39 Folks Online List Driving Rules That Aren’t Written Down On Paper, Yet Everyone Still Should Know
While you wouldn’t be wrong to think that manning a motorized vehicle can equate to controlling a manslaughter machine, everyone and their mothers are trying their darndest to make sure it never becomes such an implement. Sure, it’s dangerous, but only as much as people collectively allow it to be.
That’s why we have rules. And I’m not talking about laws and regulations that lay down the framework to how people should behave on the roads—unwritten ones too, ones that transcend the theoretical groundwork for how traffic should work and explain how to not be a goofball while going from point A to point B.
Whether you’re new to this or a seasoned veteran, check out what unwritten traffic rules (and just straight up pleas) people have listed in a now-viral Reddit thread to help newbies become better drivers in the long run. Or at least less annoying drivers, but that’s also within the scope of the solutions.
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Green means legal, not safe. Assume everyone is a moron trying to crash into you.
Yup, look both ways before you make it to the intersection to make sure no one is about to barrel through
If someone flashes their lights at you, they’re not just a d**k, they’re trying to communicate something. I drove past someone who flashed their lights at me, slowed down a little because I was confused, and just around the turn was a f*****g fallen boulder in the road. I probably wouldn’t have stopped in time if I hadn’t already been slowing down thanks to the guy who flashed his lights at me!
If somebody lets you through, you must raise your hand as you pass them in thanks.
If it’s raining put your God Damn lights on. No matter the time of day
The law all over the US is: whenever you have to use your wipers, you need to turn on your lights.
For the love of god, turn off your brights when you’re behind someone else.
Turn off your brights in town; any time you're behind another vehicle; as soon as you see another vehicle coming from the other direction (if you can see their lights, they can see yours).
Zipper merging is your friend.
Don't be a d**k. Follow the pattern.
If only some of the drivers, where I live, are considerate enough to do this - traffic would go smoother.
Don't be nice, be predictable.
What this means is, don't slam on your brakes to let someone else go, drive predictably.
Also, like don't sit there and wave someone through a stop sign when it's your turn to go. It just messes everything up.
If it’s your turn to go at a four-way stop, then go. None of this “wave the other guy through” c**p. You’re messing up the sequence.
Take the right-of-way when it's yours and don't demand the right-of-way when it's not yours. (Looking at you, people who blindly merge onto a 110kph traffic whilst crawling at 40kph and expecting us to get out of your way. That sign says "yield," not "merge.")
Put your blinker on before you start to break brake.
Nothing drives me nuts like people who come to a full stop on a one lane road, and then put the blinker on while we wait for passing traffic.
Also, your indicator is pointless if you're already halfway into the the other lane
Don’t hang out in my blind spot! Either speed up and pass me, or slow down a bit.
I hate it, when drivers do that. One reason, why not only I look at my side and rear view mirrors, before merging, but I also turn my head to see if anyone's on my blind spot.
If you are in the left lane, go faster than the right. Do not match pace and for the love of God not slower. You will p**s everyone off.
At my old job I drove a box truck or a large cargo van. The thing about these vehicles is that they’re huge and they take a long time to brake. You have to start braking in advance. Additionally I have no view out the back.
What this means is that if you ride my a*s and I start slowing down and you crash directly into the back of my truck your BMW will probably be totaled and you could be injured but my truck will be mostly fine. As far as insurance goes, good luck because it’s registered to my company who will fight tooth and nail to suck you dry of your money. I won’t suffer any consequences, and I didn’t even see you in the first place.
So don’t get super close behind trucks.
WaffleHouseLove27 said:
Always leave yourself a way out …
Soggy-Change replied:
My mom taught me this as we lived near a rough neighborhood. Keep enough space between you and the car in front for you to get the [heck] out of there.
If someone is tailgating you and you truly feel uncomfortable speeding up, simply move over and let them pass if it is safe to do so. It isn’t an ego thing, you’re not lesser for letting someone pass you. You never know the reason someone may be speeding, and if you’re not a cop, it’s really not your job to regulate speed limits.
OTOH, don't tailgate. For every 10 mph you are driving you are supposed to leave a car length of space between yourself and the driver in front of you. Doing this will prevent you from hitting that car in front of you should they suddenly stop, forcing you to suddenly stop. It takes time for cars to stop, and the faster they're going the longer it takes.
Merging onto a highway/interstate should be a very active process. Try to match the speed of traffic and fit into an open slot. Don't slow down to a crawl and wait for a wide berth.
On ramps are to accelerate to match traffic, off ramps to slow down after exiting the expressway (ive had too many close calls w people coming to a dead stop to merge on or slowing way down to get off. Michigan drivers smh)
Assume everyone else is uninsured, on a revoked license, drunk, high, with stolen plates on a stolen car.
If you are on the zoom zoom lane you should go zoom zoom.
If you find yourself driving in Boston, find a safe place to pull off, and call yourself an Uber. Have your car towed out of the city, and never try to drive here again. Please trust me, it’s not worth it.
You won't find anywhere to park your car anyway. Most neighborhoods are reserving on-street parking for residents only. Your best bet is to drive to a station, park there, and take the T into the city.
A light tap on the horn is a "heads up" and not an "eff you", so don't take it personally.
Beep beeped my horn at a lady sitting at a green light looking down at her phone. She proceeds to lay on her horn without pause until I eventually went around. People right?
Don’t trust a turn signal.
To BMW drivers - It’s the orange colour lights on the corner of the cars, usually operated by a lever, stick thing around the steering.🤣
The car with the most duct tape has the right of way ....
If I flash my lights towards you and we're in a well lit environment this means your high beams are on and I'm blinded by the lights of a hundred suns your car is targeting me with.
Also turn your damn high beams off when driving behind other cars, my car's internal light works fine I do not need extra interior lighting.
Try to give other drivers as much information as possible. Always use your turn signals, even in a turn lane. People have no way of knowing if you’re actually about about to turn or not.
Leave the house ten or fifteen minutes early.
You don't have the right to drive like a jerk and endanger others when you're late. That's a "you" problem. Next time, leave the house earlier.
Put your phone away and keep your eyes on the road. You are operating a 1000+ pound machine that has no issues destroying flesh and bones. Distracted driving is as dangerous if not more dangerous than drunk driving.
Kind of Houston specific but don't look at other people at red lights.
People are f*****g psychos behind the wheel and it's best not to engage with them.
EDIT: Check it out y'all. I know distracted driving is against the law. Spare me. OP seems like a new driver looking for advice so I felt the need to emphasize that. Relax.
This: Be aware of your environment. Ive had to go to some sketchy af places and yeah dont make eye contact. Mind your own business but keep some space for safety/ or know an exit path
*Always ignore* other drivers or bicyclists when they wave you on to pass, or to go through an intersection, or merge, whatever.
You cannot trust them to see everything; you have to look if it’s safe with your own eyes.
Even if someone official waves you on, do a quick check.
also, this might be an insurance scam - after apparently waving at you to "let" you pass, they may just hit your car and claim you failed to yield if you were in a road w/o right of way or leaving a gas station/car park
Same thing can happen with indicators. You think they're turning because they're indicating so pull out of the junction. They carry on and plough into you. Who do you think will be blamed?
Load More Replies...We have crossing guards who insist on being traffic cops. NOT while crossing kids, they take it upon themselves to stand in the street and wave me through a stop sign. When I came to a complete stop they yell at me. I yell back that I can't tell the cops it's their fault if I hit someone...so no thanks I'll just ignore you. Ignore ANYONE who tries to direct you unless they're a cop.
Girl I know learned this nearly the hard way. Her, my ex, and I were going to a restaurant, she was driving. We needed to make a left. Person in the first lane let her through, person in the middle lane had no clue. I am very lucky they had amazing brakes because I would have been killed. Then she panicked and rushed through the last lane too. She now knows to just wait for it to be clear
I don't even acknowledge the "nice" person waving me on. I just look around them
Dont let people turn in front of you from opposing traffic. Example: City drivers will get this, if youre at a light and someone from the opposite direction wants to turn left into somewhere dont wave them through. A lot of people get t boned that way
I like to go when there's a good gap but some drivers will not wait and honk like crazy, while there's moving traffic and it's not safe to go yet. Really, Karen?
I take a wave as saying I'm good for that person, not all people or things.
You can pretty reliably use pedestrians if you're merging onto a street with low visibility due to a hill, curve, etc. If you see them start crossing the road, you know there's no cars coming. This is from someone who was born and raised in NYC and drove there for over 15 years without a moving accident (I have had other drivers hit me when I was parked)
Leave room for people to turn or whatever, but NEVER wave at anyone to do something.
If I go out of my way to let you merge, you better raise your hand in acknowledgment of this selfless act
Edit: riddle me this all you nerds who clearly can’t take a joke or haven’t ever driven in a city before — say there’s two lanes of traffic, a car up ahead has their hazards on, I could keep going, OR I could let the car next to me over. That’s when a courtesy wave is appreciated. Cut it out with the Merging is the Law s**t lol
If you don't say thank you ... I am moving over and then getting in front you. Manners people ... or I'm going to kick your a*s!
ALWAYS!!! and I mean ALWAYS!!! Turn down you music volume when you are attempting to locate an address number or street sign.
It's written, but let's reiterate that the passing lane is for passing.
In almost ever state it is a law, it is illegal to be in the passing lane if you are not actively passing.
Always know what's around you! Know what cars are behind you or in the lane next to you. That way, if you feel you have to change lanes quickly you know whether you can or can't.
Don’t cut corners. I’ve nearly had head on collisions because people can’t just slow down a little and turn into the lane properly.
I had the car in front of me back up because it was a not huge street with a semi turning onto it and it was coming through my lane. I had a car behind me so i got away by diving right. And the only reason it worked is my car is so short
Daytime driving lights are not night driving lights.
My car does not have daytime running lights, but I make sure my lights are always on no matter what, it makes me more visible, and that helps.
If you live where it snows BUY THE DAMN WINTER TIRES. It could save your life.
Live in the mountains of North Carolina, and just because you have 4 wheel drive doesn't mean you can go 60mph in 6 inches of snow.
Be careful when opening the door after parking. Always look out for cyclists, other cars and buses.
And the corollary: always try to ride with more than a door's width of distance from parked cars (when on a pushbike or motorbike).
If there is a car in a driving test be kind to them.
The thing in the US is more people have stickers that say ... Be patient, Student Driver. It allows both of you safety.
The best speed is that which everyone else also keeps.
Police will not single you out in a caravan where all are going a bit too fast. Never even heard of that happening in 35 years of driving.
Also, it is the most comfortable speed. Overtaking and being overtaken all the time is stressful.
There’s no shame in being the slower car. I’ve got pride…and a Jeep Wrangler.
It handles like the Red October…just get out of the way and be slow and it’s fine.
Adding a few... (1) Don't go the instant the light turns green. Do a quick left-right to make sure no one's trying to beat the light. I've avoided being t-boned several times by following this practice. (2) When you're stopped waiting to turn left, do not prematurely turn your wheel. If someone rear ends you, it'll propel you into oncoming traffic. (3) Always look both ways, even if you're pulling out to the right. You don't know what's in the lane you're pulling into unless you look. Might be a car over the line passing.
#2 Is something people don't think about, but I've seen it happen. Thank you for the reminder.
Load More Replies...Wear your seatbelt. In an accident you can get thrown from the car and be crushed by things landing on you. The safest place to be in an accident is inside your car. It protects you from other vehicles and objects until everything stops moving. Your seatbelts will prevent you from being thrown from the car.
Former EMT here, absolutely 100% For everyone who thinks "but what if the seatbelt gets stuck and I get trapped?" The odds of this are incredibly low compared to how many lives are saved by seatbelts. And if you are really that worried, keep an 'escape' tool handy. It will let you get yourself out in the unlikely event you get stuck.
Load More Replies...Give truckers four times as much space you would another car when merging in front of them and never merge blind. There's a reason most of them leave a lot of space between the vehicle in front and the truck. It takes them 4 to 6 seconds to come to a complete stop when traveling at speeds greater than 35 mph. At freeway speeds that could easily take 300 to 500 feet.
I snorted, lol. But seriously, never stop for an animal in the road, unless it is a cow or a moose or something hitting direct will potentially kill you. Even then avoid, don't stop. If you stop, you become a hazard in the road.
Load More Replies...I wish there was a universal way to apologize when you accidentally cut someone off or make a similar mistake on the road. We have our horns to show our displeasure & plenty of obscene gestures when the horn isn't enough. We have the "thank you" wave when people are kind enough to let us merge or pass, but I wish there was something better than the sheepish wave that we sort of resort to when we screw up. We've all cut off someone without meaning to, and i think if we had a better way to apologize (a special horn? *Beeepbooop*) maybe road rage incidents would decrease. Just a thought.
We use emergency lights in south africa. Two blinks = thanks or sorry.
Load More Replies...Never put more passengers than seat belts into a car. Always wear seat belts no matter the distance. Had a coworker's son in law pack into a car with bunch of other people. He was the only one NOT wearing a seatbelt and it was "only" a few miles up the freeway (two exits). Well the car was in an accident and roll over. Everyone else survived. He was ejected from the car and decapitated. The wife (coworker's son) was one of the first on the scene (EMT) and didn't know her husband was involved until she saw both parts of him. The stress of that day turned her into a drug addict that lost custody of the kids and is now homeless and refuses to reach out to the family. Seat belts save lives, no matter the distance. Always wear your seat belts! Especially if you're on the highway.
Driving is one of those activities where you can honestly say a little paranoia is actually good for you
I have to do something so please forgive the capitalization: DO NOT BRAKE CHECK A SEMI/LORRY/TRACTOR TRAILER (whatever you call the big rigs). They cannot stop on a dime, but they can stop on your corpse. If driving upsets you that much, advocate for better public transit and/or get therapy. Please. Thank you.
I read a story years ago in my town about a road-raging woman who brake-checked a semi. The semi stopped in time, but the motorcyclist behind it was killed. Woman found and charged with crimes that cost her years in prison. Lives on both sides needlessly ruined.
Load More Replies...My addition: If you are in a traffic jam on a highway or anywhere else, always make sure you can make space for emergency vehicles to pass through
I don't know if it's the same in other countries, but in Poland, we have a thing called "the corridor of life". The drivers in the right lane temporarily pull up to the right, the ones in the left lane – to the left, so that an emergency service vehicle (usually an ambulance) can smoothly pass through.
Wow just amazed at how much we neglected cellphones in the posts. Also the speed at which you're traveling was probably correct don't speed up "just" because you're getting passed don't slow down "just" because you see a police vehicle
Indicate before you move. Not during. Not after. Nothing infuriates me more than watching someone change lanes into the turning lane, pull up at the lights, stop, and THEN turn on the indicator.
Remember, the biggest a$$hole on the road is the one who gets to dictate the flow of traffic!
Where I live they have LEFT TURN LANES ONLY leading into subs and businesses it's a LEFT TURN LANE ONLY . Idiots 24/7 pulling out of subs and businesses think the other person'S LEFT TURN LANE ONLY which they can use as a pass through lane instead these fools use my LEFT TURN LANE ONLY as their drive the wrong way down a LEFT TURN LANE ONLY to get out into traffic instead of waiting or worse they use my LEFT TURN LANE ONLY as their pass through lane to drive about 300 ft down a one way the wrong way instead of passing through like the law states and will stop in my LEFT TURN LANE ONLY put their idiot right blinker on it's A LEFT TURN LANE ONLY blocking me from using The LEFT TURN ONLY LANE. Total inbreds.
When following motorcycles, start to break a little bit sooner and stop further back than you would a car. They have no protection.
Im* reading these as I’m currently at the hospital after having got hit this morning. Not much damage but my car is 3 months old, so more than it should have. Here’s a tip to the chick who hit me: make sure the car in front of you has made a right on red (legal where I live) before running a red light.
Oh man, I feel your pain. My 3 month old vehicle got hit and totalled. I was so mad.
Load More Replies...The law states that you need to use your turn signal when exciting a round-a-bout. That SIGNAL helps other drivers know your intentions
Not in the state I live in or the other two states I have lived in.
Load More Replies...An awful lot of these rules are actually written down in the Highway Code for the UK and I'm sure in other, equivalent documents in other countries.
1) We ALL saw the f*****g signs at the beginning of a closed lane. Don't you DARE zip past everyone else waiting our turns to try & edge us all off. Wait your goddamned turn like the rest of us! 2) If you're in the right lane, approaching a red light, and NOT turning right....GTFO of the way of everyone else behind you who IS!
I have been cut off twice by people on the left going to a street to the right, just went right in front of me to get there and I had to slam my brakes. WTF...
Long haul truck driver here and a retired paramedic. These are all great tips! Only one I would add is do regular pre-trips on your vehicle. Check fluids, tires, controls and make sure all your lights work. And of course regular servicing!
I apologize if I was redundant in above article's responses. And. WEAR your seatbelt. Don't drive buzzed because you are a lousy judge when you're messed up. Always worse than you think. Move over a lane and slow down when you see emergency lights in shoulder. Make sure your car has emergency supplies screwdriver, Fire extinguisher, Shovel, seatbelt cutter, axe, blanket, water, energy food, flashlight. Flares.. in winter you'd be surprised at how empty pizza boxes have given me traction to get unstuck. Keep your tires properly inflated, have your car serviced. Keep headlight lenses clean.. Finally, keep up to date with new driving laws and recheck the old.
Also, if it's -necessary- to break a window to free someone, hit at the sides, upper corners. Window is toughest at center.
Load More Replies...As a pedestrian, always assume a driver doesn't see you until they slow down. Idiots who walk out in front of moving cars get killed if they only assume they're safe because they have the right of way. Recently happened in my city. Two people went flying dozens of feet. Driver had a green light and was going too fast. One person killed, one in the hospital, and driver was arrested.
In my country no one remotely would dare assume that pedestrians had right of way. Why? Because our pedestrians are generally non-drivers, ie people who do not and have never had cars, and so, they do not remotely understand the rules of the road. Anyone who earns more than like $800/month has a car. Our pedestrians run (yes) across motorways (Really!!!) (South Africa) I've even seen them run across a motorway UNDER A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE. It's a mess. No clue whatever.
Load More Replies...My add in is.. If you are turning right and there are two cars coming. There is a reasonable distance between the two cars. You could get between them. There is however no one behind the second car. Please, for the love of whatever you believe in, wait till the second car passes you. Turning in front of the second car is a D!CK move. Don't be a D!CK. Be a DUDE.
This is a law in NJ (and I'm sure in other states as well) but people still don't do it: clear all of the snow and ice off of your vehicle before you drive. The people behind you don't need to be hit with a blizzard or chunks of ice because you were too lazy or running late to do it before you left. I've gotten hit with pieces of ice that I was convinced were going to crack my windshield or enough snow that left me blind for a scary amount of time.
Pilots use a checklist before taking off, and so should we before driving. Otherwise, we may find ourselves taking off unintentionally.
In my country this is actually law. The law is called K53. You have to check all sorts of items before driving.
Load More Replies...Does anyone living in Pennsylvania know why nobody using on ramps yields the right of way anymore? I'm not a fan of "drag racing" some clot because I can't slow down and/or can't move over to the "fast" lane. Or am I just being oversensitive?
DO NOT just ride next to another car going the same speed as you! I'm trying to get around you folks. Leave a space!
If you're on the freeway and a vehicle is stopped in the emergency lane you should always try and switch to the other lane until you've passed them. Out of safety and courtesy.
Adding a few... (1) Don't go the instant the light turns green. Do a quick left-right to make sure no one's trying to beat the light. I've avoided being t-boned several times by following this practice. (2) When you're stopped waiting to turn left, do not prematurely turn your wheel. If someone rear ends you, it'll propel you into oncoming traffic. (3) Always look both ways, even if you're pulling out to the right. You don't know what's in the lane you're pulling into unless you look. Might be a car over the line passing.
#2 Is something people don't think about, but I've seen it happen. Thank you for the reminder.
Load More Replies...Wear your seatbelt. In an accident you can get thrown from the car and be crushed by things landing on you. The safest place to be in an accident is inside your car. It protects you from other vehicles and objects until everything stops moving. Your seatbelts will prevent you from being thrown from the car.
Former EMT here, absolutely 100% For everyone who thinks "but what if the seatbelt gets stuck and I get trapped?" The odds of this are incredibly low compared to how many lives are saved by seatbelts. And if you are really that worried, keep an 'escape' tool handy. It will let you get yourself out in the unlikely event you get stuck.
Load More Replies...Give truckers four times as much space you would another car when merging in front of them and never merge blind. There's a reason most of them leave a lot of space between the vehicle in front and the truck. It takes them 4 to 6 seconds to come to a complete stop when traveling at speeds greater than 35 mph. At freeway speeds that could easily take 300 to 500 feet.
I snorted, lol. But seriously, never stop for an animal in the road, unless it is a cow or a moose or something hitting direct will potentially kill you. Even then avoid, don't stop. If you stop, you become a hazard in the road.
Load More Replies...I wish there was a universal way to apologize when you accidentally cut someone off or make a similar mistake on the road. We have our horns to show our displeasure & plenty of obscene gestures when the horn isn't enough. We have the "thank you" wave when people are kind enough to let us merge or pass, but I wish there was something better than the sheepish wave that we sort of resort to when we screw up. We've all cut off someone without meaning to, and i think if we had a better way to apologize (a special horn? *Beeepbooop*) maybe road rage incidents would decrease. Just a thought.
We use emergency lights in south africa. Two blinks = thanks or sorry.
Load More Replies...Never put more passengers than seat belts into a car. Always wear seat belts no matter the distance. Had a coworker's son in law pack into a car with bunch of other people. He was the only one NOT wearing a seatbelt and it was "only" a few miles up the freeway (two exits). Well the car was in an accident and roll over. Everyone else survived. He was ejected from the car and decapitated. The wife (coworker's son) was one of the first on the scene (EMT) and didn't know her husband was involved until she saw both parts of him. The stress of that day turned her into a drug addict that lost custody of the kids and is now homeless and refuses to reach out to the family. Seat belts save lives, no matter the distance. Always wear your seat belts! Especially if you're on the highway.
Driving is one of those activities where you can honestly say a little paranoia is actually good for you
I have to do something so please forgive the capitalization: DO NOT BRAKE CHECK A SEMI/LORRY/TRACTOR TRAILER (whatever you call the big rigs). They cannot stop on a dime, but they can stop on your corpse. If driving upsets you that much, advocate for better public transit and/or get therapy. Please. Thank you.
I read a story years ago in my town about a road-raging woman who brake-checked a semi. The semi stopped in time, but the motorcyclist behind it was killed. Woman found and charged with crimes that cost her years in prison. Lives on both sides needlessly ruined.
Load More Replies...My addition: If you are in a traffic jam on a highway or anywhere else, always make sure you can make space for emergency vehicles to pass through
I don't know if it's the same in other countries, but in Poland, we have a thing called "the corridor of life". The drivers in the right lane temporarily pull up to the right, the ones in the left lane – to the left, so that an emergency service vehicle (usually an ambulance) can smoothly pass through.
Wow just amazed at how much we neglected cellphones in the posts. Also the speed at which you're traveling was probably correct don't speed up "just" because you're getting passed don't slow down "just" because you see a police vehicle
Indicate before you move. Not during. Not after. Nothing infuriates me more than watching someone change lanes into the turning lane, pull up at the lights, stop, and THEN turn on the indicator.
Remember, the biggest a$$hole on the road is the one who gets to dictate the flow of traffic!
Where I live they have LEFT TURN LANES ONLY leading into subs and businesses it's a LEFT TURN LANE ONLY . Idiots 24/7 pulling out of subs and businesses think the other person'S LEFT TURN LANE ONLY which they can use as a pass through lane instead these fools use my LEFT TURN LANE ONLY as their drive the wrong way down a LEFT TURN LANE ONLY to get out into traffic instead of waiting or worse they use my LEFT TURN LANE ONLY as their pass through lane to drive about 300 ft down a one way the wrong way instead of passing through like the law states and will stop in my LEFT TURN LANE ONLY put their idiot right blinker on it's A LEFT TURN LANE ONLY blocking me from using The LEFT TURN ONLY LANE. Total inbreds.
When following motorcycles, start to break a little bit sooner and stop further back than you would a car. They have no protection.
Im* reading these as I’m currently at the hospital after having got hit this morning. Not much damage but my car is 3 months old, so more than it should have. Here’s a tip to the chick who hit me: make sure the car in front of you has made a right on red (legal where I live) before running a red light.
Oh man, I feel your pain. My 3 month old vehicle got hit and totalled. I was so mad.
Load More Replies...The law states that you need to use your turn signal when exciting a round-a-bout. That SIGNAL helps other drivers know your intentions
Not in the state I live in or the other two states I have lived in.
Load More Replies...An awful lot of these rules are actually written down in the Highway Code for the UK and I'm sure in other, equivalent documents in other countries.
1) We ALL saw the f*****g signs at the beginning of a closed lane. Don't you DARE zip past everyone else waiting our turns to try & edge us all off. Wait your goddamned turn like the rest of us! 2) If you're in the right lane, approaching a red light, and NOT turning right....GTFO of the way of everyone else behind you who IS!
I have been cut off twice by people on the left going to a street to the right, just went right in front of me to get there and I had to slam my brakes. WTF...
Long haul truck driver here and a retired paramedic. These are all great tips! Only one I would add is do regular pre-trips on your vehicle. Check fluids, tires, controls and make sure all your lights work. And of course regular servicing!
I apologize if I was redundant in above article's responses. And. WEAR your seatbelt. Don't drive buzzed because you are a lousy judge when you're messed up. Always worse than you think. Move over a lane and slow down when you see emergency lights in shoulder. Make sure your car has emergency supplies screwdriver, Fire extinguisher, Shovel, seatbelt cutter, axe, blanket, water, energy food, flashlight. Flares.. in winter you'd be surprised at how empty pizza boxes have given me traction to get unstuck. Keep your tires properly inflated, have your car serviced. Keep headlight lenses clean.. Finally, keep up to date with new driving laws and recheck the old.
Also, if it's -necessary- to break a window to free someone, hit at the sides, upper corners. Window is toughest at center.
Load More Replies...As a pedestrian, always assume a driver doesn't see you until they slow down. Idiots who walk out in front of moving cars get killed if they only assume they're safe because they have the right of way. Recently happened in my city. Two people went flying dozens of feet. Driver had a green light and was going too fast. One person killed, one in the hospital, and driver was arrested.
In my country no one remotely would dare assume that pedestrians had right of way. Why? Because our pedestrians are generally non-drivers, ie people who do not and have never had cars, and so, they do not remotely understand the rules of the road. Anyone who earns more than like $800/month has a car. Our pedestrians run (yes) across motorways (Really!!!) (South Africa) I've even seen them run across a motorway UNDER A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE. It's a mess. No clue whatever.
Load More Replies...My add in is.. If you are turning right and there are two cars coming. There is a reasonable distance between the two cars. You could get between them. There is however no one behind the second car. Please, for the love of whatever you believe in, wait till the second car passes you. Turning in front of the second car is a D!CK move. Don't be a D!CK. Be a DUDE.
This is a law in NJ (and I'm sure in other states as well) but people still don't do it: clear all of the snow and ice off of your vehicle before you drive. The people behind you don't need to be hit with a blizzard or chunks of ice because you were too lazy or running late to do it before you left. I've gotten hit with pieces of ice that I was convinced were going to crack my windshield or enough snow that left me blind for a scary amount of time.
Pilots use a checklist before taking off, and so should we before driving. Otherwise, we may find ourselves taking off unintentionally.
In my country this is actually law. The law is called K53. You have to check all sorts of items before driving.
Load More Replies...Does anyone living in Pennsylvania know why nobody using on ramps yields the right of way anymore? I'm not a fan of "drag racing" some clot because I can't slow down and/or can't move over to the "fast" lane. Or am I just being oversensitive?
DO NOT just ride next to another car going the same speed as you! I'm trying to get around you folks. Leave a space!
If you're on the freeway and a vehicle is stopped in the emergency lane you should always try and switch to the other lane until you've passed them. Out of safety and courtesy.