Take for instance, the word "Yield." It's not a word we often use in everyday conversations, but it is a word recognized in the English dictionary, with references to "allowing to pass; to give way; to relent; to stand by." Most of you would give similar descriptions to the word Yield.
Now take the word "Merge." Again, it's not commonly used in friendly conversations, but most of you with at least 2 brain cells working know enough to know that Merge pertains to ideas such as "to fall in; to join mutually; to form an alliance; to go from many to one," and so on.
So, let's take these two simple, understandable words on the road with us, shall we? Look around your familiar driving routes and you will undoubtedly find one of these two words (or both) on a sign that looks like a triangle. The "Yield" sign will usually be yellow (but sometimes white with a red outline) and the Merge sign will usually be of a similar configuration. Either way, the important thing to note is that the two words have distinctly different meanings when it comes to traffic directions. And yet, it seems as if the driving public is either disinterested, or so insanely ignorant that they cannot tell the difference. That is why I am here.
When you are entering or exiting a main thoroughfare, you will often encounter either a "Yield" or "Merge" sign. There are reasons for these signs, as there are reasons for all the other signs we are blessed to have in the good ol' US of A. So, let me review for you the difference, and as always, this information may save your life, or at least your fender.
When you are driving and encounter a "Yield" sign (entering a roadway, or leaving one, typically) what that sign means is this: If there are any other cars presently on the road you are intending to intersect, you must either slow down to allow them to pass, or STOP until they all pass. YIELD does not mean:
- continue on, and let everyone else accommodate your presence
- ignore the obvious sign and blindly go on
- find a gap and squeeeeeeze into it, making other drivers accommodate your sorry....
- continue to talk on your cell and eat your fries and hope everything turns out OK
- Gas it and try to beat the lead car on the road you are intersecting
What does Yield mean? Did we not cover this already? For review, it means to "give way, to allow to pass, to stand by", etc. So, how does this play out in everyday driving life? Simple. Next time you are intersecting a road with a Yield sign, simply slow down and look for traffic on the road you are entering. If there are ANY cars on that road that would have to slow down or swerve due to your presence, you simply continue to slow down, or stop, as the situation dictates. If, and this is a big time possibility, someone behind you starts honking or yelling at you, I suggest you calmly point to the sign and maintain your vigilance to obey the rules of the road. Maybe you will teach the ignorant and irate motorist behind you a valuable lesson. For you see, if I am in that lane that has the right of way, and you are in the lane that is to Yield, and you try to squeeze or weasel your way in around me, I am going to change your world. That is the nicest way I can put it.
Now, how about the Merge situation? Well, if there is a Merge sign where roads are intersecting, you can bet the traffic planners knew that the best way to maintain flow there was to allow both, or all lanes involved to keep moving and hopefully good driving habits will prevail and everyone will just slow a bit, and move on. When you encounter a Merge situation, the best thing to do is to try to keep your speed up as much as possible (within posted limits) and just slowly move towards any opening that presents itself. Basically, what you want to do is to emulate the practices of those who are stupid enough to try to Merge when they are supposed to Yield! Face it folks - in most of the world outside the US, Merging is a major way of life. Third world countries practically found their traffic strategies upon the Merge principal. Frankly, they do it quite well. It is here in the land of the self-absorbed individual that we cannot seem to make Merging and Yielding work. It doesn't work well for us here because we are a society of people who are arrogant, self-absorbed, and selfish. Observing how motorist react to a Yield sign tells me a lot about our view of society and self. What I see is too much ego- centrism and too little desire to see we are all part of a team.
Does your driving reflect your attitude towards life, and others? You may find out the next time you encounter either a Yield or Merge sign.
Car Care Tip of the Month
Shock absorbers are the unknown soldiers of the automotive world. They soldier on, doing their duty to keep you from oscillating off the road, all in the unseen confines of your suspension. But what are they for? What do they do? Do they have to be replaced?
Shocks (for short) are tubular devices with an internal piston that are designed to keep your springs and suspension from bouncing unduly. Basically, if you left the average car's suspension the same, but just took the shocks away, what you would have is a very bouncy ride that would still be softer than no suspension at all, but a great degree of control would be lost. Their duty is two fold: to regulate the compression and the rebound actions of your suspension. This means that when your springs are compressed (when you hit a bump or a pothole) the shocks keep the springs from compressing as quickly, or as fully. But what goes down, must also come up (in the spring world, anyway) so the reaction is for the spring to return to it's normal height or state after it has been compressed. That's rebound, and the shock controls this too, limiting the oscillating of the spring and keeping it from rebounding too fast.
That is what Shocks do, and what they are for, but do they need to be replaced? In a word, YES. The average life of a shock is universally understood to be about 40 - 50,000 miles. The best shock, to the cheapest, all need to be replaced within this time frame. No shock will be within it's designed parameters beyond that kind of mileage. Sorry, your car is not an exception.
But you say, "I have struts, and my car rides great!" Struts are just fancy (and cheaper for the manufacturer) modifications of a spring/shock assembly, with a traditional shock contained within the strut. As to the ride, some lighter cars will seem to ride fine beyond the 40,000 mile mark, but what you don't know is that your ride and handling have both deteriorated slowly over time. You may never know just how far until you actually replace the shocks. THEN you will see and feel the difference. Trust me, your car is no exception. If it has been 40,000 miles or more since they were replaced, you are due, and you are living on borrowed time.
Why? Because shocks are not about giving you a soft ride. They are in integral part of your suspension set up and worn shocks will not keep your tires in contact with the road, lengthening stopping distances, and adversely affecting handling. Translation? With worn shocks, your vehicle will take longer to stop, and will handle poorly, especially in emergency actions. Worn shocks will also adversely affect tire wear, and will allow your vehicle to wallow dangerously in high wind, or with a heavy load, or when cornering, or all three.
If you value your life and the life of your other passengers, you will replace your shocks regularly and help maintain your vehicle's intended driving dynamics at peak performance. Another added benefit to replacing worn shocks is that all the other suspension components will last longer and provide maximum performance over a longer period of time, saving you money and giving you a vehicle that drives great way past the average life cycle.
Personally, I change my shocks about every 35,000 - 40,000 miles and my vehicles ride and handle like new, even well past the 100,000 mile mark. So, what are you waiting for? Shop around for prices and variety, including shop prices. Unless you drive a high end exotic, you should be able to find shocks for somewhere in the $20 - $50 range, even if your vehicle has struts. * Important note: Every strut made (to my knowledge) has a replaceable internal cartridge (shock) within the strut that can be replaced, without having to replace the whole assembly. Don't let any shop owner tell you different, and the price for replacing the strut cartridge (shock) should be about 25% less than the whole assembly.
Drive Precisely!
