Tip Dude used to drive an old klunker, in both Boston and New York. Tip Dude has been in a few fender benders (in Boston, fendah bendahs), but never in a major high-speed highway wreck. That might be why Tip Dude is still here and writing this, since highway accidents are often deadly. So here are Tip Dude’s top ten tips on staying safe on the road:

• Understand Characteristics Of Trucks And Beese (bus, plural) - Truck and beese simply don’t brake like cars. As long as you understand this, it is perfectly safe to drive on major interstates where there are lots of trucks. Staying safe around trucks means you pass them swiftly, staying out of the trucker’s blind spot; keep a good distance behind trucks, and when passing them do not cut right back in front of them even though there is a gap. Stay in the passing lane until you are two to three truck lengths ahead of the truck.
• Do Not Pass On A Two-Lane Road - Drive behind that annoying granny driving at 35 mph in a 55 mph zone, no matter how safe it is to pass using the opposing lane. It may save your life. If the granny is really annoying you, pull over and have a cup of coffee at a roadside diner.
• Assume Other Drivers Are Crazy - For the most part, they are, because they haven’t read Tip Dude’s top ten tips on defensive driving. They’ll do things like cutting in front of you when changing lanes, or blatantly disregard yield signs. Some of them don’t know how to merge. So, anticipate the crazy things that they’re going to do and act accordingly. For example, if you see someone charging down an entrance ramp at high speeds, move to the passing lane so the guy doesn’t have a chance not to yield to you.
• Don’t Speed Up So Tailgaters Can Pass You - So you’re doing the speed limit on an interstate. Some wild tailgater tails you and flashes his light and honks his horn. Don’t speed up. You could get a ticket, or worse still, lose control of your car. Hold your speed or slow down. The tailgater knows what a passing lane is and he/she isn’t afraid to use it. The odds are overwhelming that he’s not going to pull out a gun and shoot you. Obviously, don’t deliberately block the tailgater from getting ahead - the objective is to have him pass you so he can go tail someone else and cause someone else to be in a dangerous situation. If you’re in the passing lane when this happens and can’t move to the travel lane, just keep moving at the speed limit. Again, don’t speed up for tailgaters. It’ll just make your own driving more dangerous.
• Do Not Tailgate - You should keep four to five car lengths away from the car in front while travelling on a highway. Yes, nobody else does, and they’ll all cut in front of you if you try to leave a gap. But that’s okay, since no one else drives safely or defensively on a typical Northeast highway, either. If you’re moving at the speed limit, the chances are the guys who cut in front of you in that gap will fairly soon speed up and leave another gap in front of you. Don’t mind that guy behind you, he’s not your problem.
• Don’t Get Angry And Drive; Don’t Sleep and Drive - This is almost as bad as drinking and driving. Drinking impairs judgment and allows emotions to take over your decision making. So does anger. So if you’re ticked off, do something other than drive your car on a highway. You could save your life. Driving is a precise exercise that requires careful and cool decision making and accurate reactions to fast changing situations. Don’t drive while tired or sleepy, either. You’ll make more bad judgment calls and be more prone to dangerous maneuvers and accidents.
• Don’t Get Distracted While Driving - CT and NY have laws that ban talking on the cell phone while driving. They’re there for a good reason. Also try not to fumble CDs, toy with the radio, look for something missing in the back seat or read a book while driving on the highway. All of these distractions can cause you to have an accident, especially when the traffic suddenly stops in front of you. Yes, in the Bronx, and parts of Boston, traffic can go from free flowing at 50 mph to a dead stop in a matter of 10 seconds. If you’re distracted, then you’ll have a rear-ender.
• Look Out For Conditions Ahead - No, that doesn’t mean stare at the brake lights on the car in front. Look two to three cars ahead and also scan the entire road on the horizon from time to time. You’ll not only spot hidden hazards (like broken down cars, deers, and cops) ahead, you’ll also have that much more time to react if the traffic hits a wall and comes to a dead stop. You’ll see all the brake lights even four to five cars ahead go on all at once. This is another reason you shouldn’t tail a truck or a bus: you can’t see anything behind one of those large vehicles. And when changing lanes, turn your head around and check your blind spot.
• Move to Passing Lane For Cars Stopped on Shoulder - Either the cop is writing a ticket or some dude is trying to figure out how to change a tire. They’ll probably both appreciate not having a car fly by right next to them at the speed limit. So, be a good guy, and move over to the passing lane when you see a stopped car ahead. Besides, you might avoid hitting a pedestrian.
• Wear Your Safety Belt - Most states have laws on that now. Again, those laws are there for a reason. Use it. Buckle up.

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