You know that driver in a car near you, the one throwing a hand up in dismay, dodging to one side to avoid your ambulatory misdeeds, the one who looks upset, annoyed, dismayed, or hysterical? You are probably the cause of this disturbance. After a two-way 15-hour drive shared with Emblem and Salvo, I have some advice for you. To avoid being the cause of distress (and accidents), please note the following.
1. Be aware of not only what's going on in your lane, but what's going on in all the lanes on your side of the road (if on a highway), or both sides of the road (if on an undivided road).
2. There is absolutely NO REASON TO TAILGATE, especially not when we are not in the passing lane and there are other free lanes of traffic that you could use to pass me. I mean, if I'm moving too slowly for you, being on my behind will NOT get me to speed up - nor will it get me to move out of your lane. Do not tailgate on curves, especially on back roads. Do not tailgate in a bus, do not tailgate on a train...oh, wait. Just do not tailgate, yes-no?
3. Should you do decide to pass me, do not first ACCELERATE your vehicle behind me, closing in on the distance between us, then shift slowly into another lane. This is sheer idiocy - unless you're trying to avoid an accident, you may cause one by accelerating towards a car that's holding steady, or may even be decelerating. You never know when I will have to brake for traffic, obstacles, or vehicle failure.
4. If you have to accelerate that much to get into the passing lane between vehicles already in that lane, you probably aren't leaving yourself enough space to enter another lane.
5. USE. YOUR. TURN. SIGNALS. ALWAYS. Even at night, when you can't see another vehicle around. Pedestrians might be watching your car to determine where it's going. There may be a vehicle that you didn't notice in your blind spot. I don't care if you're 'just' switching lanes, I don't care if you think it's not illegal; it's common sense. Using signals helps other drivers NOT decide to go into the same lane you do, occupying the same space you want to occupy. It helps them know whether you're actually going off the exit or about to pull a U-turn. It helps me not wish I could make you vanish into thin air.
6. If we are waiting to proceed, and are turning onto a blind curve or a busy road, and you are behind me, DO NOT HONK AT ME TO GO. You can't see what's coming around the bend that I can see from my position at the front of the line. You're impatient now; do you know how long it takes to clear an accident? And you are required, in some areas, to remain on the scene of an accident if you are a witness. So wouldn't you rather wait for me, who can actually see the cars coming at me, to go?
7. In the same situation, say you are turning right onto a blind or semi-blind curve, and I am turning left. I am occupying the position right behind the white turn line. Do not occupy the EXACT SAME POSITION next to me. If you do, well done. Now neither of us can see one direction. Oh, what was that? You can see through solid metal? Bully for you. Back up, or better yet, stay behind my car, enough to look through my windows or over my hood to see what you need to.
8. READ RIGHT ON RED SIGNS. Know the traffic laws - for example, in several city downtown areas, it is always illegal to turn right on red. If there is a red right arrow, that means you must wait for a clear green or a green arrow in your lane. Also, do not just slow down or blast through lights to go right on red - that's a stop sign, and it's there for a reason. People spend years programming stoplights and planning traffic patterns; that red light means stop and proceed only if you have a clear lane; not RUN! if you think you can gun it and make it before five cars go straight through their green light.
9. If you don't know where you're going, pull into a side street, or pull over to the shoulder (with a signal), and stop. I'd even prefer that you flag me down to ask directions than that you put on your turn signal, turn it off, put it on again, slow down, zoom suddenly ahead, then slam on your brakes.
10. I wish this one could be "Don't Rubberneck", but that would be asking for a miracle. So, we'll go with Never Assume. Never assume that my blinker means I'm turning into a specific road; I could be pulling over to the shoulder or into a driveway. Never assume that I will speed up or slow down when you need me to (though I usually will; rather be inconvenienced by you than have an accident).
A "bonus tip", if you will:
11. Merging. Ah, the bane of highway existence. The accepted behaviour standard is to allow one car to merge, then go. The person behind you should allow the next car to go. The practice should never be to blow through any and all yield signs, ride between the merge-ee lane and the shoulder at 30 miles below speed limit, force me to either switch lanes and/or slam on the brakes, then merrily merge into my lane. Nor is it to not pay attention to the fact that the merging lane is ending, and attempt to drive either INTO MY CAR or OFF THE ROAD. What you can do is: wait patiently near the yield sign, ready to merge when you have enough space to accelerate AND merge, not just merge at 10 mph, or (and this is only for those of us who can handle it) to analyze the distance left in the merge lane, then hit a speed close to the speed limit while going forward, merging at or close to the speed limit. If you know you won't make it without making people in the right lane slam on their brakes, wait.
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