How To Be A Better Driver
Assume they’re having a worse day than you
You may have spilt your coffee down your new shirt this morning, or maybe you left those really important papers on your kitchen side. Maybe you even forgot that tomorrow is your anniversary and you still have nothing for your significant other. Whatever might have happened and however stressed you may feel, take a moment to think about what other people might be going through. She may be in a rush to get to the hospital. He may be slightly distracted coming back from a funeral. This doesn’t mean that your problems aren’t real but don’t take them out on other drivers on the road.
Respect the personal space of those around you
It might not be their own rear end but getting a bit too close to the car in front of you is, nevertheless, unnecessary and unpleasant for its occupants. It’s putting yourself and them in danger and accomplishes nothing. Most likely they'll stay exactly the same speed or potentially even slow down. If a car is tailing you, never feel pressure to speed up! If anything, you need to bring your speed down to give you, and them, more time to react if you were to break suddenly.
Do to others as you would want done to you
A wave of thanks takes nothing but can put the recipient in a better mood for the rest of their journey. Even if they were only following the rules of the road by letting you through, there are far too many people who ignore said rules! Make it worth their while with an acknowledgement of gratitude and they’re likely to pay it forward – make the roads a happier place one wave at a time.
Accept that we all make mistakes sometimes
The first thing you need to accept is we all occasionally end up in the wrong lane on a roundabout or misjudge the speed of an oncoming car when pulling out of a junction. Moments like these aren’t done on purpose to spite you so don’t get defensive. Stay calm, react to their movements safely and carry on with your day. Aggressively beeping at someone who’s in the wrong accomplishes nothing but distracts them from their own driving. If you’re worried, beep once to remind them of your presence, but there’s no need to deafen them.
We were all learners once
Take into consideration learner drivers. If they keep stalling on the hill and you're stuck behind them, do not beep, rev or get right up their rear end. They're learning. Remember how nerve-racking it was learning to drive? Well, just think how anxious and nervous you'll be making them feel if you're getting impatient with them!