A Driving Plea

The way people drive and the large number of accidents and near-accidents I see on a daily basis has had me thinking about why this is—and I believe the missing component is concern for other people.

When people get behind the steering wheel of a vehicle they become megalomaniacal egoists. Nothing can hurt them, it is all about them and their needs, and everyone else on the road is an impediment to their ability to get somewhere.

However, if you look at the rules of the road more closely, and even the make-up of your car, you will start to notice that most of the rules are not about you—they are about the other people on the road. Nearly everything about driving is about watching out for, being careful around, and paying attention to the other drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and others on the road with you.

All right-of-way, lane change, and similar actions involve “flow of traffic” rules that are designed to ensure that you know what the other drivers around you are doing before you do something. This is to make sure that your actions do not surprise anyone else on the road. Turn signals are designed to alert those around you to your desire to change lanes, and the reason the driving manual suggests you turn it on for at least 5 seconds before turning or changing lanes is so that those around you have plenty of opportunity to notice it and react accordingly. Turn signals are NOT designed for you to use halfway after you have crossed the white line, cutting off the flow of traffic in the next lane, to tell people what they have already figured out and have had to react to.

Matter of fact, nearly every light on the outside of your vehicle is designed to allow others to see YOU and figure out what you are doing—not to let YOU see better. Driving lights, turn signals, backing and break lights all tell others what you are doing or where you are on the road. Even your headlights have that as a dual-purpose with allowing you to see well. As a friend of mine once said in reference to the twilight hours in the morning and the evening, “Just because you can see me doesn’t mean that I can see you. Put on your damn headlights!”

My main problem with people drinking, eating, putting on make-up, reading, and talking on the cell phone while driving is that it makes the person less conscious of what is going on around them. It interferes with their ability to pay attention to the road, the other drivers, and other people sharing the space around them. It is, once again, all about them. Now, not only do they have some place to be, but they have something else they must do while they get there. Who has time to pay attention to the jogger on the side of the road? I’ve got to turn! Oops, that’s my exit, I better get across these three lanes of traffic as fast as possible—they’ll make room for me.

Consider this a plea—the next time you get behind the wheel, try paying more attention to those around you. Leave plenty of space, drive with the flow of traffic, and be conscious that others may not be able to figure out what you intend to do without some clues. Use your turn signals, pay attention to the flow of traffic, and try to be a team player. I think you’ll be surprised that you get where you are going just as quickly and with a lot less trouble and consternation along the way.

Remember, there is only one of you. But your actions could affect dozens, hundreds, even thousands of other commuters on the same road. Pay attention!