The pictures showed me turning right at an intersection and my license plate. No other vehicle, not a pedestrian, not a stray dog, not an escaped pet turtle, no other living creature flitted across the pictures.
For making a safe turn, causing no injury or inconvenience, I paid a $75 fine but no points against my license. I learned of my infraction weeks later through the mail.
During an AARP driving class for senior citizens, the instructor, retired Denver Police Officer Gene Gray, asked, “How have roads changed since you first started driving?”
“They didn’t have sneaky cameras snapping pictures of unsuspecting safe drivers like me who fail to stop completely before turning right at a red light,” I responded. “I would appreciate a list of all the camera locations in the Denver metro area.”
Startled for a split second, Gray responded, “No, I’m not going to supply such information. For shame.”
Gray, who had served 10 years as a motorcycle traffic officer during his 28-year career, was taken aback at my impertinent audacity. Not for a second would he betray his stance: “Know the law and abide by it for your and the community’s safety.”
Officer Gene, an unpaid volunteer, provided helpful updates. Safe driving has changed since I first learned 46 years ago.
• On the highway, the left-hand lane is for passing. If the posted speed limit is over 65 mph and you drive continuously in the left-hand lane and are not passing other vehicles, you may be ticketed, according to Colorado law.
• You may cross a double yellow line in Colorado when passing a bicyclist in order to give the biker a 3-foot leeway, and if doing so does not interfere with oncoming traffic.
• If your car is equipped with an airbag, the minimum safe distance between the center of your steering wheel and your chest is 10 inches. Sit too close and an activated airbag will injure you.
• Place your hands on the steering wheel at 5 and 7 o’clock. If you place them at 2 and 10, as I was taught long ago, and the airbag activates, you will sustain broken arms. Safety features are safe only if used properly. Steering wheels are now smaller and easier to turn; the hand-over-hand maneuver is dangerous and obsolete.
• What is the safe following distance during good conditions? Use the three-second rule. Note the car in front of you as it passes under an overpass. Count “one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand- three.” By the time you finish, your car should just be passing under the same underpass. (If you answered “three car lengths,” you’re stuck in the ’60s.)
• The most common traffic violation committed by older drivers is making an improper left turn. On busy city streets, rather than turn left, go to the next intersection and then make three right turns. This may take longer, but may be less nervewracking and safer.
• If you are ever threatened with a head-on crash, brake hard and steer to the right to the shoulder of the road. If the crash cannot be avoided, it is better to sideswipe rather than crash head-on.
• Dirty eyeglasses, combined with rarely cleaned windshields and headlights, can decrease night vision by as much as 70 percent. I’d recommend keeping a lens cleaner kit in your car, and clean your glasses at red lights.
Well, that’s my idea, anyway. Officer Gene would likely discourage you from such distractions and tell you to clean them before you even start the car. Focus on your driving, he would say.
I highly recommend the AARP Driver Safety Program, a four-hour course packed with life-saving information. Plus, by Colorado law, your insurance company must provide a premium reduction. (Not all states require this.)
The course is a win for seniors — as well as for all our fellow drivers.
Jean Trester (jrdtpost@) of Centennial is a retired nurse.
