My daughter recently started driving. This is obviously a significant moment in our lives and something for which I have mixed emotions. While I’m looking forward to her having the independence to drive herself places (and the bonus of me not having to), I also have apprehension and worry as she hits the road.
It’s quite the process to get your driver’s license today – which is a good thing. We successfully completed the long process for obtaining her driver’s license including passing the permit test, driving the required number of permit hours, driver’s education classes at school, and behind the wheel instruction.
Even with all of this training and behind the wheel experience, there are things she does not know about driving. These are the unwritten rules of the road.
1. Left lane is the fast lane
I would like to think everyone understands this rule, yet every day I come across some clown in the left lane driving under the speed limit. I sometimes observe this from one of the right lanes as well. I’ll see a car driving slow in the left lane and a car immediately behind them. The driver of the second car is obviously annoyed and most likely signaling their displeasure to the driver in front of them. I don’t want my daughter to be stressed out by aggressive drivers in the left lane so I’ve told her to keep it to the right and she’ll be ok. If you are a slow driver, please get the hell out of the left lane. Thank you.
2. Wave when someone lets you over
Nothing irks me more than when I slow down to let someone merge into my lane and they completely disregard my act of kindness. I expect a wave of thanks as they merge into the lane. Is it really that difficult to acknowledge when someone went out of their way to do for someone else? It’s a small gesture but something that goes a long way in my book. I teach my daughter to give a little wave of thanks when someone does something nice for her on the road. It’s a common courtesy to say thanks. More people should do it on the road.
3. Do not engage other drivers
I’ve told my daughter not to engage other drivers. If someone is riding your tail or driving aggressive, it’s best to just get out of their way and let them go about their lunacy. Living in the Washington DC metro area I’ve seen quite a few incidents of this behavior. Just to let you know, if you are yelling at another driver and pounding your wheel, you look extremely ridiculous. People are laughing at you. So, if you find yourself on the other end of this and you are being chastised by another driver because you happened to do something they didn’t like, just move over and let them go. Nothing good comes from engaging with a lunatic on the road. It’s just not worth it.
4. Get out of the way when people are merging
If you are driving in the right lane and there is merging traffic ahead, move over to the left and let them in. They need to get over and you could do the right thing and get out of their way. Think of yourself in the same situation. Wouldn’t you appreciate it if people moved out of the lane you are trying to merge into? It can be stressful for some people when they are merging into higher speed traffic. Do the right thing and get out of their way.
5. Defer to other drivers
Finally, you should defer to other drivers as much as possible. When you come to an intersection with other cars, wave someone else on. When you are driving down the road and someone wants to get over, wave them over. When you are in a parking lot and someone is about to back up, stop, wave them on, and let them proceed. When you come to a one lane bridge, alternate crossing the bridge. Don’t ride the bumper of the car in front of you so you can sneak across. Alternate with the traffic on the other side and wave to the driver who let you go in order. Come on people, it’s not that difficult to be courteous and civilized. Be considerate of others and let them go first. Some people will acknowledge it and appreciate it while others will simply take advantage of it without giving it much thought. At the end of the day, you can feel better that you did for others before yourself. A little bit of kindness goes a long way.
What do you think are some of the unwritten rules of the road that you try to follow? What is missing from the list?
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