Right-of-Way Violations
Respecting the right-of-way of others is not limited to situations such as yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, or watching carefully to ensure the right-of-way of bicyclists and motorcyclists. Motorists must respect the right-of-way of others by not violating traffic laws, such as failing to stop at a stop sign or traffic light, speeding, making unsafe lane changes, or making illegal turns. Statistics show that right-of-way violations cause a high percentage of injury collisions in California.
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Preview Stress, Anger, Emotion, and Fatigue
Preview When YOU Are the Problem
No one has to tell you what it feels like when you are stressed out, angry, upset, or tired. You know the symptoms, but generally speaking, you are so wrapped up in them that you don’t realize your emotions may be affecting your driving. So even when in the midst of the most consuming temper tantrum, step back from your all-encompassing emotions and recognize you have a problem. Either fix the problem or don’t drive.
Preview How Do These Factors Affect Driving?
Drivers who display inappropriate emotions while driving, such as grief or worry, will not have their attention on the road and will drive erratically. Drivers who are tired - especially early in the morning - will nod off at the wheel, drift in and out of lanes, or drive slowly as their foot comes off the accelerator. If you notice that you are becoming tired, pull over in a well-lit, safe area and take a nap or trade off with another driver, if one is available.
Preview Crash Potential
Driving when angry, tired, upset, stressed out, and certainly when ill, will increase the odds of your being in a collision by a factor of 10. Now, that is something to worry about! In addition, your reaction time will be reduced. Drivers who are too sleepy to drive cause up to 5,000 or 6,000 fatal crashes each year. The NHTSA estimates that 2.5% of fatal crashes and 2% of injury crashes involve drowsy driving.