crop up almost monthly in the media. In a landmark case last summer, for instance, the RCMP seized the vehicle of an Edmonton driver who had allegedly been in nine road-rage incidents within a few years – the first time such an extreme enforcement measure was ever taken. Tailgating is a common precursor to other aggressive road behaviours. It's also the driver error that contributes to the most crashes in Alberta: 28.3 per cent of all 2012 collisions in the province involved drivers "following too closely." Tips for Dealing with Tailgaters • tay calm and focus on your own driving. S • ommunicate your intentions clearly by C signalling early. • old steady at the speed limit, and don't H give in to pressure to speed or drive unsafely. • olitely ignore rude or aggressive gestures P from the other driver. Switch your rear-view mirror into the nighttime position if someone is flashing high beams from behind. • ote the other driver's licence plate number, N if he or she is driving dangerously, and report it to the police. Don't confront the individual yourself. • on't be a part of the problem. If you're drivD ing more slowly than other traffic on a fourlane road, move to the right lane and allow faster traffic to pass. Or pull over, if you can do so safely, so that the aggressive driver can pass. Getting into an adversarial situation isn't worth it. Source: Forensic Dynamics Don't Be a Tailgater • eave yourself enough time to get where L you're going. • aintain a safe following distance. In normal, M dry conditions, that's two to three seconds; in poor weather, it will be more – always drive according to conditions. • emember: riding someone's bumper won't R get you there faster. But it will create frustration on the road and increase your chances of a collision. And if that happens, you'll be really late. S p r i n g 2 0 14 | W e s t W o r l d a l b e r ta 45 p40-50_WorstDriving.indd 45 14-01-10 3:46 PM