My wife keeps telling me that not everyone was taught the same and that I should relax when driving, but to be honest there is only so much ignorance a person can take.
Here are the rules to driving and yes you can say they are mine, but it was how I was taught and frankly they make the most sense:
- On a 2 lane highway, the right lane is for slower moving traffic and the left lane is for passing. After you pass the car in the right lane, get over. The left lane is not for traveling.
- On a 3 lane highway, the right lane is merging and exiting, the middle lane is for traveling, and the left lane is for passing. You do not travel in the left lane, you pass and then get over. You get over early enough into the right lane to exit even if it means you have to slow down. You do not wait until the last second and you definitely do not cross 2 lanes of traffic to exit.
- Do not pass on the right. It is very dangerous because the person on the left may merge on top of you or if there is 3 lanes, the person in the left lane may be merging to the middle lane the same time as you. By passing on the right, you potentially setting yourself and others up for a major accident that could have been avoided.
- The merging traffic needs to pick up speed to merge with the traffic in the right lane. The traffic in the right lane may have to slow up a bit to let the merging traffic enter. Do not just floor it and go and pray, that has to be the dumbest thing I ever heard and instructor say.
- You do not slow up when approaching a truck to let those people behind the truck get over. Just go, they will get over when they can and if that means they are the last car in the pack, then they are the last car. By slowing up and hitting your breaks, you have just potentially caused a traffic jamb.
- If you miss your exit, do not slam your breaks on to exit or cross several lanes of traffic. Go to the next exit, get off and then get back on going the opposite direction. Yes even if the next exit is 20 miles or more down the road. It is the safest path and does not cause traffic issues.
- When a lane is closed, do not wait until the last second to get over and slam on your breaks. Just merge with the traffic as soon as you can in the lane that is open and go. By slowing up and hitting your breaks, you are just going to cause traffic issues. Be sure to always go the speed limit
- Stop means that, stop. It does not mean go if no one is coming.
- Yield means proceed with caution and stop if necessary, not you have the right to merge on top of someone else and cause them to slam their breaks on.
- When merging, do not be jerks and prevent the person from coming over, slow up to let them in and for you merging, you do not have the right to get into the lane. You are to actually stop if there is no way for you to get on or go onto the shoulders of the road. You do not have the right of way to simply get in front of another person
- People in the right lane with merging traffic, get into the left lane if at all possible to allow the people merging to enter the flow of traffic. However, look in your mirror before you go because a person may be coming up on you fast in the left lane and by just going over is extremely rude and potentially dangerous
- At stop signs, the person going straight has the right of way over a person turning and a person turning right has the right away over a person going left. That is assuming you all get to the stop sign at the same time. Who ever gets to the stop sign first, has the right of way of the others.
- Slow up when the road surfaces become contaminated with water or snow or anything else that may cause you to lose control of your car.
- I understand the tailgaters, but stop. You are just making the situation worse. If the person ahead of you hits the breaks hard, you reaction time may not be fast enough to reduce your speed to prevent an accident.
- Stop talking on the freaking cell phones. There is nothing, I repeat nothing that is that important that cannot wait until you get home or to the store, etc.
- Red lights mean stop, not speed up and get through as fast as possible. So stop. By you going through the light just causes the traffic to be delayed going when it is green,
- Yellow light means slow down and proceed with caution and stop if necessary, not speed up to beat the light.
- When the light is green, go. By taking your good old sweet time, you are being a rude as possible ensuring that only you and maybe a few others can get through. So just go and I do not mean go 2 miles per hour, hit the gas and go getting up to speed as soon as you can.
- Go the speed limit. If you are afraid of driving the speed limit, then do not drive or pull over and let those people around to prevent impeding traffic.
- Older people need to be retested often, they are terrible at driving and are just going to cause accidents. Driving is a privileged, not a right.
- Go the speed limit. If everyone just did this, so many problems would be avoided.
- Use your direction signals at all times. It is the most effective way to communicate to another what you are about to do.
- Signals do not give you the right to go. You are supposed to look to make sure the path is clear before you merge into the next lane. If you do get in front of someone, please go. There is no reason to get over then go under the speed limit to cause them to get mad and pass you on the right,
- When driving circles, do not stop in the circle. That is a recipe for disaster. When you are in the circle, you have the right away. Those merging into the circle have to stop or suffer the consequences.
- Above all else use common sense. I have been told that common sense is not so common. Then read the freaking regulations for driving where you live. Most if not all will have the information I have stated above. I know that not every state has all of that information, but think of others and not only of yourself while you are on the road.
Why did I post this, well it has to do with where I am. I am currently in Minnesota and the drivers here are bad. All of them? Of course not, but a lot. You have those people who wait until the last second or those that want to go super slow in the left lane of a 3 or 4 lane highway or those who do not know what a stop sign or red light means, etc. It is very aggravating at times.