RECCE ROOM

Directionals - aka "blinkers" here in the south - are occasionally used incorrectly. Since the sole function is to indicate to other drivers which direction the driver desires to go, how can they be used incorrectly, you ask? Easy, when they are made to indicate a direction the driver does not really wish to go. I'm not talking here about the little old lady who is cruising down the road with her blinker on because she simply forgot. Nope, there are some people that intentionally activate the device and have no desire to go in the direction indicated! I've seen this phenomenon only in the western segment of Tennessee. It is infuriating. Here is the scenario: Traffic is momentarily stopped, as a driver plans to turn left once oncoming traffic clears. Driver of car #2 does not wish to turn, but puts on the left side directional. Presumably, this is done to tell the following cars what is going to happen - though I'm not sure, since I've never gotten anyb...

In my professional career, I've driven over 1,000,000 miles in my business travels. During that time, the only incident was being rear-ended whilst stopped at a red light. My employer pays me, in part, to travel. I am a professional driver. Here is the first of a few hints, based on logic, rules of the road, and courtesy: Situation: In a parking lot, when you are driving down an aisle, and you see a car backing out. Alternately, on a road, where cars are parked at a diagonal angle along the side. What I've seen people do: - Accelerate. - Try to ram the vehicle backing out. - Ignore the vehicle backing out. - Honk the horn at the car backing out. - Come to a stop and allow them to back out. The correct answer: The law, in most places, states that the vehicle backing out must yield to the vehicle that is traveling forward. However, it is often difficult for the person who is backing the vehicle out to actually see the traffic - particularly when that person is dri...