Rules To Drive By: A Little Courtesy Goes a Long Way
I was born in 1960. In my thirty-nine years upon this earth, I've observed as, decade after decade, the traffic in cities both large and small has become worse and worse due to out-of-control development, poor civic planning, etc. Don't expect it to get better, because it won't until we get decide to do something about unplanned growth. Until such an enlightened time should grace us, here are a few simple things drivers can do to make the experience a little less hellish for everyone. I've divided these suggestions into three sections: one for city driving, one for highway driving, and one for those items that apply to both. If you're interested, read on.
General Driving Tips:
Keep Both Hands Free:
- If you're like me, you may like to spend your time in the car listening to tapes. Here's a tip: Before you put the car in gear and drive off, take out 2-3 cassettes or CDs that you want to be able to choose from while driving and put them on the seat next to you in full view. Then you won't have to rifle through your collection at freeway speed and risk hurting yourself or someone else.
- Shell out 15-20 bucks for a headset/microphone for your cell phone when using it in the car. Also, pre-dial a number you may need to dial while on the road so that all you'll need do to get talking right away is press the 'send' button.
- Avoid toll roads when you can so that you don't have to dig through your pockets or your ashtray to find exact change while people wait impatiently behind you. I can't tell you how many times I've dropped a dime or a quarter into an accessible place and have been forced to dig for it because I didn't have any additional coins available. This can be quite distressing when the cars start to pile up behind you. I'm really surprised the insurance industry, which typically charges higher rates for smokers -- presumably because they use one hand to handle their cigarette while driving -- hasn't picked up on this excuse to jack up rates on those who drive on toll roads daily. This is a serious safety hazard, and it is my opinion that if we really cared about safety on the highways, we would insist that our government ban toll roads altogether.
Please use your turn signal
For some reason, many people don't place much importance on letting others know ahead of time when they are going to change lanes or turn. Not using your turn signals is dangerous as well as against the law. Also, the whole point of turn signals is to *fore*warn others. If you ease into the left turn lane and only activate your signal after you have entered, you might as well not even bother turning it on. Once you're there, we know you're planning to turn.
Don't honk your horn EVER!
If I had my way, car horns would be banned altogether. I don't believe they serve any purpose other than for irate drivers to express their indigation to the world. (You may think you are targeting an individual when you blast out in a moment of frustration, but you should realize that everyone in range silently curses your name as they jump out of their skin).
I once read that when Sweden banned car horns in the 1960s, the accident rate went down by a whopping 50% in the first year. I've never been able to verify this, but I can easily imagine it is true because I've witnessed at least one accident that I know was caused at least partially by a honking horn.
In general, the only thing that is accomplished by honking is to raise the stress level of everyone within hearing range to include other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and even people in their own houses minding their own business. I get particularly irate when I'm stuck in dead still traffic and I hear a horn start to honk four or five cars behind me. Just what does that person expect us all to do?
Also, when you pull up to someone's house or apartment to pick them up, have the courtesy to get out of your car and ring their doorbell rather than honk your horn and disturb everyone within range. In this day and age, people deal with enough unwanted noise. Your car horn is that last thing that I, for one, want to hear. Particularly early in the morning when this is most likely to occur as carpools pick up their passengers.
City Driving:
Leave the Right Lane Open at Traffic Lights:
When you're coming up on a red light and there's not much traffic around, move over into the leftward lane so that someone wishing to turn right doesn't have to sit through the entire red light waiting for you to move out of the way. It may seem like an insignificant thing, but it will be appreciated.
Let Someone In:
When you're stuck in slow-moving traffic and you can see that someone is attempting to enter the roadway from a parking lot or small side street, go ahead and let them in. It won't cost you but a few seconds, but it could save that person several minutes. I believe little acts of kindness like this contribute to an overall feeling of good will among drivers, which is important in this age of long commutes and road rage.
Avoid DC Stops:
Most everyone has heard of the California stop. That's when a driver is in a hurry and doesn't quite come to a full stop at a stop sign before racing on ahead. Less well known is the DC stop, a phenomenon which I've never witnessed outside the DC metro area but which occurs fairly commonly here. This is when a driver who is waiting to leave a parking lot and enter a roadway stops halfway out into the road to wait for the traffic to clear which, of course, can't happen with the car now blocking the way. This can be particularly dangerous on major roads where people are traveling as fast as 55 MPH, so if you're going to insist on doing it, you might as well just drive off a bridge, because you obviously don't place much value on your life.
Highway Driving:
Leave the Left Lane Open for Passing:
This is the first law of driving and should be second nature to any driver who has ever encountered a multi-lane road. Unfortunately, while states like Maryland and Virginia do teach new drivers that slower cars ought to stay in the rightward lanes, they refuse to write this into law. It's a dangerous practice as it causes traffic to bottle up behind the offending car(s) until, finally, people get frustrated and begin passing on the right, another no-no that many enlightened states prohibit just as vociferously as driving slow in the fast lane.
In my experience, slower drivers who insist on monopolizing the leftward passing lanes are often oblivious to everything going on around them. For example, I once watched a Utah highway patrolman drive 10 or more miles down the far left southbound lane of I-15 in Salt Lake City with his left blinker flashing all the way. I really had to wonder what was going on in that man's mind. Part of being courteous involves being aware of what's going on around you on the road so that you can accommodate other drivers' needs and, in that way, contribute to a more orderly and, thus, safer flow of traffic.
Incidentally, I sincerely hope that the police will some day learn that there are more dangerous things going on on the highways than speeding. Their active intervention in putting a stop to left-lane blockage and other dangerous activities could contribute substantially to making highways safer. Then again, there's not much motivation to get out on the road and monitor what's going on when modern radar technology makes it so easy to sit on the shoulder and read the paper or drink coffee and wait for some poor unsuspecting citizen to happen by.
When Passing Another Vehicle...
Just do it quickly and get it over with. There's no need to while away five minutes of time ever so slowly edging your way past the other car or truck. The longer it takes you, the longer others who wish to pass have to wait. And if your car honestly won't speed up any faster than that, you don't have any business passing, anyway.
When Two Lanes Merge Into One...
1- Don't try to get ahead of the pack by racing down the empty lane and then attempting to merge at the very end. This is extremely annoying as well as illegal.
2- In my careful observations over a good many years, I have noticed that orderly and courteous merging by all cars in both lanes leads to minimal disruptions in such situations. I am hoping that Washington-metro-area drivers will catch on soon.
Don't Stop or Slow Down at the End of a Freeway On-Ramp:
This is not only inconvenient to those following you down the entrance ramp, it's also extremely dangerous. Contrary to what the Maryland State drivers' handbook says, the purpose of entrance ramps is to give you an opportunity to build up speed before you enter the freeway so that you won't get hit from behind by someone traveling much faster than you are. If I happen to be driving along at 65 MPH and suddenly you enter the freeway from a full stop right in front of me, we are both in serious danger. On the other hand, if your speed upon entry is already 50 to 55 MPH, I'll have much more time to react and adjust my speed accordingly. So unless your car can go from zero to sixty in zero seconds, please take advantage of the on-ramp.
Have I forgotten something? Contact me and let me know.
-David Harris, December 1999