Compliments of the California Department of Transportation comes these tips for driving beautiful highway 1 through the Big Sur section of the California coastline.

* Drive defensively.

* Wear your seat belt. It’s the law.

* Obey posted and unposted speed limits. State law provides that, unless otherwise posted, the maximum speed limit is 55 mph (about 88 kph) on two-lane undivided highways such as Highway 1 in the Big Sur region. Do not drive faster than is safe under the road and weather conditions. The maximum safe speed may be slower than the posted speed limit.

* Motorcyclists must wear helmets. Bicyclists under age 18 must wear helmets. It’s the law. (All safe and sane cyclists of all ages wear helmets anyway.)

* It is a good idea to drive this highway with your headlights turned on at all times, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions, to make your vehicle more visible to oncoming vehicles. (Turn your lights off when you turn off the ignition!) The California Driver Handbook advises that you should never drive with only your parking lights or fog lights turned on and that your headlights must be turned on whenever weather conditions require the use of your windshield wipers.

* Keep your eyes on the road. If you want to enjoy the scenery, and you will, use one of the hundreds of marked and unmarked turnouts.

* If there is no vehicle immediately in front of you and five or more vehicles are immediately behind you, state law requires that you pull to the side of the road, where you can do so safely, and allow the vehicles behind you to pass. When pulling over, avoid quick stops on unpaved shoulders.

* The law aside, you do not lose face by pulling off the highway and allowing other traffic to pass you. This is not a driving competition. You are in Big Sur. Relax. There are hundreds of places along the highway that allow you to stop and look. Do so often.

* Do not cross the center line to pass vehicles ahead of you if the center line is double yellow or is solid yellow on your side, or if your visibility ahead is impaired.

When traveling this beautiful section of highway, or any other for that matter, always drive as safely as possible. Keep the roadways safe for not only yourself, but the other drivers and their passengers who are out there.

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