The Driver: Attitude, Phones, Fatigue, Alcohol, Drugs, Following Distance, Crashes and Railroad Crossings: 90 Percent of Crashes From Driver Error, Emotions and Concentration, Cell Phone Precautions and the Texting Fines, Highway Hypnosis and Breaks Every 100 Miles, Impairment at .05 and the .08, .04 and .02 Limits, DUI Penalties for Four Convictions, Implied Consent, Why Coffee Does Not Sober You, Over-the-Counter, Prescription and Illegal Drugs and the Drug-Alcohol Mix, the Two-Second Rule, What Sets Stopping Distance, Duties After a Crash and the SR-31 Report, and Railroad Crossing Signs, Stops and Safety Tips

Written for aiforu2 as the source for a practice-test bank and the on-device tutor for the Alabama driver license knowledge test. The facts follow the official manual; the wording is ours.

Source: Alabama Driver Manual (ALEA, November 2024 edition), Chapter 4 "The Driver" (pages 31–40).

Attitude and concentration

Records show more than 90 percent of highway crashes come from driver error, ignorance, inattention, physical or mental condition, poor attitude or bad judgment, and good driving takes more than basic skill. A worried, distracted or preoccupied driver cannot count on being alert; troubles at home, quarrels, money worries, illness in the family, fear and overconfidence make you temporarily accident-prone, as do strong emotions, so cool off before driving, never take anger out on the road, and let someone else drive when worried, ill, nervous, frightened, angry or depressed. A well-adjusted driver shares the road fairly and acts from every road user's point of view; the wheel reveals whether you are a bully, a lawbreaker and a lane-stealer or reliable, courteous and sportsmanlike. Concentration is among the most important elements of safe driving: no daydreaming, mental napping, window shopping, sightseeing or distracting conversation, because driving is a full-time job and too many survivors say they do not know what happened.

Phones and texting

If you use a phone while driving, remember driving is your first job: assess traffic before calling, know the keypad and use speed dial, place calls while stopped or have a passenger call, keep the phone within reach, use speaker or hands-free, avoid intense or complicated conversations, avoid calls in heavy traffic or bad weather, and pull off the road to dial or finish. Alabama law prohibits using a wireless device to write, send or read a text, instant message or email while driving: $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second, $75 for a third or later, and two points for every offense.

Fatigue and highway hypnosis

Stop driving when drowsy rather than fighting it; pull off at the first rest stop, and if coffee and stretching do not wake you, get off the highway and nap. Drowsiness is one of the greatest dangers on the interstate, and stay-awake drugs make driving more hazardous. Take breaks every 100 miles or two hours, walk and stretch, nap before a long trip, and exercise your eyes. Highway hypnosis is drowsiness or unawareness brought on by the monotony of wind, tires and engine; shift your eyes between areas of the road, near and far, left and right, and read the signs to stay alert. Alcohol, drugs, illness and disability all contribute to crashes.

Drinking and driving

Driving after drinking is widespread and a major factor in crashes. Research shows a blood alcohol concentration of .05 percent impairs most people to some degree, and at .08 everyone is definitely impaired; Alabama law makes it unlawful to drive at .08 or more, or while under the influence. Drinking drivers are involved in as many as 50 percent of fatal crashes, and a bottle of beer holds about the same alcohol as a shot of whiskey or a glass of wine, with the same effect. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant; it causes drowsiness, blurred vision and slowed reflexes, hurts judgment and coordination, impairs before legal intoxication, and alcohol-related crashes have killed more people than all US soldiers killed in war. It is unlawful to operate or be in actual physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, under a drug to a degree that makes safe driving impossible, with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or more, under the combined influence of alcohol and a drug, as a commercial operator at .04 or more, under 21 at .02 or more, or as a school bus or daycare driver at .02 or more. A first conviction brings a fine of $600 to $2,100, up to one year in jail or both, and a 90-day suspension; a second within ten years $1,100 to $5,100, up to a year in jail, a mandatory 48 hours in jail or 20 days of community service and a one-year revocation; a third $2,100 to $10,100, a three-year revocation and up to a year in jail with a mandatory minimum of 60 days that cannot be probated; a fourth or later is a Class C felony with $4,100 to $10,100, a five-year revocation and prison from a year and a day up to ten years. Under the implied consent law, driving on Alabama's public highways is consent to chemical tests of blood, breath or urine, and a driver arrested for DUI who refuses a breath test has the license suspended. Remember that alcohol slows reflexes, interferes with judgment, reduces alertness and impairs observation, and any feeling of stimulation is only lowered inhibition; that only the amount of alcohol entering the blood counts, whatever the drink; that a small amount hits harder on an empty stomach; and that alcohol is absorbed quickly but leaves slowly, oxidized by the liver into water and carbon dioxide over time, so black coffee, food or a cold shower may wake you but never sober you. Alcohol retards judgment, slows reflexes, impairs vision, ruins coordination, destroys inhibitions, promotes overconfidence and prevents concentration.

Drugs

Many drugs interfere with driving, in prescriptions and in remedies bought without one. Ask your doctor about a prescription's driving side effects; allergy and cold pills may contain codeine, alcohol, antihistamines or bromides, each of which affects driving; antihistamines bring inattention, confusion and drowsiness and some are sold as sleep aids; barbiturates such as phenobarbital are sedatives whose excess mimics drunkenness with drowsiness, confusion, poor coordination, tremors and slurred thinking, making the user unfit to drive; the most dangerous drugs, such as LSD and heroin, are only available illegally and leave users unaware of or indifferent to their surroundings; marijuana users draw more traffic arrests, many ignore citations and keep driving under suspension, and experts agree it should never be used before driving; and the drug-alcohol mix is many times worse than either alone, multiplying rather than doubling the effect and sometimes causing death, so never drink while taking medicine. With a chronic illness or impairment, the physician must tell the patient of any driving limits.

Following distance and stopping distance

Most rear-end crashes come from following too closely, and the space ahead is the easiest to control. The old rule was one car length per 10 mph; the two-second rule is easier: pick a fixed object ahead, start counting "one thousand one, one thousand two" when the vehicle ahead passes it, and if you reach it before finishing, slow gradually to a safe distance. It applies in all weather, but in poor road or weather conditions, or in a vehicle longer than a car, increase to a four- or five-second count. Watch the brake lights ahead and any shrinking gap, and move your foot to the brake promptly. Stopping distance depends on the driver's reaction time; the pavement (rough dry concrete versus slick brick or smooth asphalt); the tires, since wide tires stop faster on dry pavement but skid and hydroplane more easily while narrow tires cut through water but have less traction; chassis design, weight distribution, suspension and shocks; the type, condition and balance of the brakes, since one wheel locking before the others means trouble; and wind, since a strong tailwind lengthens a sudden stop. The chart of thinking plus braking distance runs from about 62 feet at 25 mph to about 306 feet at 65 mph.

Crashes

If you are in a crash you must stop at once, aid the injured, call for medical help if needed, and warn other traffic with flags, flares or whatever is available before police arrive. Do not move the injured unless fire or another danger requires it; keep them lying or sitting until competent help comes, give first aid, treat for shock, and remember that a layman can give too much first aid, which is why Red Cross training is worthwhile. Give your name, address and registration number and show your license to the others involved, in any kind of crash. Any injury or fatal crash must be reported by the quickest means to the local police inside a city or to the State Troopers on a state highway; when there is injury, death or damage of $500 or more to any vehicle or property, the driver must send a written report (Form SR-31) within 30 days if the at-fault party was uninsured (if both were insured, neither files), by mail to the Safety Responsibility Unit or online. Get the names and addresses of those involved and any witnesses, note other relevant facts, and on request give the name and address of your liability insurer and local agent, at the scene or later. If you hit an unattended vehicle, notify police, try to find the owner, or leave a conspicuous note with your name and address, and notify the owner of any other damaged property. When reporting a crash, give the exact location, whether the road is blocked, and the likely damage and injuries; all crashes should be reported to the agency with jurisdiction.

Railroad crossings

Crossings are marked by a round yellow sign with a black X and RR placed 750 feet before the track; pavement markings with a large X and two RRs, a yellow no-passing line before the crossing and white lines on each side of the track showing where to stop; flashing lights, at which you must always stop until it is safe; gates, which lower as the red lights flash, requiring you to stay stopped until they rise and the lights stop; and the crossbuck at most crossings, where you slow and prepare to stop on sighting a train, with a plaque for the number of tracks. Where there is no warning device, slow, look and listen. School, church and passenger buses and trucks carrying flammables, explosives or hazardous materials must stop at every crossing. When you must stop, stop within 15 to 50 feet of the crossing; crossings with electric or mechanical signals require a complete stop, as does a lowered gate or an approaching train; with more than one track make sure all are clear, and never change gears on the track. Expect a train on any track at any time, day or night; never get trapped, waiting in heavy traffic until you can clear the crossing; watch for a second train after the last car passes; never drive around gates, which is illegal; never race a train; never shift on the crossing, downshifting a manual beforehand; and be ready to stop behind buses and trucks that must stop. Alabama ranks 13th for crossing fatalities, a motorist is 40 times more likely to die in a crash with a train, more Americans die at crossings each year than in all aviation crashes, and nearly half of collisions happen at crossings with active warning devices; walking on tracks, trestles, yards and equipment is illegal; cross only at designated crossings; if you stall on a crossing get everyone out and away and call local law enforcement; and a freight train at 55 mph needs a mile or more, 18 football fields, to stop. Always expect a train.

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