Driving

Driving in the Bay Area of CA can be challenging. Especially when you have to drive behind someone who doesn’t know how to merge.

For those who aren’t comfortable merging…

If you are coming off an exit ramp and have to merge into a lane of moving traffic. LOOK at the moving traffic before you have to merge! Find your space, vary your speed, and move into the space. Other drivers will let you in. If someone speeds ahead to block you (they are not courteous, so let them go), then they create a space behind them. Slow down and hop in behind. This is called merging…going with the flow of traffic…or just going with the flow.

DO NOT DRIVE UP TO THE MERGE POINT AND STOP AND THEN LOOK. This stops the flow!

If the lane you are moving into is stopped and you don’t have a space, then you should wait for a space.

Thank you.

Living in San Francisco, I see lots of people who don’t have a clue how to parallel park. Sure, I make mistakes sometimes, but it’s clear there are some basic techniques people are missing.

Here it is. It should be in all the driver’s handbooks.

When parking in a spot on the right-hand side of the road, don’t look over your right shoulder when backing in. This is the lame way to do it. It’s based on trial and error and getting to know your car space. When you have to park someone else’s car, it’s a different size and you’ve got to figure it out all over again. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but look over your left shoulder or in your left hand mirror. Cut the wheel to back in and when you see the first glimpse of the left side of the car behind you, that’s when you straighten out and back in. This works for all cars regardless of size.

Try it out. Works like a charm! I never scrape my rims, ever.