Driving and obeying the traffic rules in NJ

[vision33r]

NJ needs to widen many streets. Too many 2 way single lane empty roads that are now clogged with traffic because of 25-35mph speed limits. There aren't any pedestrians and these roads are empty there's no need for low speed limits. They should be 45mph speed limit.

25mph limit is fine for streets that are near neighborhoods with pedestrian crossings but not for roads that have no walk path or pedestrian crossings. I often get behind someone doing 22mph on an empty road and hardly any police.

Near where I live I never drive 25mph even though the speed limit says so I always do 35mph and police never pulled me over.

[Mightyqueen801]

Bothers me worse that people have stopped using their signals. If I'd known you were gonna turn, doofus, I could have pulled out five seconds ago.

[Retriever]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Bothers me worse that people have stopped using their signals. If I'd known you were gonna turn, doofus, I could have pulled out five seconds ago.

That is very true, but there are also people who ride around with their directional signal turned on for an extended period of time--because they have no clue that it was activated but wasn't turned off. I refer to that as "an eventual left turn".

Many, many years ago, when my brother was a pre-teen pedestrian, he was hit by a car that had been signaling for a turn, but continued straight ahead. My brother was thrown at least 20 feet by the impact, but--luckily--he suffered only superficial injuries.

Improper use of turn signals--whether from failure to use them, or failure to turn them off--can lead to some nasty situations.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Retriever

That is very true, but there are also people who ride around with their directional signal turned on for an extended period of time--because they have no clue that it was activated but wasn't turned off. I refer to that as "an eventual left turn".

Many, many years ago, when my brother was a pre-teen pedestrian, he was hit by a car that had been signaling for a turn, but continued straight ahead. My brother was thrown at least 20 feet by the impact, but--luckily--he suffered only superficial injuries.

Improper use of turn signals--whether from failure to use them, or failure to turn them off--can lead to some nasty situations.

Yup, many, many years ago--1969 to be exact--my sister was hit by a car walking home from Brownies. My mother had taught her about turn signals, and the driver didn't have his on indicating a right turn, so she crossed the street, and he saw her too late and hit the brakes, but he hit her. She was in the hospital for a month with a broken arm and jaw and soft-tissue injuries.

Midland Park got its first traffic light not long after at that intersection.

I see the "eventual left turn" people on the Parkway all the time. My mother began to leave her signal on when her hearing diminished and she didn't hear the ticking sound.

[Retriever]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

I see the "eventual left turn" people on the Parkway all the time. My mother began to leave her signal on when her hearing diminished and she didn't hear the ticking sound.

I scan my dashboard and my mirrors every couple of minutes, just so that situations like this--and others--don't compromise my safety or the safety of others. I thought that--perhaps--I was obsessive in this regard, but when I recently took AARP's online Driver Safety Course*, they recommended that this should be done every 30 seconds or so.

*Please note that I have not had an accident of any kind for the past 48 years, but I take this course every 3 years in order to further-reduce my already-low auto insurance bill from NJM.