INTERSTATE ROAD RAGE -- MOST DOES NOT HAVE TO BE

I won’t define road rage – it takes different forms, most not serious – but I’ll start off with a few definitions, or descriptions:

1. LEFT LANE FOR PASSING, NOT FOR CRUISING: This is a bumper sticker I devised and use, it hardly needs defining. In any case, it is aimed at those who clog up the left lane; they just cruise along, despite the fact that some others might like to move a bit faster, but have no place to go. Sometimes those who do this do it out of ignorance, but many just simply are discourteous and take the view that they “own” the road as much as anyone, and besides, they are “doing” the speed limit (perhaps). Roadside signs are quite frequent: “Slower Traffic Keep Right,” and frequently in some States, even more explicit than that. But, this is not the right “driver psychology.” Nobody wants to think that they are “slower traffic!” So, they clog up the left lane.
2. USE SIGNALS: This is also my bumper sticker that also requires no definition. I trust one would not pass the driver’s test if signals were not used when one changes lanes, but after one has the license to drive, forget the signals! (That’s what most do.) Even the cops often do not do it either! But this really is something for which the cops should be giving “warnings” and tickets! It could make a difference. Often one sees the directional signal blinking in the “ONLY” Lane. Wow! What would the follower think is going to happen if the car ahead is in the ONLY Lane? Even that would be okay, too, if the same drivers would use their signals when they change lanes, etc.. But, often they do not! What is a signal for if it is not to tell others what one plans to do?
3. KNOT: What’s a knot? A knot is what one sees so often on an Interstate. It is my word for the situation when both, or all three lanes (or more) are clogged up, BUT one can see all kinds of open road in front (and back). This is what one sees OFTEN on an Interstate. What causes a knot? Arrogant or discourteous or oblivious drivers who will not get over to allow faster cars to get through! Sometimes this might even require speeding up to pass a slower vehicle or vehicles in the lane immediately to the right. Speeding up? What’s that? Don’t know about now, but it used to be the case that cops who relied on “pacing” to determine a “speeding car” would not count speeding up to pass someone, so long as the car returned to an acceptable speed after the passing maneuver. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Don’t know about you, but I do not want someone “tailgating” me; I get out of that person’s way! Certainly do not put on your brakes! That is dangerous – and stupid.
4. TAILGATING: What is the definition of “tailgating”? The proper distance from the car ahead depends on the speed: It is defined as “a car length for each 10 miles of speed.” So, if one is driving 50 MPH, approximately five car lengths is the “proper” distance a following car should maintain. If one’s speed is 60 MPH the proper distance is six car lengths. And, so on. One sees “tailgating” all over the place, in all lanes. For what? Do not tailgate, UNLESS you are signaling your intent to pass! If every driver would do this, and others would pay attention to this signal, there would not be a problem in this aspect of driving on an Interstate!
5. RACING: When a car driver tries to “beat” some other car over a distance on the road, that is racing. Obvious. But, it is also a kind of racing if one speeds up simply to avoid being passed! This happens so often. For some drivers it is not the “mach” thing to be passed! This can be seen in the lane to the right, but more often it is seen when passing a car “cruising” in the left lane. This has happened to me often, and once I was subsequently accused of “running the passed car off the road”! I would certainly never knowingly do such a thing; that is not only discourteous, it is dangerous – and stupid.
6. WEAVING: I think we all know what is “weaving.” Some cars in a desperate attempt to get around slower vehicles ahead wander quickly from one lane to the other, sometimes crossing two or three lanes without even signaling. This is also dangerous, and stupid. The cops will cite someone for this, if they see it, but HARDLY FOR ANY OF THE OTHER TRANSGRESSIONS ABOVE.
The oft-seen warning is: SPEED KILLS! Well, it certainly can if the speed is inappropriate to the situation. But, that varies! Much of proper driving is common sense and courtesy.

From my observation, the average patrol cop does not “teach,” by warnings/citations, or by example. But, he or she should teach in these ways!

Driving a car is serious business; it deserves one’s undivided attention. What does that mean? It means:
1. Make plans for your driving project, short or long; it usually takes seconds, but should include how fast you intend to drive – that must be part of any plan, always.
2. Two hands on the wheel when one’s car is at any appreciable speed. Tires do fail; they can blow! Professional drivers, when asked which tires they would rather have blow – front or back, they reportedly said those in front. That emergency allows better control of the car, they said. But, I doubt that they meant that one-handed, sometimes one-fingered, driving is the way to go. Both hands should be on the wheel!
3. Use signals to indicate to following drivers where you intend to drive your car; certainly do this whenever changing lanes – and one lane at a time!
4. If you make a mistake, are in the wrong lane and, say, have passed your intended exit, or have made another of many possible mistakes, do not try suddenly to make “a correction.” It is not the fault of a following driver that you made a mistake. Simply drive on and make your “correction” somehow later on! That may mean, taking the next exit so that you can drive back on the same Interstate to the exit you meant to take, etc., etc.
5. If there is road open ahead, do not cruise in the left lane! The left lane should be for passing, unless the whole road is open. And, if you are in the left lane and a faster car comes up behind you, speed up, signal, and get over at the first safe opportunity into the next lane to the right; let the faster car go on. Do not decide that another car is going too fast, or whatever, unless you are a patrol cop! If someone else is driving improperly, shake your head perhaps, but get out of the way and be sure that you yourself are driving safely.
6. NEVER TAILGATE UNLESS YOU INTEND TO PASS (see above definition). If someone tailgates you in the left lane, or if you deliberately tailgate in any lane, that should be a signal that you, or the other car, wants to pass! Otherwise, never tailgate. And, safely get out of the way of anyone tailgating you, if you can!
7. The driver should not use the car phone. If you are called, of course answer, but if there is to be any conversation, and you are driving at any appreciable speed, ask either to call back later, or safely pull off the road.
8. Driving over the speed limit: Those who say that driving over the speed limit is never justified are, of course, correct. If one drives over the speed limit to get somewhere sooner, another can make a good argument that this is not the way to go. If one averages a few miles over the speed limit and thus, say, ten hours later, gets to the destination a half an hour or even an hour, sooner, what for goodness sake has one really gained? Not much, is the proper answer. However, what really counts is: Has one driven safely, whatever the speed? That, it seems to me, is the most important criterion!

There is NEVER any proper excuse for ROAD RAGE! Confine your own “road rage” to muttering to yourself perhaps, but always be sure that you yourself are driving safely and courteously!