By [1] Clair Schwan

When we think of blind intersections, we often think of buildings, trees, walls or other features that prevent us from seeing cars entering the intersection. That’s not always the case. Sometimes it’s simply because the road curves and it’s filled with enough traffic to “screen” out oncoming traffic. Vehicles can create what amounts to a large curved wall that you can’t see beyond.

Think of driving down a winding road with steep mountainous sides. Imagine you’re making a sweeping turn to the right. The sides of the mountain block your view of what’s coming up in the opposing traffic lanes - it’s a blind curve. It’s the same with a line of traffic on a road curving to the right - it can block your view of what’s coming up in the opposing traffic lanes. An accident can result if other vehicles block your view of only one oncoming vehicle.

It all seems obvious, but there’s a catch. Where we get into trouble is at intersections that we are very familiar with. When the intersection is mostly clear, we see no problem at all making a turn across the oncoming lanes of traffic. In fact, we’d be hard pressed to explain why it might be one of the blind intersections out there.

If we let ourselves get lulled into a sense of security when there is no traffic, then we put ourselves in jeopardy when traffic is heavier and we assume that what we can see affords us the same level of awareness as we’ve always been used to at that intersection.

That’s why intersections that we are unfamiliar with are often safer for us to negotiate. We tend to approach these with heightened awareness.

When making turns at intersections that have traffic lined up ahead, consider them to be just like a turn at a blind intersection. Take your time and be certain it’s clear before you venture out into the oncoming traffic lane. It’s much better to be cautious under these circumstances than to regret not being cautious enough.

Clair Schwan is big on [2] safe driving as a means of saving money, and he knows how to [3] save gas too. See all of his frugal and self reliant adventures over at Frugal Living Freedom where the motto is, “…living well, and well within your means…”

Article Source: [4] Clair_Schwan

[5] Safe Driving: Be Aware of Blind Intersections Created by Curves and Traffic