Cut new drivers a little slack as they join us on McHenry roads

You're liable to see new drivers on the roads of

McHenry. Sometimes, you'll know because
of the sign on the roof of their car. Other
times, you may notice a novice driver by
the way that they drive. In any case, cut them a
little slack. We were all new drivers once.

We see them on the roads each spring here in McHenry. No, I’m not talking about deer, racoons, wild turkeys or other denizens of nature that venture out as the weather warms. I’m talking about new drivers.

Often nervous about the new experience of operating a vehicle on our roads, new drivers, often still driving on driver’s permits, can pose a challenge to us all. Due to their anxiety, they may be hesitant about maneuvers the rest of us (hopefully) take for granted. They may forget to properly signal their intentions, such as a planned turn on Route 120 in McHenry.

They may accelerate suddenly, not intentionally but because they’re still getting accustomed to the gas pedal in the vehicles they drive. They may have the same problem with the brake pedal.

While the rest of us may find this unpredictable behavior frustrating, we should try to remember how we felt when we first took to the roads. We all started somewhere.

Inevitably, a new driver’s hesitancy will prompt a horn to be blown, for instance when a light turns green and they take too long to get going. Such occasions may even prompt impatient drivers to yell something out the window or even make ‘visual communication.’ But the more time they spend on the road, the more comfortable most of these new drivers will get, especially after they get their driver’s licenses.

While many new drivers are cautious and hesitant, they’re not all that way.

Some new drivers are overconfident. Some are nearly reckless. They don’t fully appreciate the power of an automobile and may exceed their ability to stay in control.

As drivers who have spent some time on the roads now, we’ve grown accustomed to how our vehicles will respond when he press the accelerator of depress the brake pedal. We know how our vehicle feels when we take turns. We have a good idea what speed to maintain when going into curves on the road.

We also know how important it is to be aware of what’s going on around us as we drive. We see kids playing catch near the road and we know that one of them could run into the road in front of us to retrieve a ball that got away.

When we lights shining on a parked car, we know that someone may be planning to enter traffic. We also know that we can’t count on them to see us coming and to wait for their turn. We’ve adapted habits, hopefully good habits, that will help us to operate vehicles on the roads safely.

Those new drivers don’t have that experience yet. But they’re joining us on the roads around McHenry anyhow. We need to give them a little time to gain that experience. A little patience will do us both some good.

Comments

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing? If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders. Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

Sap, Sun and Droppings conspire to attack your Richmond car’s finish

Who doesn't love summer time in Richmond? But this is also the time of year when sap, sun and droppings attack your car's finish. It’s a beautiful summer day in Richmond, IL, so you take the car to Richmond Carwash and give it a thorough cleaning. Or maybe you go for an entire detailing. On the other hand, you grab a bucket, sponge, brush and appropriate cleaners, drag the hose out to the driveway and wash the car yourself. Before you know it, the car is clean and shiny, almost like the day when it was new, right? But what does Murphy’s Law say about washing your car? Inevitably, if you wash your car, you can count on rain. It almost seems like, as soon as you give the car a good bath, the rain clouds start plotting and changing course to head straight for your Richmond home or wherever else you park your car. Let’s imagine that Murphy takes a pass when it comes to applying the Law of clean-car-precipitation onto your vehicle. You have the car washed but it doesn’t rain. You’ve...

Performance Unlimited Blog

Search This Blog