Lights On When Raining!
This morning as I drove to work in the pouring rain, it was scary to note that scads of drivers have not paid much attention to the law that says your lights must be on when it's raining enough that you have to use your windshield wipers.
Please, folks - for safety's sake: Turn on your headlights when it's raining (or foggy)! Most cars have warning buzzers that will remind you to turn them off when you get out of the car.
I got in the habit a long time ago of checking three things before closing the car door: The lights are off, the parking brake is set and the keys are in my hand. I even jingle the keys in my hand to double-check that they really are in my hand, in case just looking at them isn't enough for it to register in my brain that I didn't lock them in the car.
And regarding new driving laws: Now is the time to get in the habit of using a hands-free device for your cellphone ... BEFORE the law goes into effect on 7/1/08. They say if you do something for three weeks straight it will become a habit. So, when I get in my car now, I automatically take the cellphone out of my purse, plug the earbuds into it, put the earbuds in my ears and the cellphone on the seat next to me. I have my cellphone set so that I can press any key to answer an incoming call, so I don't even have to take my eyes off the road to answer it. Then I tell the person to hold on until I pull over.
It's more than about getting a ticket starting in July. It's really about nearly getting broadsided or cut off dozens of times by unthinking cellphone users. Like the bumper sticker says, folks: HANG UP AND DRIVE!