Driving in the Real World® Blog
Welcome to the Driving in the Real World blog, where I share my thoughts on street driving and related road safety issues, and occasionally the reflections of others. Come linger for a while, and then join in the fun by posting a comment.
Call for Contributions: What Are You Doing to Keep Business Going If You’re a Driving Instructor?
As we all know, never in our lifetimes has so much changed so breathtakingly quickly as in the past month with the global coronavirus pandemic. If you're a driving instructor, I want to hear from you. With in-car training and driving testing/examinations suspended for...
What Coronavirus Means for Road Safety—Plus, How to Best Clean Your Car
As the coronavirus pandemic tests our social fabric and discipline, its far-reaching effects on road safety are sobering, surprising, and—believe it or not—not entirely negative. Plus, learn how to clean your car properly.
Guest Profile: Nate Wagner of This App Saves Lives (TASL)
At DITRW, we get many solicitation requests every month for products and services related to driving safety, and very rarely do they make the cut since they're often not very effective. However, when Nate Wagner contacted me about his product late last year, This App...
E Is for Embolden but Also Encourage
Have you ever found yourself driving on the highway, and you’re going along at a pretty good clip? Maybe you’re not quite staying south of the posted speed limit, but you’re not being reckless, either. And then all of sudden, someone blows by you on your left, enough...
Why Distracted Driving Campaigns Often Don’t Work
Over the past decade, I've noticed that many distracted driving media campaigns boil things down to absolutes. "War on distracting driving!" "Put down that phone." "Distracted driving kills ___ people a year and injures ___ others." "Stay alive—don't text and drive!"...
7 Things That Seem Like a Good Idea
Have you ever been sitting in traffic and an idea suddenly occurs to you, and you think, "Gee, why didn't I think of that before?" Of course you have—we all share the experience of that little a-ha moment, because that's what sitting in traffic does to you. Except...
Seeking Your Help for Future Posts—Emergencies, Ambulances, Injuries, Autism & ADHD
In recent weeks, I've been getting reorganized to resume doing more writing and posting on this blog, in Roundel, and other places. There are three subjects I've been interested in pursuing for a long time, but I need your help. 1. How to Drive Safely Around Emergency...
A September Update
Hello again! I hope you have all had a lovely summer. It has been a while, and I had not intended for this much time to have passed since my last blog post. The craziness of travel and work this spring just blurred right into the solstice months, and now it is nearly...
Seeking Your Input: Thoughts on Driver-Assistance Technology
In the very near future, I'll be writing a major article in Roundel magazine (the national publication of the BMW Car Club of America [CCA]) that covers the advanced driver-assistance systems of the new BMWs. These systems (called ADAS) include gee-whiz features like...
Helping You Be Seen, Safely: Introducing the SafetySock®
Have you ever found yourself in a broken-down vehicle by the side of the road, waiting helplessly as traffic zips past you at speeds fast enough to make your car—and you—shudder? Or as a driver, were you startled by the presence of a hard-to-see disabled vehicle...
Guest Profile: Candace Lightner, Founder of MADD and We Save Lives
Since I started my work in traffic safety advocacy nearly a decade ago, I've met many people whose passion, commitment, and vision go above and beyond what most of us could imagine. But then again, the loss of a child from a car crash has a way of motivating in a way...
Compassion in the New Year
Happy New Year! On the last day of 2018, I listened to an episode of Hidden Brain, a podcast hosted by Shankar Vedantam. Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain explores how our unconscious minds influence our behavior and biases, and it is one of my favorite...
On the Other Side of the Wheel: Working as a Rideshare Driver
Happy Holidays! With the holiday season fully upon us, you may be doing your fair share of shopping, partying, and imbibing. And in the process, especially with the last activity, you are hopefully hiring others to do the driving by summoning rideshare companies such...
Turning Back Time: A Strike Against Pedestrians—Literally
As we get ready to turn our clocks back an hour on November 4 here in the US, it's worth remembering that this extra hour of darkness during the busiest times for traffic makes things extremely dangerous for everyone. Vehicle lighting expert Daniel Stern explains...
Part 2: Lighting the Way with Daniel Stern
Last week we ran Part 1 of my interview with Daniel Stern, a vehicle lighting expert. This week, Daniel discusses when not to use your front fog lamps, what rear fog lamps are, whether you need to dip your high beams at night, and what can be done about those "phantom...
Part 1: Lighting the Way with Guest Daniel Stern
Ever wonder about those cool LEDs and other lighting systems appearing on every new vehicle now? Or have questions about glare, aim, high beams, fog lights, and upcoming headlight technology? This week and next, I'm pleased to feature a true vehicle lighting...
Guest Profile: Doug Dahl, the Traffic Safety Nerd
This week I am so pleased to debut the first in a series of posts about different folks in the traffic safety world! Doug Dahl is a Target Zero Manager for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and a self-confessed traffic safety nerd. He authors a weekly traffic...
The Courage to Intervene
Recently I attended a traffic safety conference put on by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission in eastern Washington. As an attendee of the national Lifesavers Highway Safety Conference for the past several years and an outsider (I'm not a researcher, instructor,...
A Remembrance
At the end of this past March, my father, Dewey Lipe, transitioned in his sleep after a tremendous 14-year journey with Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson's. Normally, my blog posts here are about driving technique and traffic safety culture, but I wanted to take this...
Limit Point Analysis—Or, Driving to Stop Safely within the Distance You Can See to Be Clear
About four years ago, I had the pleasure of taking advanced street driving training from Advanced Drivers of North America (ADNA). Until then, I had never heard of one of the mantras of UK driver training, which is "Always drive so you can stop safely within the...
Why We Must Drive Better—To Compensate for Others
As a columnist on street driving for a national car magazine, I get a lot of responses from readers. Many are positive and appreciate being better empowered with quality information on driving technique and situational awareness. Others, however, declare that that's...
Driving Tips Ebook Now Available! The Sound of No Car Crashing
At long last, my first-ever ebook on driving tips is now available—The Sound of No Car Crashing: A Guide to Protective Driving! Just visit www.DrivingintheRealWorld.com and follow the opt-in instructions to download. Its premise is simple: Make a pledge to drive...
Reading the Road Like a Book
Most of you know that I have a long wish list for improving American driver education and driver behavior. But whether you’re a novice or an experienced driver, something that we all could have used more when we did our driver training is what I call road literacy....
Fun in the Snow—and the Value of Winter Tires
Where I live is an amazing place. Sure, here in Seattle, it rains a lot. In December and January, it's easier to count the few days (or hours) when the sun shines than tally up the ones where no moisture falls from the sky. But an hour's drive east transports you from...
A Pledge To Protect in 2018
A warm Happy New Year to you, wherever you hail from! So much has been said, hashed, and rehashed in regard to the year that has just passed us by and the one coming up—words that span all shades of darkness, despair, desire, and hope. Not much more can be declared,...
Welcome to the New Driving in the Real World!
Something bright and shiny is on an Internet near you—and you're on it! Welcome to my new Driving in the Real World® website (www.drivingintherealworld.com). I originally started DITRW® on Christmas Day in 2010 as a blog, a way to organize my thoughts for a book I...
Distracted Driving & Technology: It’s Not What You Think It Is—It’s Much Worse
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard that distracted driving is dangerous. Perhaps you’ve seen electronic signboard messages warning against it on our highways or heard it covered in the media. Perhaps you even do it yourself behind the wheel—talk on...
What’s the Big Deal with Self-Driving Cars, Anyway?
These days, you can’t go a week without hearing something in the news media about self-driving cars and autonomous driving. So what is it all about, and what could it mean for you? You might be surprised to hear that this has been around longer than you might suspect....
Distracted Driving in Washington State in 2017: A Case Study and Why You May Be Already Paying for It
It’s the beginning of March, and Washington State’s 2017 legislative session is almost halfway through. In another month or so, the ultimate fate of several proposed distracted driving bills will be known. We’ve all heard that we shouldn’t drive while using our cell...
Part 2: Anatomy of a Drug Stop with the WSP
A few weeks later, I returned to the Washington State Patrol Training Academy for a very different kind of scenario—the drug stop. This script and setup were elaborate, intending to show cadets both how a drug-sniffing dog works and the legal complexities of such a...
Part 1: How I Got Seven DUIs in Two Nights
It started out harmlessly enough. Flashing lights behind me, a pullover to the side of the road. They can’t prove me drunk, I thought. This will be easy. “Hello, ma’am, I’m Officer Bill C_______ with the Washington State Patrol. Just to let you know, everything here...
Driving Miss Nelly
Most of you know that I’m the proud owner of a 2009 E90 335i. But you probably don’t know that I just published a major cookbook. And I’m going on book tour to promote it—for about 22 weeks, all around the country, covering around 50,000 miles—every year for the next...
Roadside Survival: Do You Really Have What You Need?
In the course of a single year, I drive about 30,000 miles all over America. In Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, where Ford F150s, Chevy Impalas, and Pontiac Grand Ams rule the roads, my 2009 BMW 335i and I are often hundreds of miles from the nearest BMW dealer—or...
Texting and Driving Has Changed the Way We Travel
This month's blog post comes to us from David Azizi, a personal injury lawyer in California. Here he talks about the many consequences of using a wireless device while driving. ___________ It’s common knowledge that we live in a technology-centered world. We’re...
Has Your Driving Mentality Changed?
This month's blog post comes to us from the talented and prolific Scott Marshall, who is director of training for Young Drivers of Canada and founder of The Safe Driver blog. We are honored to have him share his thoughts on the pitfalls of driver mentality changing...
How Being a Better Driver Makes You Better at Life
If you’re a driving instructor or work in the traffic safety industry, no doubt you’ve run up against the specter of Grand Apathy. Just how on earth do you motivate people to be actually interested in driving safely? Keep improving at it? It’s one thing to teach...
It’s Not Just Alcohol Anymore: More Teens Are Driving Drugged
This post was co-written with Candace Lightner, President of We Save Lives.org and founder of MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. Every time you get on the road, chances are good that you’re seeing drivers of all ages under the influence. Not necessarily on alcohol,...
25 Ways to a Dream Drivers Education Program
For the past several years I’ve been fantasizing. Big-time. No, not about whatever lewd thing may have just popped into your head, but about driver’s ed. Driver’s ed, you say? Bear with me—what if you could design a dream driver’s education program if time and money...
Why Are So Many People Running Red Lights?
With tax preparation time here in the States, it’s apparent that certain things in life are unavoidable. Taxes and death surely top the list. A polarized Congress is also a reality. But something else far more insidious is literally invading America’s streets—close...
Anatomy of a Collision
When one drives nearly 40,000 miles a year, it is often only a matter of time before the inevitable happens—an incident involving an unlicensed driver, bent metal, second-guessing, and a tricky car insurance situation. In late January I was in my hometown of San...
23 Winter Driving Tips They Don’t Tell You About: Part 3
This is the third and final part of a 3-part series on winter driving tips that are often not mentioned or discussed in enough depth. 17. Clear snow and ice off your vehicle before you start driving. Most winter driving tips include this one. But it is mind-boggling...
23 Winter Driving Tips They Don’t Tell You About: Part 2
This is the second part of a 3-part series on winter driving tips that are often not mentioned or discussed in enough depth. 9. In an emergency, minimize the time spent out of your vehicle. One of the biggest tragedies is people getting injured, killed, disoriented,...
23 Winter Driving Tips They Don’t Tell You About: Part 1
Like most Americans, I travel every Thanksgiving to see my family, but I do something crazy—I drive 4,000 miles from Seattle to Wisconsin and back—alone. This year was no exception. But on my return trip west in the first week of December, a major winter storm swept...
The Role of Driving in the Real World
Recently I’ve been getting asked a lot why I started Driving in the Real World and if there was any singular incident (like an accident or loss) that made me want to change the way people drive. Although I have known a couple of people who were killed in auto...
New Year’s Resolution: Drive Smarter
For many people, the beginning of a year often means a chance to start anew, to improve a longstanding issue of some sort. Getting in shape and shedding extra pounds are the most common resolutions, but some people decide they need to save more money, quit smoking,...
Rage Unleashed
The flowers placed by the Ramp Metered Ahead When Flashing sign near the onramp still haven’t wilted yet. Day after day, their silk petals flutter in the rain, wind, and sun, as out of place as a kitten on an ice skating rink. Every time I see them, I inhale deeply...
What Makes a Good and Bad Driver
In preparing for a discussion group recently on the subject, I've been thinking about what makes a good or lousy driver. This is a topic ripe for spirited debate, and it turns out there is as much controversy about what constitutes good driving as there are factors...
Car Care: Not Just for Guys Anymore
Do you ever wish you knew when you need new tires? Do you know how to check which fluids go in which reservoirs under the hood? Could you change your own tire in an emergency? We women annually drive more miles in passenger vehicles than men, not only because we're...
Singing on the Ice
These winter days can be extremely treacherous ones on the road, what with sleet, black ice, freezing rain, drifting snow, whiteouts, or any combination thereof blanketing the pavement. Starting in late fall every year, reminders pop up on the radio and news for...
Banning of Texting
Last week, US news headlines were all atwitter after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended a nationwide ban on the use of all portable electronic devices while driving—including handsfree cell phones. This announcement was sparked by the NTSB’s...
Restarting the Engines
This past summer and fall turned out to be seasons of tremendous overextension for me, both personally and professionally. After May, intentions to write regularly on this blog sadly fell by the wayside like hundreds of soggy, windblown leaves on a stormy day. I...
Save Gas and Prevent Traffic Jams: Don’t Brake
These days when gasoline is averaging four dollars a gallon, talk is turning once again to more fuel-efficient vehicles. It takes drastic spikes in oil prices to make us even consider hybrids and electric alternatives, and in our SUV-saturated road culture, our...
Lane Hygiene, Part 2: In the City
Few types of motoring test one’s patience and nerves as driving in a city. If it just weren’t for those damn pedestrians and other cars, city driving would be a whole lot more fun. Cities can be downright petrifying, because there is just so much more of everything to...
Lane Hygiene, Part 1: On the Highway
One problem I see constantly on the road are drivers not knowing how to smoothly and safely navigate their lanes. This is such a ubiquitous issue, one that involves safety, timing, traffic flow, road rage, constant near-misses, and accidents, that it warrants...
Taking the Long Way: Cross-Country Driving
Several times a year I travel to the Midwest to visit family, and instead of booking a flight, I pack up the car and hit the road, all 3,800 miles from Seattle to Minnesota and back again. By myself. People always look at me like I’m crazy when they hear I am driving...
Getting Involved: Audi UIA and SHRP2 Driving Studies
Big changes are on the horizon for car technology and drivers. So big, in fact, that a sea change is coming in how drivers and their vehicles will adapt to real-time traffic congestion and rapidly changing conditions in ways that are scarcely imaginable today. (More...
10 Ways To Improve Your Driving Immediately
Don't try what's depicted in the photo above while on the move, like I've seen some people do. Scary. This week, I am in the middle of both packing for an impending move and getting ready for a long road trip to the frozen Midwest. So this post will be short and...
12 Random Thoughts about Driving
In no particular order, here are some random thoughts about cars, driving, and life on the road in general. 1. In 2010, 50 officers were killed in traffic collisions, including 16 killed by a vehicle while they were outside of their vehicle, and many more injured....
For the Sheer Fun of It
Lest you think that this blog is all about what-you-should-and should-not-do finger-wagging, let’s remember that driving and cars can be FUN as hell. As I related in my first post here, I have always simply adored the sensation of being in motion, particularly from...
New Reflections on Old World Roads
A typical street in Lille. No Navigators or Escalades allowed. I just returned from an 11-day business trip to France, where I was able to get a glimpse of what roads, cars, driving, and transportation are like in a couple of European capitals. There is nothing like...
Being Aware
The cornerstone of all good driving is situational awareness, or SA. It is what can make the difference when an oncoming car suddenly swerves into your lane and you react safely to avoid it in a split second, or panic blindly and plow into someone else. If you don’t...
Setting Out
Today marks a time that I have been imagining for nearly a decade now, when I first began thinking about writing a book about driving techniques that are truly practical in the real world. The idea began, innocently enough, with questions. Why are people turning left...
Sign Up for My FREE Driving Ebook
I am pleased to announce that my eagerly anticipated ebook, The Sound of No Car Crashing: A Guide to Protective Driving, is now available. Its premise is simple: Let’s make a pledge to drive protectively, not defensively. “Defensive” suggests danger and competition, when the goal should be to drive for the protection of yourself and others.
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