What motivates most people who drive? I would say it is to get to one’s destination … for most people. I, personally, turn the act of drving into a game. The objective of the game is to get to my destination safely and soundly without (one) hurting – or even troubling – anyone else, and (two) doing it as quickly as I can.
I’m a pretty good driver, if I must say so myself. I have had a couple of spectacular accidents (spaced 20 years apart), and a couple of speeding tickets, but on any given day I think anyone who encounters me on the road would say that I did not do anything to make their driving experience more aggravating, and that I am conscious of what is happening around me. So I feel like I have room to constructively observe some behaviors I regularly encounter on the roads that drive me wild (literally).
First, when did it become common practice to stop in the middle of a road to allow someone to turn left in front of you? This happens regularly to me. When turning into my street, I often encounter a drvier (not the same one all of the time) coming from the other direction who will actually STOP in the middle of a busy road and expect me to turn in front of him. [ I intentionally wrote ‘him’: I have never encountered a woman who has done this, and I think it is a display of modern-day chivalry for the men who do it. ] I’m not talking that they stop at an intersection. I meant in the middle of a road! And every once in a while I encounter someone who stops in the middle of a two-lane road and expects me to turn! I’m also not talking about at intersections when traffic is backed up either. I do expect that people will not block intersections (either cross-roads or at a driveway) so that I can get out of the road as soon as possible (remember my two driving objectives?). That IS an appropriate courtesy for a driver to exhibit.
I think it is an issue of being polite, and in a way, I’m charmed. But in so many more ways it is incredibly annoying, and even demeaning. First, every drvier should be aware that their prmary responsibility is to not impede traffic. Period. So, by stopping to let someone cross in front of you to turn – when you have the right of way – actually would impede traffic in both directions. Cars behind you have to stop, first and foremost. But I also have to wait for you because no matter how nice you are trying to be I am not going to turn in front of you! Imagine if I did, and you hit me. Whose fault wouldl that be? I’m not going to do it.
Second, is the issue of people blocking intersections when traffic is backed up. You know you have done it. I have, too. There are actually laws that have been passed to make it illegal to do it in some jurisdictions becuase it is such a nuisance, and creates a number of potentially dangerous situations. Now, I can understand if one is caught unaware that traffic is coming to a halt and gets stuck in an intersection. You can usually tell when this happens by the affect of the driver or the car (it may appear caddy-corner to the other traffice, or slightly off its intended path because the driver was trying to avoid a collision. But for those of you who make it a habit of squeezing into a space just because it’s open without paying attention to who or what you are blocking, STOP IT!! You just make the whole driving experience for everyone around you worse. And, if you see that someone has stopped in a lane next to you so that they don’t block the intersection, PAY ATTENTION and follow their lead. The drivers around you will take note, and appreciate it. And, they might even follow your lead rather than block one themselves at some point in the future.
Just as bad behavior seems to breed others to act similarly, so do good choices. So make a good choice and be a conscious driver, won’t you? Don’t impede the flow of traffic: either by trying to be ‘nice’ or by being selfish and blocking others from getting off the road as soon as they can. It really comes down to making the best decisions you can when you are driving, and having objectives beyond ‘going somewhere’ when you get behind the wheel.
Stories from the Edge 