IndieDriver

10/24/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/hSvUuDNbYFs89G7Y/

In this segment, we hear from Students Against Destructive Decisions about how their work saves lives.

10/22/2024

It's bright and sunny this week...and that means making sure your daytime running lights are always on!

Wait, what?!?

Yes you read that right. Imagine that the glare of the sun is in your eyes. It can literally be blinding. But the one thing you will be able to see is other light. If the on-coming car has their lights on you will be aware of their presence in that (hopefully short) moment when you can't see anything else.

So if the glare is BEHIND you, you need to remember that an oncoming driver is the one who can't see YOU. Don't you think it would be safer if you were actually visible to them?

While DRLs are not mandatory in the US (they should be), your car is most likely equipped with them, and they are typically automatic UNLESS YOU TURN THEM OFF. Check your light settings, and keep them on auto!

Facts & Figures (from JDPower Jul 26, 2023)
1. Increased visibility. As mentioned earlier, daytime running lights improve visibility on the road. It can help prevent accidents, particularly during the daytime when collisions are more likely. With DRLs, other drivers can see your vehicle from a greater distance, even in harsh weather conditions like fog, rain, or snow.
2. Reduced risk of accidents. A US study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that vehicles equipped with DRLs had a 5.7% lower rate of multiple-vehicle crashes during daylight hours than vehicles without DRLs. In Canada, where DRLs have been mandatory since 1989, studies have shown a reduction in daytime collisions of up to 11%.
3. Improved fuel efficiency. Many modern cars use LED lights for daytime running lights, which consume less power than traditional halogen bulbs. It can lead to slightly improved fuel efficiency, as the car's battery and alternator do not have to work as hard to power the lights.

07/26/2024

The lines are painted on the Bucknam Bridge! Never thought we’d be so excited for a left turn lane 😄

05/17/2024

This is the second time in two years that we have been rear-ended while a student has been driving. Please, please, please: when you find yourself behind someone with one of these stickers remember that the whole point is to alert you that the car in front of you is being driven by an inexperienced novice. That means they might slow down unexpectedly, even come to a complete stop. You can help keep us all safe by giving us some extra room, and if you decide to pass us please consider it an opportunity to model to the student how to do it safely, legally, and courteously.

02/10/2024

Annual Maine DOT Super Bowl Dad Jokes (Taylor’s Version)

We’d also like to submit:

You Belong With Me
In the Travel Lane;

Slow Down
You’re Not In a Getaway Car;

Lavender Haze?
Lights on!

10/14/2023

To all of you bike riders out there today, especially the ones on hilly, curvy roads, we salute you! We certainly couldn’t make it up those hills because all this time in the car has made us a bit…less muscular and we’re kind of in awe of you.

To all you drivers out there, you might have ended up behind us when one of those bike riders was in front of us. You were probably super frustrated as we spent a lot of time waiting for the right spot in the road to pass them. These kids are learning when it’s ok to go over a solid line, how to look ahead while controlling their speed and steering, and what that 3 feet of passing space looks like. So yeah, it takes a while, which means you had to wait…and wait…and wait.

Except that a lot of you didn’t wait. You chose instead to pass us. Up a hill, in a curve, with oncoming cars. In fact one of you nearly caused an accident, forcing the oncoming car to go off the road to avoid hitting you.

That’s bad enough, but now we ask you to think about what you just modeled for that student. You just taught them that it doesn’t matter what is legal or safe, as long as you get to go as fast as you want. Is that really the kind of driver you want on the road? No? Then why would you teach them that it’s ok?

We have the student driver magnets on the bumper for a reason: to alert you that that’s who’s driving the car in front. Give a little bit more following distance, because sometimes they hit the brake pretty hard and very unexpectedly. But also, it’s there to remind you that the driver in front of you is in the process of learning. If you don’t want other drivers to be jerks, then don’t act like one in front of a 15 year old who is trying to learn not to be one.

But if you do, just know that we use you as an example of what NOT to do. Oh we take great delight in pointing out what you do wrong. You’re making our job harder, so we take the opportunity to show students what jerks look like…and they’re looking at YOU.

We’re all in this together; together let’s raise up a generation of safe and courteous drivers!

09/26/2023

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/nation-world/traffic-fatalities-car-safety/507-deaf2699-272b-4a3c-ba4f-5404fbe81bb2?fbclid=IwAR1N3yTwVDZj-nLNQOO0LDTRokBlEIM9JTR5AcOoGD0XV_Y0xuCfTir8bHg_aem_AWJnCpXt37nUTLwjovWc0batyn-I7wJw6aAb5WhHlPEa-rgMioZh9qKxawv5PW8sgPc&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Current U.S. ratings only consider the safety of the people inside the vehicle, meaning there's a blind spot in the data that leaves pedestrians vulnerable.

09/02/2023

Saddened by the news of Jimmy Buffets passing. So grateful my dad introduced me to his music and to Susan Turpin who gave me tickets to see him at Fenway.

07/22/2023

ALL adults, please set a good and safe example for ALL teen drivers!

The 100 Deadliest Days halfway mark | Teenage drivers face high-risk period on the roads The Maine Department of Transportation reports that nearly half of the state's 56 vehicle fatalities this year have occurred within the span of just 50 days.

The Maine Department of Transportation reports that nearly half of the state's 56 vehicle fatalities this year have occurred within the span of just 50 days.

07/19/2023

06/08/2023

This is important

Maine's 'slow down, move over' law expands to include any disabled vehicle Gov. Janet Mills signed the law requiring drivers to move over or slow down when any car is on the side of the road with its flashing lights on.

Gov. Janet Mills signed the law requiring drivers to move over or slow down when any car is on the side of the road with its flashing lights on.

03/29/2023

We’re taking a break from the humor and memes today in favor of an earnest plea.

Last week, our communications team sat down to plan our outreach efforts for the upcoming National Work Zone Awareness Week (April 17th through 21st). We talked about distracted driving. We talked about speeding. We talked about how to get the attention of folks like you and have you remember, amid all the clutter of your daily life, our message to drive carefully.

Just hours after our meeting concluded, six highway workers near Baltimore were killed when a vehicle crashed through a construction zone. The names of those six workers have been released by Maryland State Police.

Sybil Lee DiMaggio
Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar
Jose Armando Escobar
Rolando Ruiz
Mahlon Simmons II
Mahlon Simmons III

Our thoughts are with the victims’ families, friends, and coworkers at Maryland DOT as they cope with this enormous loss.

Remember these names, and do your part to avoid adding another.

Please slow down and drive with focus. Safe travels to you all.