Someone told me that March was going to be the coldest month. I’m fairly certain at this point that they lied to me. The weather is gorgeous, the snow is melting, and almost all of my pants are covered with dried mud splash up to the knees. So let’s take this opportunity to talk about some simple driving etiquette. One would think manners are fairly common sense, but apparently not to everyone.
Let’s go with the easiest ones first. If there is muddy water everywhere because of melting snow, it’s safe to say that pedestrians are undertaking a perilous journey. They’re navigating lagoons of sludge up to five feet wide and jumping across those mini lakes like it’s an Olympic sporting event. It really does not help when they’re waiting patiently by the side of the road – at a crosswalk – and people just speed by, uncaring that their wheels are baptizing those individuals in mucky waters. If you’re in a car, you automatically have an advantage. Slow down and let pedestrians cross. Simple.
Then there’s reversing out of parking spots. I thought anyone with a license would know this, but apparently that’s not the case. When you’re reversing out of a spot, it’s your responsibility to check your rearview mirror. You’re not royalty, so you shouldn’t be expecting everyone in the parking lot and beyond to wait for your non-royal self to pull out of the spot. Check your rearview mirror and if you see someone coming, stop. Don’t try to beat them by reversing faster. That’s how accidents happen.
Then there are the people who refuse to let you into the lane. It’s not the lineup for Dairy Queen, people; there is no ice cream at the end. When you’re on the road, there’s no such thing as “butting in front,” so just slow down if you see someone indicating (or speed up, depending on the circumstances) to get into your lane. I’ve missed more than a few exits just because people refuse to open up and let me into the lane.
Since we’re on the topic, let’s stay in this lane for a while longer (pun intended). The left lane is unofficially designated for passing. If you’re happy that lane is moving faster, don’t jump into it and sit there with your below-average speed. It was moving faster for a reason, not for your Royal Slowness to go and bog it down with your feather-foot driving.
Moving on. Speed limits. They’re there for a reason. This isn’t about speeding; I’d be a hypocrite if I tried lecturing someone about going too fast. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t say something about people who drive too slow. You may think you’re not doing something as dangerous as speeding, but it doesn’t mean you’re not doing something that isn’t vastly aggravating to all the people behind you who are building up high amounts of road rage. I get that you’re trying to drive safely, but you can do that and still go the speed limit. Here’s a hint: if you look in your rearview mirror and see a mile-long line of cars driving bumper to bumper and there’s no one in front of you, chances are you’re going too slow. Bonus hint: if you look at your speedometer and the number you see is lower than the number on that nifty little speed limit sign on the side of the road, you’re probably going too slow.
The flip side of that is fairly obvious: tailgating. Don’t be one of those people. These are the people who are constantly in a rush, even if they have nothing better to do than watch Netflix in their pajamas with a bowl of Captain Crunch. If you’re tailgating someone who’s going the speed limit, you’re being rude. Now obviously in Saskatchewan, things can be a bit different because when tailgating is happening, it usually means that person is waiting for an opportunity to pass the person in front on the highway. Fine, I get it. It makes passing easier. But here’s a little rule I employ to make sure I don’t become that tailgating jerk: if you’re riding bumper to bumper with that person for longer than one to two minutes, back up a bit. It’s extremely easy to just wait for a better opportunity to pass. Nobody likes it when someone else is riding his or her tail for too long, especially when it’s at night. The lights are blinding and incessantly annoying.
Lastly, we come to a stop at a mildly irritating observance some people fail to adhere to: acknowledging. If you see a driver following my aforementioned advice and slowing down to let you cross the street, stick up your hand and give a little wave. It’s just a polite way to show that you’re acknowledging their act of kindness. Likewise, if a driver lets you cut in front or waits for you to pull onto the road ahead of him or her, raise your hand in front of your rearview mirror. It’s driver language for THANK YOU. It’s not hard – you don’t even have to smile if you don’t want to – but it’s called being polite.
Be polite, people.
