We live on a street where the posted speed limit is 20MPH. Most people don’t abide by it, and I’ve gotten so used to the faster cars that when someone actually drives slowly, I get suspicious thinking they may be casing the neighborhood.
Watching the driving habits of others is not new to me. For many years I traveled major freeways and main city thoroughfares, and I have concluded there are three general categories of drivers. First, are the majority and the most sensible. They have a specific destination, but safety overrules time. They are generally concerned with the welfare of others on the road: they use their signals, they use sound defensive driving habits, they allow other people to enter the flow of traffic from onramps or parking lots, they may even wave at and make eye contact with other drivers.
The second group of drivers believe they are the only ones on the road and their ability to reach their destinations as quickly as possible outweighs any consideration for others. They are obsessed with zig-zagging and refuse to let someone into the flow of traffic from onramps. They tend to dominate the passing lanes, and drive like 75MPH is always better than 65MPH. It would be easy to generalize these drivers by style of car or age, but my exposure is this driving behavior transcends both. One common trait, though, is they become more dangerous if they are already late.
The third type is the unpredictable driver, and I have observed two variations on this theme: the lost or scared drivers, and the righteous ones.
The lost ones are in unfamiliar territory; they watch the street signs more than the street itself, and they become extremely concerned about only themselves. Somehow, they believe if they miss their exit or turn, there will be no way back, thus they will cut across multiple lanes or turn at the last second and with no signal. I’ve seen some of these folks stay in a “must exit” lane clear to the last second them jump left into traffic, and I've also seen others slow way below the speed limit or even stop in traffic to make an exit from the middle lane. Now, if they are also scared drivers, they will habitually drive too slow, brake often, and signal way far in advance. In fairness, these people are probably in this situation against their will and are certainly not the adventurous types who might welcome detours.
Now Righteous drivers believe it is their duty to enforce both the formal and informal standards of the road; i.e. they must be “right” because the other drivers are certainly wrong for not following the rules. You can see these drivers in the fast lanes driving just below the speed limit, and then speeding up to keep others from passing. Righteous drivers will never “break the law,” even if their driving habits impede the flow of traffic. And you will never see them run a Yellow light.
Now, if this weren’t enough, there is also an attitude that can infect all drivers, the thought of “You owe me” or “ I did someone else a favor, now do me one.” An example might be a driver who allows someone to enter at an onramp, and then expects people to move over at the offramp. Or how about the drivers who stopped to assist a motorist with a mechanical problem, and later, having a problem themselves, expect people to pull over for them. These drivers tend to think other drivers can read their minds. (So, how about that Good Samaritan parable.)
Obviously, I’m projecting my thoughts onto ALL drivers, and I do abhor absolutes, but wait until you experience one of these examples yourself. You might conclude that your experiences with other drivers match mine, and eventually we may end up with enough anecdotal evidence to publish our own paper. Or not!
Best regards to all, and let’s be safe out there.
