How to Be a More Polite (and More Safe) Driver

You're on your way home from work, thinking how your long day is finally over and all of a sudden you notice the guy in front of you has stopped without warning. He doesn't have a turn signal on, and no one is in front of him. You slam on your brakes and perhaps yell out a curse word or two.
You sit behind him in complete disbelief as he slowly makes a left turn without signaling.
Your drive home has now officially been ruined.

We've all been there. We share the roads with unsafe, inattentive, and just generally BAD drivers. --But what if you found out that YOU were one of them?
GASP! It couldn't be!
Take a gander at the following list of the most common driving errors that could leave fellow drivers fuming in your direction:

Failing to signal before turns: As the example above shows, this can be the most frustrating of all infractions, and one of the most dangerous. Sure, you have brake lights telling vehicles behind you that you're stopping, but that's not always enough. The driver in your rear-view mirror may be looking ahead of your vehicle and notice smooth sailing ahead. Without that flashing light to indicate you're turning ahead, you may be setting yourself up for a nice case of whiplash. -as well as a hike in your insurance rate.

I've actually driven with people who told me they didn't think it was necessary to signal if no one was directly behind them. Besides the fact that signaling is also for the people in the oncoming lanes of traffic (thus the front turn signals on your car), why would you only signal sometimes? If you signal every time, even when you think you'er alone, you'll make a habit out of it. -And that's a good thing.

Signaling too late or too early: We've discussed the importance of signaling before turns. If you signal too late or too early however, it's as if you didn't signal at all. Imagine driving behind someone who's turn signal has been on for several blocks. At first you anticipate a turn and perhaps slow down. After a while though, it's like the boy who cried wolf. You no longer expect a turn and figure the driver left their signal on from a previous turn.
You look away for a split second and they decide to finally turn ---BOOM. Rear-end collision.

Signaling too late can lead to problems as well, for obvious reasons. Give the drivers behind you ample time to slow down or go around you, but not so much that they no long believe you're going to turn.

Blocking driveways, parking lot entrances/exits: This is one of my biggest pet peeves. You're sitting in a parking lot, trying to enter into traffic and you can't seem to get in. Finally you notice a red light in the nearby intersection. This is your big chance! Cars slow down to stop at the light, but don't let you in. As more and more cars line up, your chance of getting out gets smaller and smaller. Finally you're down to your last chance. Cars are backed up as far as they can go without blocking you in, and here comes one more car. Will he stop back far enough for you to sneak in? --No. He pulls up, seemingly oblivious to your existence and blocks you in.
Don't be this person, please! It won't kill you to stop back far enough and allow someone in ahead of you. In fact, I find that I distrust other drivers so much that even if I'm not that last car I'll stop anyways and let that person in. Try it sometime. You might even feel good about it.

Thanking other drivers: So that last car DID stop in time to allow you to sneak in! Well that was nice of them! Now THANK them with a simple wave. You don't have to take them out to dinner. You don't even have to smile. Just wave your hand. It may seem silly, but it means a lot. I can't tell you how many times I went out of my way to let another driver in and they just take the space i gave them without any acknowledgment. It's frustrating. Give your fellow drivers a thank you wave. You may feel good about this as well.

Turn into your own lane: Has this ever happened to you? You're sitting in an intersection, waiting to turn left. You finally get a clearing to do so when you notice the only oncoming car signal a right turn. In theory, you should both be able to turn at the same time, as you are both turning onto a 3 lane highway. You begin to turn, staying in the far left lane, but the driver in front of you turning right isn't as polite. He turns into the same left lane you are going for, skipping across 2 empty lanes for no good reason.
This type of driving causes countless accidents every day. Don't be this person! Unless the vehicle you are driving has 18 wheels, there's no reason on earth why you'd need any more than one lane to turn into. Stay in your lane when turning and you'll make everyone happy. You might even avoid an accident along the way.

Freeway Driving: Don't brake for no reason: One of the most frustrating things I've experienced on the expressway is driving behind someone riding the brake. There are actually laws which state you shouldn't brake on the expressway at all unless emergency stopping. Apparently people don't know this. Besides being against the law, it's also annoying. Hopefully you don't want to annoy other drivers as much as you don't want a traffic ticket.

If there is no reason to stop or slow down quickly, don't press the brake! If you realize you're going too fast, just let go of the gas pedal until you're at your desired speed. Please don't brake on the expressway. -especially if you're driving in front of me!

Freeway Driving: Move over for faster traffic: Another traffic law that seems to go unnoticed is the one that states "slow traffic should keep right'. You may see it on signs on your local expressway/freeway. Those signs are there for a reason. Now you may have your own reasons as to why you must drive 45 MPH in a 65 MPH zone, and that's fine. But please be sure you do so in the right lane. -And I don't mean "right" as in "correct". I mean "right" as in the opposite of left.

I've driven all over the U.S. In some states this is common sense and drivers quickly give way to faster traffic. In other states, they will ignore you and remain in the left lane no matter what. I'm not going to tell you which states were the worst (Ahem Illionois! Ahem Oklahoma!)

I used to have a friend down in Arizona who would get behind a slow driver in the left lane and flash his lights and honk his horn repeatedly until the person moved over. He had a high rate of self-importance. I would never stoop to those levels, and nor should anyone else, but getting stuck behind a stubborn driver is frustrating. Be courteous. Move over. After all, if they want to risk their life speeding, let them do it as far away form you as possible.

Even if you already follow all these rules of the road, chances are you'll come across many who don't. Instead of bottling up your frustrations (road rage), I suggest letting it out in a semi-peaceful manner. Online sites such as Platewire.com provide a forum to vent your anger. Call out bad drivers, or check your own record with the public eyes by entering your license plate number. There's even a place to praise good, polite drivers. So, follow the above suggestions and you may get recognition online.

The best part of driving politely though isn't online recognition, it's the good feeling you'll get inside. Corny? Maybe. True? Without a doubt.