Driving in Atlanta (safer, cars, best)

[cittic10]

Originally Posted by praguer56

- Driving and NEVER using a blinker - I lived overseas where not using your blinker can result in a hefty ticket if caught)))

There's a lot of transplants from Florida living here such as myself. There's no law requiring they be used down there. Or at least not when I lived there.

Originally Posted by praguer56

(((- Driving on beautifully clear nights with obnoxious fog lights - again, throughout Europe it's illegal to burn your fog lamps on clear nights. I can only think that people in the US think of fog lamps as fashion accessories.)))

Are you talking about fog lamps or hi-beams or those obnoxious blue-ish lights that are so popular nowadays? I don't see how fog lamps cause any kind of unsafe condition or disturbance to other motorists as long as they are properly aimed and not obnoxiously intense like the blue ones. Remember, most of the roads in metro atlanta, outside of Gwinnett County of course, are not lighted. There hilly terrain means you could have fog in some of the valleys that suddenly appears without warning.

Originally Posted by researchnerd

What's up with those people who use the 4-way flashing hazard lights when it's raining? I'd never seen that before I moved to Georgia.)))

Have you seen the kinds of downpours we get prior to moving to GA???
Driving with your headlamps on means that your tail lamps are only putting out 8 watts and that doesn't make your vehicle very easy to see when you can't see 10 feet in front of you. But the flashers emit 27 watts, more than 3 times that. I think most experts will agree, increasing visibility is the key to preventing many types of crashes. I use them when visibility becomes poor and I appreciate when others do the same.

Originally Posted by researchnerd

(((I'd also never seen people pull over and stop when a funeral procession is going past in the other direction. Is that just a Southern thing?

The one that really gets me is when you're driving down the road and and ambulance is on the OTHER SIDE of the road (it can be a divided road) and the car in front of you slams on brakes and completely comes to a stop even though the ambulance is on the other side of the road. I know, I know that's the law here. But it annoys me when people do that when it's wide open.

I do think it's high time we stop letting funeral processions run red lights though and have traffic halted in every direction so they can get where they're going. In this day and age, cemeteries have street addresses. People can get directions and show up at a set time, can't they? Where am I going wrong with this?

[RoslynHolcomb]

Personally I'm in favor of eliminating funeral processions altogether. I've never seen the point.

[billl]

Originally Posted by cittic10

The one that really gets me is when you're driving down the road and and ambulance is on the OTHER SIDE of the road (it can be a divided road) and the car in front of you slams on brakes and completely comes to a stop even though the ambulance is on the other side of the road.

I've seen people stop for school buses that are stopped on the other side of a divided highway. This is not required by law, and it is pointless and dangerous.

[cubssoxfan]

cittic10: Have you seen the kinds of downpours we get prior to moving to GA???
Driving with your headlamps on means that your tail lamps are only putting out 8 watts and that doesn't make your vehicle very easy to see when you can't see 10 feet in front of you. But the flashers emit 27 watts, more than 3 times that. I think most experts will agree, increasing visibility is the key to preventing many types of crashes. I use them when visibility becomes poor and I appreciate when others do the same.

I completely agree. It is about being SEEN so the other vehicle(s) do not hit you. I europe, cars have rear fog lights to help see a vehicle as you approach it in foggy, downpour conditions. We do not have that here so 4-ways are best alternative. I also use 4-ways when traffic is coming to an abrupt slow down or stop on a freeway. This is to get the attention of drivers behind me. I also use my 4-ways when I am slowing, stopping or pulling over for an emergency vehicle. With all the distracted drivers out there, anything I can do to safely give the other driver a "heads up", I will use.

[researchnerd]

Originally Posted by MattCW

That also irritates me to no end. If you don't think you're good enough to drive without a gigantic warning sign on your car, then please stay off the road. Not only could someone think they're coming up on a stopped vehicle and start jumping around lanes, but you also don't have any directional signaling with all your emergency flashers on.

If they can't see at all, then they just need to stop and let those of us who actually can see continue unimpeded. If they turned their lights on, then they're plenty visible enough without a flashing distraction. In the Georgia Driver's Manual on page 83, it specifically states to not drive with your flashers on (the section on fog)

Exactly. It's distracting enough to drive in a heavy downpour without adding the hazard lights, which can blind other drivers. It does help me to know which drivers to stay FAR away from, but I'd rather have as much visibility as possible instead.

Originally Posted by JPD

People do it in New England, too. It's meant as a sign of respect.

It's possible. I grew up in New England and never saw it there, so I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it here. I understand that it's intended as a sign of respect, but don't really get how stopping traffic = respect for the dead, nor why everyone on the road needs to "show respect" for someone who, let's face it, can't see that sign of respect.

Originally Posted by cittic10

Have you seen the kinds of downpours we get prior to moving to GA???

Yes. there are plenty of torrential downpours and other horrendous driving conditions in New England. You haven't lived until you've driven a 1962 Valiant through a nor'easter in the Berkshires.

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

I also use 4-ways when traffic is coming to an abrupt slow down or stop on a freeway. This is to get the attention of drivers behind me. I also use my 4-ways when I am slowing, stopping or pulling over for an emergency vehicle. With all the distracted drivers out there, anything I can do to safely give the other driver a "heads up", I will use.

Using hazard lights in these situations adds to the distraction. It's not illegal in Georgia (as it is in many other states), but when you use them, other drivers can't see your brake lights or your directionals.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by researchnerd

Exactly. It's distracting enough to drive in a heavy downpour without adding the hazard lights, which can blind other drivers. It does help me to know which drivers to stay FAR away from, but I'd rather have as much visibility as possible instead.



It's possible. I grew up in New England and never saw it there, so I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it here. I understand that it's intended as a sign of respect, but don't really get how stopping traffic = respect for the dead, nor why everyone on the road needs to "show respect" for someone who, let's face it, can't see that sign of respect.



Yes. there are plenty of torrential downpours and other horrendous driving conditions in New England. You haven't lived until you've driven a 1962 Valiant through a nor'easter in the Berkshires.



Using hazard lights in these situations adds to the distraction. It's not illegal in Georgia (as it is in many other states), but when you use them, other drivers can't see your brake lights or your directionals.

I think we have a difference of opinion. Professional drivers use their 4-ways in these situations. If the 4-ways are too bright, then do not follow as closely or pass. I have no issues seeing brake lights while 4-ways are being used.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by cittic10

There's a lot of transplants from Florida living here such as myself. There's no law requiring they be used down there. Or at least not when I lived there.


Have you seen the kinds of downpours we get prior to moving to GA???
Driving with your headlamps on means that your tail lamps are only putting out 8 watts and that doesn't make your vehicle very easy to see when you can't see 10 feet in front of you. But the flashers emit 27 watts, more than 3 times that. I think most experts will agree, increasing visibility is the key to preventing many types of crashes. I use them when visibility becomes poor and I appreciate when others do the same.

I'll skip the whole 'light output isn't measured in watts' reply; but will mention that many Euro vehicles have a brighter 'rear fog lamp' that illuminates the left rear tail light at a much higher lumen count. There are plenty of discussions on whether the typical flashing rear lights are A) Legal and 2) Effective...since they can be mistaken for a vehicle that is STOPPED or disabled as well as being confused with brake lights or turn signals, depending on how the lights of that particular vehicle operate(yellow or red, brake lamps used as signal lamps, etc).

Regarding the use of turn signals in GEORGIA:

Per Georgia code:

(a) No person shall turn a vehicle at an intersection unless the vehicle is in proper position upon the roadway as required in Code Section 40-6-120 or turn a vehicle to enter a private road or driveway or otherwise turn a vehicle from a direct course or change lanes or move right or left upon a roadway unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety. No person shall so turn any vehicle without giving an appropriate and timely signal in the manner provided in this Code section.

(d) The signals provided for in subsection (b) of Code Section 40-6-124 shall be used to indicate an intention to turn, change lanes, or start from a parked position

[Mal93]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

I completely agree. It is about being SEEN so the other vehicle(s) do not hit you. I europe, cars have rear fog lights to help see a vehicle as you approach it in foggy, downpour conditions. .

My Volvo has a rear fog lamp-- and I mean "a" as in one rear fog lamp. Its like a very bright reverse light, but just on one side. Great idea (especially when driving in very foggy areas near Chattanooga or heading toward the Golden Isles) but I'm hesitant to use it in case someone thinks I'm backing up or I get a ticket for having only 1 light burning. I've heard of people going ahead and installing a matching one on the other side.

Maybe rear fog lights will catch on in the US like daytime running lights did. Driving with hazards is dangerous if it makes it less obvious when turn signals or brakes are activated.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

Personally I'm in favor of eliminating funeral processions altogether. I've never seen the point.

It's a way of making a difficult day a little easier for those who are grieving. It also makes them (and other drivers in the area) safer. Who wants to be driving alongside someone who is in profound grief?

It makes perfect sense. You go to a funeral home or a church for a funeral service, then everyone drives to a cemetery for a burial. Who wants to wait on a bunch of cars to show up before putting a loved one to rest? A procession gets everyone there together, getting it over with quickly and safely, which is the best and most humane way to do it. It might even be less of a traffic nuisance than if you had all the funeral attendees drive to the burial site without a procession, driving in normal traffic.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by researchnerd

It's possible. I grew up in New England and never saw it there, so I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it here. I understand that it's intended as a sign of respect, but don't really get how stopping traffic = respect for the dead, nor why everyone on the road needs to "show respect" for someone who, let's face it, can't see that sign of respect.

North shore of Boston is where I have seen it numerous trimes.

It's a sign of respect for those who are grieving.