A Brief History of Anti-Lock Braking Systems

The Statue of Liberty is not the only world renowned object designed by the French.

Anti-lock braking systems, also known as ABS, were also designed by the French for aircraft around 1929. Before they put anti-lock braking systems on cars, if the road was slick and you slammed on your brakes, your wheels would lock up and you would skid out of control. So drivers would pump their brakes to create traction in a skid. Anti-lock braking systems pump the brakes for you. That’s what that vibrating and hammering feeling is in the brakes where it feels like the brake is slipping. Now, when you apply your brakes, rather than locking up, they still rotate, but they rotate at intervals. Because the brake is gripping the wheel at intervals, i.e. it is pumping the brake. So, when the road is slick, you no longer need to pump the brake. Rather, you only need to apply steady pressure and hold down the brake, while it gives you a nice, relaxing foot massage.

How Do Anti-Lock Brakes Work?

So, there is no need to pump the brakes anymore. In a car with ABS, the wheels should never lock in the first place, so pumping the brakes will just make you take longer to stop. They prevent wheels from locking up on slippery surfaces. So, all-in-all, better traction and better steering control are the main attributes to ABS.  An ABS does not necessarily shorten your stopping distance, but does allow you to keep control of your steering allowing you to have better control over your vehicle.

So, while the Statue of Liberty, French bread, French fries and French toast are all very important contributions to society as well as history, and the French maid is arguably the most noted costume at any party, the Anti-lock braking system is their greatest contribution of them all.

How To Apply Anti-Lock Brakes

• Press and hold the brake, you will feel the petal vibrating, don’t pump the brakes, just steer your car to safety.
• Keep your tires filled with the proper air pressure and make sure you have adequate tread.
• Allow enough space to stop.  Use the 3 second rule and if there are bad conditions increase the seconds appropriately.

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Hand Signals for Bicycles:

• Stop – Extend the left hand and arm downward
• Left Turn – Extend the left hand and arm horizontally
• Right Turn – Extend the left hand and arm upward, or extend the right hand and arm horizontally.

A bicycle is a vehicle and a person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle. This, according to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, gives good legal cause to sharing the road with bikes. Bicyclists that do not follow street signs and laws are subject to the same penalties as a motor vehicle driver. If you ride a bicycle, you should check your own city’s bicycle laws as well as city ordinances on wearing a helmet.

Additional laws bicycles need to follow:

Here’s some additional information which is not only good for the bicyclist to know, but those driving around bicyclists as well. If a person operating a bicycle on a roadway is moving slower than the flow of traffic, they need to ride as near as possible to the right curb or edge of the roadway. However, there are exceptions to this law. Under the following conditions the law allows bicyclists to take the full lane of travel when:

• The person is passing another vehicle moving in the same direction.
• The person is preparing to turn left at an intersection or onto a private road or driveway.
• When there are unsafe conditions on the roadway, including fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, or surface hazards that prevents the person from safely riding next to the curb or edge of the roadway.
• The lane is of substandard width (less than 14 feet in width and not having a designated bicycle lane adjacent to that lane) making it unsafe for a bicycle and a motor vehicle to safely travel side by side.

And persons operating bicycles on a roadway may ride two abreast, but they must share a single lane. They may not impede the normal flow of traffic and they may not ride more than two abreast unless they are riding on a part of a roadway set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles. I’ve been stuck behind a row of those guys at the lake. Although, the view wasn’t so bad, I still want those hours of my life back.

Share the road with bikes:

If you are a bike enthusiast or just a weekend warrior, you may be interested to know that now, in Texas, you may purchase specialty license plates from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles that will hopefully remind people about sharing the road with bikes. And, a portion of the fee funds a variety of Bike Texas programs such as the Safe Routes to School program, the Community Trails Program as well as the Share the Road program for bicyclist and motor safety education.

Until next week…bicyclists are people too (just goofier looking). Look out for them.

Daun Thompson
Writer/ Comedienne/ Artist

Sharing the Road With Bikes – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Not only can hurricanes and tropical storms do a number on your sweet ride, you must also be prepared to travel. The American Red Cross has compiled a list of items for your survival kit for traveling during hurricane and tropical storm season.

So here are some great driving safety tips when traveling near or in hurricanes or tropical storms:
• Water—one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Food—non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area

And my final driving safety tips to you this day is – always plan ahead and leaving early when a serious storm threat is broadcast, is the best bet. There is no way to instruct someone how to drive in a tropical storm and certainly not during a hurricane. So, being as far away from the site of the storm is the safest place to be.

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms – Comedy Defensive Driving

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The Train Always Wins

In the United States, someone is hit by a train once every two hours. And, it is said that these crashes are almost completely avoidable. A train hitting your car is similar to a car driving over a Coke can. The train always wins. Oftentimes, the driver error is in misjudging or miscalculating the speed and distance of the train, thinking they can quickly cross without incident. Some collisions are due to a driver blatantly ignoring the signs and going around the crossbucks. And sometimes the tables turn and the car actually hits the train in the side. If you think about it, a passenger train will have all cars lighted, while a freight train will only have lights on the engine and perhaps the last train car since they seem to have done away with the caboose. On a dark night, those dark cars may blend in when you are traveling on a country road or rural area.

How to Avoid These Collisions

In most states, the laws are quite similar when it comes to the distance a driver must keep between their car and a train. A driver approaching a railroad crossing must stop no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail (and no further than 50 feet). And they must remain stopped until permitted to proceed and it is safe to proceed. Even if there are no crossbucks or there are mechanical or electrical issues with a signal device, the car must always yield the right of way to a train, because “duh.” If you are in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and you approach a railroad track, you must still remain behind the safety line (15 feet), away until there is enough space on the other side of the track to completely clear your car from being on the track, should a train happen to approach.

Now I own my own home, which I have estimated to be about ¾ of a mile from the nearest rail line. I can hear the whistle blow late at night and now I find comfort in the nostalgia that it brings. I can’t imagine the money a homeowner would save by purchasing a home right next to the tracks. Surely they would spend a small fortune on earplugs and therapy.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

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EASING STRESS DURING TRAFFIC STOPS

Communication can be difficult for someone with autism, the deaf, people with PTSD or Parkinson’s. It can also be difficult for someone with a simple speech impediment. In regards to autism spectrum disorder, the driver may not make eye contact and can struggle to communicate clearly, especially in stressful situations. An officer may view this as uncooperative or even under the influence of alcohol or drugs. So, this “suspicious” behavior could lead to additional stressful field tests and possibly even lead to their arrest.

THE SAMUEL ALLEN LAW

Senate Bill 976 “The Samuel Allen Law” hopes to give those drivers with conditions which may affect their ability to communicate a chance to have stress free interactions with law enforcement. This law gives people the option to disclose their diagnoses with the TXDMV (Texas Department of Motor Vehicles) when registering their vehicle. While the handicapped may have a symbol on their license plates, other conditions are not immediately apparent.

Highly functioning people with health issues, like all others, still have normal, everyday requirements such as driving to work or school. Even someone with severe diabetes or a heart issue should disclose this so that an officer will be better equipped to handle a particular traffic stop in a specialized way. Most law enforcement officers are now trained paramedics who know to look for signs and know how to deal with them.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

NEW LAW FOR DRIVERS WITH COMMUNICATION ISSUES – Comedy Defensive Driving

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ALWAYS STAY OUT OF A TRUCK’S NO ZONE

There are four blind spot areas (so, every side of the vehicle)

• The front of the truck – Always leave at least 4 car lengths between the back of your car and the truck.
• The truck’s driver side, anywhere past 1/3 of the trailer.
• The truck’s passenger side.
• The truck’s rear – That’s why you’ll usually see a sign posted on the back of the trailer “If you can’t see my side mirrors, I can’t see YOU.” Leave 20-25 car lengths between your car and the back of the truck. They don’t have impact absorbing bumpers like a car and it’s likely that the bumper will line up with your windshield. Plus, leaving more space will allow you to better see what’s up ahead.

ALWAYS ANTICIPATE WIDE TURNS

This is another sign you may see on a commercial vehicle. Buses and trucks need extra room to turn. If you are in a lane next to them, you should just hang back a bit until they’ve completed their turn so you don’t get cut off or pinned between them and the curb.

In addition, the weight of a commercial vehicle puts tremendous stress on its tires. So, their tires are like ticking time bombs, ready to go off any minute! If you’re near a truck and a tire blows, the steel belts in their tire can take your windshield out and do a “Jane Mansfield” on you. Another good reason to not linger near a truck, because “headless” isn’t a good look (well, maybe for some).

Having an accident with an 18 wheeler almost always leads to injuries. So, again, share the road, give truckers space and don’t linger around them. Insurance companies say accidents with 18 wheelers are usually the fault of the other vehicles.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

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What Else Has Changed

Another new law passed in Texas that you must be 18 years of age to purchase cough syrup. Cough syrup? Don’t even get me started! Heck, we had trash can punch at our prom in the high school gym with everclear grain alcohol in it. The drinking age was 18 in Texas in the late 70’s. Then it went up to 19 and “hovered” there for awhile. It eventually went back up to 21. At some point, I believe the drinking age was 4 (maybe that was in other countries). I remember taking my sister out drinking on Greenville Avenue when she was 12. We didn’t want to stay home and “babysit” so we put makeup on her like a baby hooker and took her with us. She ordered a “mom” drink and blew her cover. Ugh!

Are Alcohol Laws Moving Backwards?

In the 70’s, everyone in the car could have an open container, even the driver. I thought you’d get a ticket if you “didn’t” drink and drive in Texas. So, this new law is sure to get some ribbing. Beer to go and booze delivery is the new thing. You can purchase no more than a 12 pack of beer at a brewery, and get it to go. You can also order booze from a food delivery service and have them bring the booze right to your house (or jail cell).  But they probably won’t bring you cigarettes.

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

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Pointing Out The Obvious Differences

The argument seems to be that not only can bicyclists not keep up or get up to an immediate speed as the flow of traffic, stop signs and traffic lights were designed with cars in mind, not bicycles. Every year, hundreds of bicyclists die in traffic accidents involving cars and thousands more are injured, according to the NHTSA. And drivers can play a big role in reducing those statistics. Of course, bicyclists have responsibilities too. If you are a cyclist, when you are in a car you most likely are more patient with a fellow cyclist. You realize that there is one less car on the road today polluting the environment, using fuel and creating potholes.

Know Your Hand Signals and More!

One responsibility of both the driver and cyclist are in knowing and using hand signs for right and left turns. If the cyclist is planning to make a right turn at an intersection or onto a street, there should be a raised left hand in a squared position or an extended right hand. When exiting your car, look out your side mirror first to make sure than a bicyclist is not passing. Bikes should always ride in the direction of traffic, always use hand signals and always come to a complete stop at signs and red lights. They should also ride in the center of the lane whenever possible. And they should ride at a fast clip and look over their shoulder and use hand signals when changing lanes or turning.

Remember, a car weighs two tons or so, while the average bike weighs a mere twenty pounds. When sharing the road with bicycles, always pass them slowly and smoothly and for heaven’s sake, don’t HONK, even if you know them!

Until next week…

Daun Thompson

Writer / Comedienne / Artist

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