What beeps you off on the road?
Do you consider yourself to be a courteous driver? According to a survey NRMA recently conducted 56% of people think they are most of the time, but what does it mean to be courteous? The Oxford dictionary definition is polite, respectful or considerate in manner. Some ways of being more considerate or friendly behind the wheel could just mean giving a friendly wave to someone who lets you in or not blocking intersections.
Let me put you in my shoes for a minute…
7am Monday morning and I have managed to coax my 16 month old son into his car seat with a muesli bar. I put my seat belt on, turn the volume up so I can hear the $1000 pop quiz and off I go into the peak hour traffic heading north bound along the Princes Highway. “Which artist sung these two songs – ‘I’m Bad’ & ‘Man in the Mirror’. MICHAEL JACKSON. The traffic comes to a halt so I courteously don’t block the intersection and let another driver in front of me. No thank you wave.
Now that really beeps me off!
Having a 16month old in the car stopped me from using a number of vulgarities on that occasion but boy did it put me in an bad mood for the rest of the day. This got me thinking, on what occasion have I done the wrong thing by a fellow driver? Have I ruined someone’s day because I didn’t give them a friendly wave or because I was too lazy to put my blinker on or because I blasted the driver in front of me just because they simply merged into my lane on a day that I am running late for coffee with my girlfriends? I’m sure most of you can relate to this.
The survey of over 1,500 motorists in NSW and the ACT found tailgating (42%), not letting drivers merge into lanes (39%) and slow drivers hogging the right hand lane (36%) are the top three discourteous behaviours that get us hot under our bonnet. Over the last few weeks I have been more aware of some of these behaviours on the road and amazingly I have learnt (deep breaths help) to not get so hot-headed when someone merges in front of me without giving me a friendly wave and I am starting to wonder if my horn still works?
Now put me in your shoes. What beeps you off about other drivers? Do you have any warm and fuzzy stories about someone being nice behind the wheel? Shopping centre car park stories are always great…
On top of the annoying things you have already mentioned are:
A. People driving straight through a roundabout on your left and ignoring the traffic which is ALREADY IN THE ROUNDABOUT!! A regular occurence in Burwood/Strathfield areas of Sydney!
B. Drivers making a right turn from Amy STreet, Regents Park, into Rookwood Road-from the left lane which is clearly marked STRAIGHT AHEAD OR LEFT TURN ONLY, endangering the drivers who are correctly turning right from the right lane!!
C. Motorcyclists riding up between two rows of cars so they can jump the queue and pull around in front of the first car at the lights! I rode bikes all my life but this illegal dangerous practise pisses me off!
Had my say- have a great day ! Alan Kash
It’s ALL about showing some common consideration for your fellow driver. Good/Bad manners starts at home, and ends up on the road, not visa versa!
As an ex-professional driver I have found most professional drivers to be courteous (some Taxi and STA bus drivers accepted). Overall, road manners are of a higher standard during business hours as opposed to peak hour and especially weekends.
The worst offenders seem to be those with inferiority complexes which results in anti-social behaviour. P platers tail-gate and chase everything like a dog, senior drivers belligerently block the road and house wives running late for school pick-up are aggressive tailgaters.
Of course these are massive generalisations but when you spend all day every day on metro roads it’s amazing how repetitive and predictable these behaviours are. Just have a bit more respect for your fellow driver and recognise that it’s much safer and more time efficient if everyone co-operates on the road!
Ten years ago in a village in Tipperary with very heavy traffic there was a truck wanting to make a r/h turn on to the through road. All the cars stopped until the truck had completed his turn then the traffic moved off in an orderly fashion. Can you imagine this happening in NSW? It’s called COURTESY!
When I are courteous to others, it is to make myself feel good. The icing is if others acknowledge it, but don’t expect it to happen. Be confident in yourself that you have done a good deed; there is no need of confirmation from others.
I totally agree that many drivers don’t possess common courtesy,but I don’t agree on the perceived reasons why.Having ridden and driven most type of vehicles up and down the east coast for over 30 years (including emergency service vehicles) I honestly believe that some drivers are completely unaware of their poor choices,lack of judgement and complete inability to appreciate other road users.
Perhaps if ALL licence holders were required to do the theory of ALL motor vehicles regardless of what type of licence they hold we would find that the general populace would have a greater understanding AND appreciation for other road users.
I cringe watching other road users chopping and changing lanes in front of trucks whilst approaching a red light,you do get sick and tired of extracating corpes!
Drivers doing “U” turns at traffic lights, as well as the drivers who force their way at round-a-bouts, ignoring the basic rules, and those who seem to think its their exclusive, GOD given right to park wherever they please, without regard to parking restrictions or how much inconvenience they cause.
I too have experienced the various discourteous acts that others have talked about but I wonder if we tend to discount the courtesy people do show us. Yesterday I drove to Armidale NSW which takes about 30 minutes on the way on a single lane eachway road a P plate driver pulled well to the left to let me past without going over the centre line. As well the driver of a semi-trailer approaching the end of the overtaking lane slowed noticeably and almost stopped to let a line of about 5 cars pass before continuing. On both occasions we waved but did the person see it? I don’t think courtesy is dead but it’s can improve.
Recently there was quite a large fire in an industrial complex at Nth Parramatta and in peak hour. Fire trucks, Police and Ambos everywhere and Church St heading on to Briens Rd was a night mare. I was pleasantly surprised, AND proud of the attitude of my fellow drivers. Everyone without exception was allowing drivers into their lanes. AND acknowledging the courtesy with waves. It made what could have been an awful and long situation for everyone bearable. We all got home much faster thanks to the common sense and courtesy displayed. Lesson to be learned, if we all pull together without grumbling everyone gets out unscathed. And less stressed.
I live in the Blue Mountains where they have been doing a major highway widening for over a year now and it is so frustrating how slow it is to get from one suburb to the next where it is mostly single lane at the moment. The most annoying thing is that when there is two lanes instead of just staying in the right hand lane like the good mannered people many people overtake in the left hand lane and push their way in thereby jumping the cue….this slows everyone down and causes a traffic jam at most of the merges! These people have no manners as soon as they jump in a car because I wouldn’t think they’d have the cheek to do this in a cue at a checkout or similar! Please consider everyone else when you rudely push in instead of staying in the lane that continues.
I have found courtesy still exists in the country areas, but Sydney city up to Katoomba, everyone is in a rush, 1) when lanes merge to one side they speed up to push in from the other, 2) I move over for motorcycles to pass in traffic, (ie;Bells Line of Road), never a wave or nod. Everyone is going somewhere it seems thats more urgent than me!
I guess I’m a latent road-rager. Been driving for over 45 years almost blemish free, and I’m totally brassed off with the actions of some of my fellow motorists.
Newton’s 3rd Law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, so if someone does something illegal or stupid, and I have to take evasive action, I get brassed off..
Baby boomers like me seem to be the most courteous, and green P-platers
( particularly female ) the worst.
Don’t have a problem with tail-gaters – if it’s behind me it’s not too much of a problem. If they get too close, simply slow down, if that doesn’t work, put the hazard lights on – that usually makes them back off. If they persist, brake-testing them usually works a treat.
No one seems to know the rules regarding roundabouts. There seems to be a mistaken belief that the “give way to the right” applies, when in fact a vehicle already on the roundabout has right of way.
Letting drivers merge into a lane is probably one of the most courteous things you can do. Except for those dipsticks who overtake on the left and try to force their way in as far up the line of traffic as possible. Rules 148, 148A and 149 apply ( if you don’t know them, look them up – the relevant bits are that if you are merging, and crossing a broken line, you MUST give way ).
And those who hog the right hand lane simply have no consideration for others at all !
Well for me its simple, anyone comming from the left side trying to merge in by skipping traffic will get “the royal treatment” basically i drive up at the same speed side to side and never let them in.
As for tailgaiters i just stick to the same speed i am on. And if they keep persisting i chuck the windscreen cleaner on and the wind blow it back onto their car.
What i dont understand is, how in europe it doesnt matter how people drive it never gets aggressive. If traffic is slow everyone just enjoyes the slow drive.