Remember the Rules of the Road and Add a Little Courtesy

I think I hear Boston calling on this one.

As a resident Masshole, the name assigned to Boston drivers for our unique and vicious driving methods, I need to take my own advice to heart. Mind you; I do follow the rules of the road. I want to stay alive, after all.

But here’s the problem.

My father taught me how to drive, and the motto on the inspection stickers read: Drive Defensively. As a retired Naval Commander, my father didn’t need any extra encouragement on this point.

The road was an open ocean where he commanded, “Steer a steady course.” And, “If you have the right of way, take it!” Never mind that it was a narrow, two-way street with cars parked on either side of it, or that the other vehicle at the Stop sign was doing a California Roll.

“Teach them a lesson!” he would shout.

Yes, don’t slow down. Scare the crap out of them.

And that’s pretty much how most people in Boston drive. Though I must say, reckless driving is not limited to Boston. We just take the gold medal.

The Dilemma

The problem is, people make an effort to be polite when it comes to other people. But people in cars are not seen as people.

They are seen as other cars. Have you ever tried to cut into a line of traffic, and no one will let you in? They’ll go as far as almost to tap the bumper of the car in front of them. But once you stick your head out the window and ask, they suddenly are happy to oblige?

That’s because you’ve added personal touch. You’re a person now, not a car. You can fight that hunk of steel, but not once there’s a face attached to it.

You can be rude to the car, but not the person.

Here are a few other situations where being polite won’t ruin your day or make you late. It will also reduce your stress level and road rage.

And we already have enough stress these days.

Intersections and Stop Signs

You come to an intersection with a Stop Sign.

First of all, come to a complete stop. Apply your brakes and let the car rock back. Look left and right before proceeding. Chances are there is another person there. Hey, it happens to everyone. We rarely have the road to ourselves.

The rule is: he or she who arrives first leaves first. But if there’s a me-first person who insists they take your right of way, let them.

Trust me; you don’t want to get into an accident with this person and have to exchange information. You don’t want to meet them at all. Wave them on.

After all, they’re very important.

Merging Lanes

When lanes merge, someone must drop back so two cars don’t try to occupy one space at the same time.

Can you say crash?

Be aware of someone gunning to get in front of you and please, let them. It’s only a matter of one car length, and you won’t get to where you’re going any later.

You’ll also arrive in one piece.

Entering Traffic

A car is racing down the on-ramp, preparing to enter traffic. You see them coming and realize they don’t see you. They might not be looking.

You have a few choices here.

One, you can slow down and let them in, in front of you.

Two, speed up, put them in their place, teach them a lesson, and hope that they can their brakes in time to slow down.

Or three, change lanes and not deal with them at all.

Again, you want to arrive alive. I’d suggest you go for number three here. We’re all already dealing with enough crap.

Drive Next to Someone on the Highway

There’s no rule on this, but I hate it. It’s one of my pet peeves.

Hey, do you not see that there’s a car next to you going over 60 mph? This isn’t the Indy 500, a**hole! It’s an interstate highway. Please speed up or drop back.

Then you speed up to get away from this clueless imbecile, and they speed up too?

What’s a smart drive to do?

Slow down. Change lanes — anything to get away from this other car.

Do not beep or give them the finger. They won’t understand it anyway.

That covers some of the situations you might find yourself in while on the road. There are others as well, but this is a blog post, not a novel.

The rule of thumb here is safety. You’ll get over someone taking your right of way sooner than you will an accident.

So stay safe. Bite the bullet. Be polite

It’s worth it.

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