Your lights are on?

State inspection stickers are a source of comfort to me… they let me know other drivers’ vehicles on the road with me are being held to the same standard as mine and are as safe as mine.

That being said, I see all to frequently examples of vehicles who should not be on the road and I end up having to exercise defensive driving techniques to avoid an accident.

The biggest problem?   Brake lights!   Brake lights are essential for communicating one’s intent and if they do not work, well, big problems can happen.   In less than 24 hours I have had the opportunity to experience driving with those who do not have functioning brake lights.   Our safety driving video and state approved defensive driving courses illustrate the importance of keeping an appropriate space cushion between your vehicle and those around you and in the instance of non functioning brake lights… it is essential.

On my commute to work yesterday, I had the pleasure of following an individual in a Honda Element, not that old of a vehicle, who’s brake lights were in the constantly on position.   Whether he was accelerating or stopping, the lights were always on.   This is dangerous in bumper to bumper traffic and after a couple of minutes following this “special” vehicle, I had to get into another lane.  People were pulling in behind it and slamming on their brakes and then scratching their heads, getting away from it as quickly as possible.

Going to work today I had the opposite… a late model (what is definition of a late model? 70’s, 80’s or 90’s) Buick with a nice bondo job did not have functioning brake lights.   No lights were on.   This was especially curious given the temp tags (great purchase).   This is extremely dangerous because in the traffic which is Houston, having brake lights to alert everyone you are about to stop is essential – for obvious reasons.

I am certain these drivers had no clue their vehicles were so dangerous and I am glad most of the drivers around them were exercising caution and leaving plenty of space.

DefensiveDriving.com’s state approved defensive driving courses illustrate a number of tactics which will keep you out of harms way.   Whether or not you need us for ticket dismissal, take a defensive driving course today to reinforce appropriate driving behavior and skills.

Drive Friendly and keep that sticker current!