Drivers are dummies

Oops... I meant "Driving for dummies"
It's common knowledge that everyone thinks that they are the only good driver on the road. It's common knowledge that road rage is a serious problem in many places. I saw a book in Coles the other day called "Why we drive the way we do" or something like that - it looked interesting but I didn't have time to read a bit about it. But it got me thinking: it's about time someone discussed in detail the way people drive. It's crazy. I know I'm repeating myself, but here's the truth: everyone has something to say about the way other people drive. Is everyone right? Are we all bad drivers? Are we all unaware of our own driving habits? For several weeks, I have thought to myself every time I got into a car (either as a passenger or as the driver) "Man, I need to write a blog post about how to drive properly" and so now I am. I'm not talking about Young Drivers stuff, I'm talking about real life on the road stuff.

Request #1) I'm not psychic. USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL. Please :) Why should you use your turn signal? Why does it even matter? Well, I won't get frustrated with you for turning right if I know in advance that you are turning right. I will probably get frustrated with you when you slow down suddenly and for no apparent reason and then turn right (or worse, slow down suddenly for no apparent reason and then AS you are turning, flick your turn signal on for 0.04 seconds). In my opinion, turn signals should blink at least 3 times before you turn, but not more than 15 times. If you pass 4 streets while your turn signal is on, I won't believe you anymore. It's like the children's story: "The Driver Who Cried "Turn" ". This request applies turning and also to lane changing. When you lane change, your turn signal may or may not turn off automatically after you have successfully completed your lane change. Once you are in the desired lane, you should turn your turn signal off. Otherwise, how do I know whether you're trying to change lanes or just being too lazy to give a flick to the turn signal arm? This leads to request #2...

Request #2) If you're going, go! If you signal that you would like to turn or change lanes, and the way seems to be clear and I've given a sign that I'm letting you in or I've left some space for you, then GO! Don't make me regret the decision to let you in. "Hesitant" and "safe" are not synonyms on the road. "Safe" means you evaluate your risk and don't drive recklessly and take all reasonable precautions. "Hesitant" means you put your blinker on and I let you go but rather than taking that chance, you just sit there for a few seconds to make sure it's really ok. But since you've hesitated, I may figure that you don't want to turn / change lanes or that you've changed your mind, so I'll rescind my offer. If you're an unsafe driver, you will choose this precise moment to go, even though it is no longer safe to do so. Be aware of your surroundings - don't turn your blinker on and then do something else. If you're trying to change lanes, that's where your focus should be. I've lost track of how many times people have signaled that they want to get into my lane, but I won't give them an inch because I can't make eye contact with them or signal to them that I'm letting them in. I'm not going to spend 20 seconds trying to get your attention so that I can be nice and let you in. Why not? Because that's a message to you that it's ok to be inattentive, and it's also inconsiderate of the driver behind me. That leads me to request #3...

Request #3) Remember that there are people behind you. When you stop suddenly, when you don't put your turn signal on, when you let people into the lane who aren't paying attention and who you have to wait for - you are affecting other people besides yourself. Maybe this point will be lost on many people. Maybe that's why drivers are so terrible. So many people are only interested in themselves. Well, that's not the way it should be, so stop.

Request #4) Pay attention. This seems like a foolish request, but it's necessary. Especially at red lights. I know, I know - waiting at red lights is boring. But they don't stay red forever. Flashing greens come after red lights and they don't last very long at all. Every second of a flashing green is precious. On more than one occassion, I have missed a flashing green because someone wasn't paying attention. We're not talking 40 seconds of wasted time, we're talking 5 seconds of wasted time. Well, 5 seconds of time that the other driver wasted. More like 2 minutes of wasted time for me, waiting at that darn red light. Grr.

Request #5) DON'T BLOCK THE INTERSECTION! This should really be request #very important, not request #5. This request ties in with request #3 (be aware that there are other people on the road) and my request that you be aware of your surroundings. If you are approaching an intersection, and your light is green, that doesn't mean you can go through. If you aren't assured of getting all the way through the intersection, don't even enter it. If traffic is backed up on the other side of the intersection, don't go. Wait, green or no green. I mean, most people say "hey, it's green, I'm getting out of here" and they just go. Or maybe you figured the intersection would clear and the traffic on the other side would get moving before the light turned red and you were suddenly in the way of the people who now have a green light. But sometimes it doesn't work out how you think. If you can't clear the intersection, then stop at the stop line, as if you had a red. If things clear up and you still have a green, go for it! But if not, please please please, don't.
Funny / unbelievable story: I was a pedestrian, waiting at the corner of an intersection to cross the road. Traffic was a bit heavy and was backed up to the crosswalk. This lady came through the intersection and had to stop in front of the crosswalk (while in the intersection) because of the traffic. Her light turned red while she was in the intersection. She was now holding up cars going the other way who were trying to go through their green light. Traffic in front of her cleared up, but rather than go through and clear the intersection for the other drivers, she waved to me to cross the street!!! I was a mixture of incredulous, indignant, and embarassed! I waved furiously at her to get the frig out of the intersection and hid my face from the other drivers, embarassed to be associated with this crazy intersection-blocking, pedestrian-friendly driver. Shocking.

That's all I have time for at the moment, I'm sure other requests will come to me later, but to summarize:
1 - Use your turn signal
2 - If you're going, go!
3 - Remember that there are people on the road
4 - Pay attention to your surroundings
5 - Don't block the intersection

Thank you. I wish you all happy and safe driving :)