Curb road rage by minding your driving manners

Gaston de Rosayro

A traffic jam

An emergency vehicle on road

As a general rule Sri Lankans are a relaxed, easy going, polite and well mannered lot. We leave home all smiles, kiss the kids goodbye, give the neighbours a cheery wave. We hold the door open for an early visitor and are the epitome of etiquette. But all that changes dramatically when we slip behind the wheel of our vehicle. What is it that transforms the laid-back, tolerant character of ours into raging road monsters the moment we back out of our driveway and hit the road?

The sad truth is that we Sri Lankans are at the lowest end of the heap when it comes to road manners. There are few things in life I find more annoying than driving in Sri Lanka, Colombo in particular. Simply put I have found that the majority of drivers in this neck of the woods are, for the most part, idiots. I find it so obnoxious that, for the good of our vehicle, our safety, and the safety of others the wife and I have decided that she will do all of the driving in the area.

No, I am not kidding. I think that if I were to get behind the wheel in Colombo I would enter into 'road rage' within thirty seconds. And you will agree that that would be far from being construed as good road manners.

The biggest thing that irritates me is the complete lack of driving etiquette in our nation. I am not talking about people zipping around at high speeds.

That really does not bother me at all. What I'm talking about are the people who disregard any and all driving laws and driving etiquette that is supposed to be common knowledge.

There are certain behavioural norms that we are used to following in regular interactions with other people. All that seems to go out of the window when you are on the road. Road rage is far more commonly discussed these days than driver etiquette, but it is our manners while driving that are even more important.

Here are a few guidelines that should be given to every road user. Always leave on time. If you are rushed and racing to get to an appointment or meeting, you will be more stressed out and far more likely to ignore proper driver etiquette which could cause some serious problems.

Allow people in distress to pull up in front of you from 'no-man's land'. It really will not delay your journey if you let one or two cars get into the line and you will save yourself and someone else a lot of frustration. Slow down. Going too fast means you could miss a sign or signal and end up in an accident. This is not just about etiquette, it's also about safety.

Give advance notice. If you are going to turn, be sure to turn on your signal ahead of time, not just as you are about to make the turn. This lets the vehicles around you react appropriately. Dim your headlights. When coming up on another car, keep in mind that your bright full beam can blind the other driver, whether reflecting in his rear-view mirror or shining directly into the oncoming car.

Move to one side when emergency vehicles come through. It might be tempting to race ahead, particularly if your turnoff is coming up, but keep in mind why they are in hurry and pull over. Let buses cut in. They are on a schedule and you will be able to overtake them at the next stop, which won't take much time off your commuting, but could make a big difference to those who travel in public transport.

Never expect people to guess what you are thinking. It is important to always let them know with signals what you are about to do. Expecting someone to get out of your way because you're in a hurry is only going to cause problems. Tailgating is taboo. There is nothing more annoying than someone who just won't back off, so move back and keep an appropriate distance between cars.

When you walk down the street, you do not walk an inch behind other pedestrians. You leave enough room to avoid trampling the guy ahead and to get around him, if you need to. The same applies to driving. Following too closely means you probably won't have enough time and space to avoid slamming into the rear end of the vehicle ahead of you in the event he brakes suddenly. And if that happens, it will be your fault.

Never talk on the phone while driving. Studies have shown that you simply do not have the same reflexes when having a conversation on the phone and using just one hand to drive. Instead, invest in a headless phone system or wait until you can pull over.

Do not lose your temper. Take deep breaths or even pull over if you need to. Getting angry and giving in to road rage will only cause more trouble than it is really worth. Never block cyclists and motorbikes. They might be annoying, but it is not worth causing problems if they are trying to pass you on the shoulder. Never drive too slowly.

If you are going lower than the speed limit, make sure you move to one side so people can pass you. It is rude to cause a hold up by driving too slowly.And if you are in a traffic jam please lay off of your horn. If you are behind a person at a red stop light and they do not move after a few seconds of the light turning green then a light tap on the horn is not only acceptable but expected. What really fires people up is when they are stuck stopped in a large traffic jam and there is some idiot blaring his car horn endlessly.

What exactly are you going to accomplish? Do you think that the people in front of you just forgot that they were supposed to accelerate and that is why traffic is stopped? In the case of a traffic jam the only thing you are accomplishing by blaring your horn is to make certain toughies search for the sharpest object in their vehicle and head your way. And then you might as well abandon your vehicle and run like the blazes, you chump!

Being polite on the road is just as important as having good table manners. How you act will affect the people around you and driving etiquette will also affect how you go through your day. Being nice to people is proven to make you feel better and boost morale. So it`s a good way to start the day off right, by letting someone move into the line ahead of you during rush hour.

[email protected]