Driving Tips & Reminders

Driving Tips & Reminders

It seems that some people don’t actually know HOW to drive properly before they get their license and start making a mess of the road. So for people who drive (or plan on it) here’s some way too mistakes that I see way too often, and also some tips as well.

if you’re at a light, and it’s red, but there is no sign that says ‘no turn on red’ and you are turning right, YOU CAN TURN. as long as you yield to all other oncoming traffic, you can turn right at a red light, unless there’s a sign saying you can’t (or some other reason like police / construction). but I am sick of being stuck behind people at red lights that intend to turn right but don’t?? if there isn’t a sign that says you can’t… TURN.

if you’re at an intersection and wanting to turn in either direction, and there’s a green light (green light, not arrow), you can still pull up to the middle of the intersection and turn when you have an opening. this is not illegal, as the other side can’t go yet since they have a red light, and if you aren’t able to turn when your light turns yellow or red, the opposing traffic will have to wait until you do make your turn before they can go (but there’s like a 1-2 lapse between your light turning red and the other traffic’s turning green, so you have a window before then anyway, unless some idiot is trying to rush the red light on from the side you’re facing).

unless you are passing someone or planning on making a left turn, STAY OUT OF THE FAST / PASSING LANE (aka the left lane). this is specifically the lane for people who are passing cars in the right lane, and for people making left turns or getting in the next lane if there’s more than 2 lanes. if I have to go into the SLOW LANE (the right lane which is where regular non-passing traffic goes) to get around you, and you’re not PASSING anyone, that is ridiculous and annoying. (and illegal.)

maintain a reasonable distance from the car in front of you. 1 car length for every 10 mph you’re going, on DRY roads / clear weather. Double that for larger or hazardous vehicles (buses, construction vehicles, tractor trailers, tow trucks, etc), and for rain / wet roads; triple it for moderate to heavy snowfall. I cannot tell you how many people love to kiss my ass, and not in the fun way. this is called tailing, and is not only ILLEGAL, but very fucking dangerous. also it’s incredibly rude.

also maintain a reasonable distance when stopping behind vehicles. if I can’t see your lights (whether they’re on or not) in my rearview mirror, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE. my driving instructor suggested to line up the bottom of the other car’s tires (the one in front of you, where their tires meet the pavement) with the bottom of your windshield or hood. this is about 6-8 feet or so (I haven’t measured) and a good distance– if you’re on flat terrain. if you’re uphill or downhill, increase it.

don’t ride your brakes going downhill. this wears them out much quicker then pumping the brakes (putting your foot on the brake then taking it off, repeat). riding the brakes means you constantly have your foot down on the brake while you’re going downhill at a relatively high speed.

It’s called a STOP SIGN for a reason, folks. not a yield sign, not a ‘only stop if I see someone else isn’t coming’ sign, not a ‘rush through it to get in front of oncoming traffic’ sign. It means STOP. Full complete stop, where you can hear the brakes and feel the car jerk slightly, and you are no longer in motion. I don’t care if it’s 3 am and there’s literally no one else in sight– you fucking stop at a stop sign.

Only use your high beams outside of large residential or populated areas where there aren’t many or any street lights, and don’t use them if you can see another vehicle fairly close in front of you. If there is another car coming in the other lane, turn them off until they pass. High beams make it extremely difficult to see the road when they’re blinding you in the face (and they also reflect in rear view mirrors and distract drivers in front of you), so don’t use them unless you need to and there’s no one else around (except if only cars are behind you.)

USE YOUR GODDAMN TURN SIGNALS. THEY EXIST FOR A REASON. Just like stop signs, these aren’t negotiable. If you are making a turn, changing lanes, pulling out, whatever– use your turn signal to indicate you want to move in any direction besides FORWARD.

Check your blind spots before you change lanes or pull out. Your blind spots are the areas where none of your mirrors (the rear view mirror and your two side mirrors) show, so you have to look through the secondary smaller windows (which I’m pretty sure most if not all cars have?) And don’t tint those – it will make it a bitch to see, and believe me, you NEED to see out of them, or you will end up hitting someone / someone hitting you.

Flash your lights when you want to indicate to someone they can pull in front of you, turn, etc– basically use them to give your right of way to someone else. You can do so by pulling your left turn signal forward (towards you)– it briefly turns your high beams on for as long as it’s held. Just pull it twice in quick succession and people should get the hint.

If you’re coming to a stop, and there is an entrance / exit, a driveway or another road on your side, DON’T BLOCK IT. stop before it, if there isn’t enough room to fit your car behind the one in front of you without getting your back end in the way. You never know who might want to pull into or out of this road, and you’ll be holding up traffic if someone has to wait in the other lane to turn and everyone else has to wait behind them because you didn’t leave an opening and could have.

Give people 5-10 seconds after a light turns green before you actually beep at them to move. Some people don’t have as quick reaction time, some are distracted (which is unsafe but, at least they’re not moving), and some just lose track of time and don’t see it. I appreciate polite reminders that ‘hey, the light’s green, let’s go’ when I’m actually there longer than I should be. But if it’s literally been 3 seconds after the light turns and someone beeps at me? That’s just being impatient and rude.

Drive defensively, NOT aggressively. The road belongs to the state / government, not to you, so don’t treat it like it does. Be courteous, let people through if you can, and COMMUNICATE.

I VERY HIGHLY suggest going through Driver’s Ed and getting a driving instructor. It is well worth your money and time, and you WILL be a better driver for it, whether you’ve never driven in your life, or you’ve been driving for decades. Whatever you think you know about driving, believe me– it will teach you something you didn’t know. Also anyone who goes through Driver’s Ed gets a certificate proving such, and pretty much all car insurances offer a discount to people who have completed the courses.

Driving in Snow/Ice

Rather than whining that people can’t drive in snow because it took me 3 and a half hours to get home (it snowed), let me teach you a thing about driving in snow and ice.

The lower your gear, the more you’re going to skid. Lower gears mean that the wheels spin more. You need to get into third as soon as possible, even if you’re not really going anywhere. Try to pull away in second gear, even if you’re going up a hill.

If you’re skidding, try steering from side to side to give the tyres new ground to catch.

When you meet a hill, wait for it to be clear before you attempt it - it’s important that you don’t stop partway up the hill, or you won’t be able to get going again.

When going downhill, use a low gear and avoid braking. Braking will just lock up your steering if you start to skid. If you have to brake, do so gently and slowly.

If you take one thing away from this:

DON’T STOP.

If you start to skid, it’s natural to want to hit the brakes, but you might not be able to get going again. Try to steer into the skid - slow down (by taking your foot off the accelerator) and do not brake or stop.

20 Self Love Tips

Accept yourself: Be comfortable in your own skin. Rule #1!

Flip it: Take every flaw; every rejection; and every negative encounter as an opportunity to grow! Use the negative energy and covert it into positivity. People act like they don’t care. So, you must care for yourself. Always!

Don’t give up: Remember all of your positive accomplishments. Celebrate them! Whether it’s weight loss, career goals, relationships, school, home, or work, always keep a positive mind!

Always keep fighting: Self Love isn’t easy. It is a constant battle with an unending war. The US Marines have a sang, “embrace the suck and move the fuck forward. Never surrender.”

Remain true to yourself: At the end of the day, you; your life; your personality is far more valuable than anything you wish to obtain.

Breathe: Always pause and take a moment. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and take a look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Understand: You will be judged, mocked, subverted, criticized and ridiculed for all that you do and say and even the way you look. Everyone has to deal with this. Sometimes you may want to incorporate some of these suggestions into your life. Always remember to hold your ideals tight to your heart. Your style is what makes you, you!

Applaud Yourself: It’s normal to feel discouraged when things don’t go right in life. Remember how far you came to get to this point in life! “The end of the road does not mean it’s the end of the journey.”

Talk to yourself: I bet sometime in your life, you looked in the mirror and degraded yourself using negative self talk. Try using positive self talk! Tell yourself your weaknesses and strengths, pros and cons. Remain confident and tell yourself how you will conquer your weaknesses in the next 10 years. Remind yourself that you have come a long way and you deserve to be happy, and most importantly, love yourself! That 10 years will subconsciously become 1 year. Try it!

Treat yourself: Even on a tight budget or on a weight loss journey, it’s always good to destress and celebrate your accomplishments! Buy an expensive cup coffee; or a new outfit; perfume; shoes; try on hair style; dye your hair; get that tatoo you always wanted; or simply travel and explore. Pick a direction and drive for 1-3 hours before turning around. Sometimes we don’t want to try new things because we fear change. That is human nature; fear of the unknown. You must cast away your fears to find you!

Trash the Toxic: Remove yourself from toxic people and relationships. This includes friends, associates, mutuals, family members, lovers, ex-lovers, spouses, and ex-spouses. SIGNS: If ANYONE closest to you are: 1) constantly nagging you, 2) constantly, more often than normal, complaining about their own misfortunes in life and refusing, ignoring a positive approach, 3) making fun of you, 4) putting you down in any way, 5) degrading or subvert your feelings, 6) rejecting you, blocking you, ignoring you for no reason purely based on your likes, age, sex, gender, socio economic status, race, ethnicity, demographics, assumptions, personal preferences, personality, etc.; or making you feel insecure about yourself in ANY way, they are TOXIC! Be sure to cut them off immediately! You are your own source of happiness, love. You don’t need to explain your reason for leaving to anyone. Yes, I can be hard sometimes, especially if family is involved. But, the sheer freedom, knowing you overcame a huge obstacle in life and won, and the feeling and relief you will get is worth it. This is your happiness. Not thiers. Learn to let go. Just let it go. 🎵

Keep it positive: Always keep a positive mindset throughout your successes and downfalls. A better mind is a better you. Always take the negative energy others send to you and flip it! Make it positive because you rock!

Smile in the mirror: You Are Beautiful Just the Way You Are. Beauty is seen and embraced in many ways and forms. I guarantee you that someone sees you as attractive. Don’t let your anxiety fool you! Take the 20th high school reunion scenario, for example: Hidden, secret crushes are reported more often at this 1 event than any other. People feel the need to confide and open up at this time. Adults over age 38 can probably testify at their own experiences. Adults under age 38 should prepare themselves for this. You will either be the receiver or the confider. You are not ugly. Someone, some people, right now, think you are beautiful!

Don’t compare: There is only 1 you. There is only 1 of them. Everyone needs unique; everyone is special; everyone has their own Journey.

Speak up: Never be afraid to speak your mind, even if it is unpopular or an unpopular opinion. You should always stand up to what you feel is right, in the most respectable way possible!

Keep your eyes open: Always be on the look out for friends who secretly bring you down, constantly complain, suck the energy out of you, who think they are better than you, and want to see you fall & fail. You are not a joke. You are trying. Trying is NOT failing. It is bravery.

Eat right: It’s is a FACT that unhealthy food brings on negative emotions. To much sugar causes a rush of insulin. This rush affects hormones. This, in inturn, affects your mood.

The Circle of Love: Surround yourself with people who love you and encouraging you.

Silence the critic: we all have an internal voice that tells us that we are not up to par, below average. You must ignore this voice!

Never give up: you are the most valuable, precious thing on this planet. You are worth more than anything anyone can give or offer. You owe it to yourself to give and accept self love. There will be people who try to bring you down with their negativity, even yourself. You must not quit. You must not fall. You must not fail. Never give up. Keep grinding. No matter how hard it hurts. You got to keep moving forward. Heh? Always keep fighting negativity. You are worth it!

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SEVENTY fitted top / Jimmy choo flat, $505 / False eyelash, $8.24

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Rag bone pink sweater / WithChic white blouse, $31 / River Island loose tank top / Miss Selfridge super skinny jeans / Maroon pants / Pieces distressed skinny jeans, $22 / Chanel leather flat / Vans white shoes / Combat boots

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Adidas black lace up shoes / Alyx cuff bangle bracelet, $235