Are you a conscientious motorist? Do you actually think about other motorists you share the road with? Many people whom I’ve met claim that they are very safe drivers. But are they being conscientious?
People who claim to drive safe are usually some of the slowest drivers on the road, who pay no regard to the average overall speed of the traffic. If the average overall speed is say, 60 kph but the driver prefers to maintain a constant 40 kph, he or she is not only holding up traffic, and with it, commerce, industry, fresh produce, and lives are being held back. These so-called safe drivers only care about themselves, and smugly sit behind the wheel of their car while holding up traffic because they think that by driving slow, they are driving safe. Tip for you safe drivers: keep up with the overall speed of traffic. If it’s 60 kph, then stay as close to that speed as possible. On the open highway, stay as close as possible to the posted top speed limit. By driving slow, you’re holding up traffic, which will cause irritation, annoyance and potentially, road rage. In bumper to bumper traffic, maintain a steady gap to the car ahead of you. If you keep allowing enough space for cars to overtake you, you’re not being conscientious, and are most likely annoying motorists behind you.
Are you hogging/straddling two lanes when you drive? The lines are meant as a guide, that you stay as close as possible to the middle of the two lines on your lane. Hog/straddle these two lines, and you’re keeping traffic from flowing freely. When coming up to an intersection and you see that the other lane is a turn anytime with caution lane, yet you are going straight, don’t park your car there, line up behind the rest of the traffic. If you stay there, you block people turning, you block traffic.
Are you letting of passengers on the road? Don’t just stop anywhere, especially near an intersection. Stay at least 10 meters away (about 2.5 car lengths, preferably a longer distance) before stopping to let passengers out, and please, don’t just stop all of a sudden in the middle of the road.
Did you suffer a flat or your car stalled? Don’t try performing road-side repairs on the middle of the road. Move your car to the outside (right-most side) shoulder of the road. If you can’t do it, ask by-standers for help in moving your car. And if the car is inoperable, leave the car there, lock it up, secure your valuables and walk away to prevent possible risk or injury on your part. In both cases, set-up your reflective early warning triangle and turn on your car’s emergency hazard lamps if possible. The whole point here is to move your vehicle away from the flow of traffic so as not to impede/block/hamper the flow of traffic. If you can’t do it, then avoid creating another accident on the road by staying away from your vehicle.
How about parking? Do you take care to park exactly in the middle of the two lines and park as far back/far forward as possible? Ideally, you only stop when your car’s tires touch the wheel stops in a parking lot such as the mall, or when parallel parking, as close as possible to the curb. Then fold your mirrors. The point here again is to create as much space as possible for cars and pedestrians when passing near your car. If your car’s nose is sticking out on a parking lot, it will most likely get hit by a passing car. If your car is too far from the curb on a street-side parking area, passing cars might also side-swipe your vehicle, which is why it’s important to fold your side mirrors. And you should park as close to the middle of your parking slot as possible as this serves two purposes: There are less chances of someone dinging his/her doors against your own car’s doors, and of course, it makes entry and exit easier for the other cars parked beside you. On a smaller note, when you park your car, make sure the wheels are straight. It’s really irritating when you’re rushing, all dressed up, and your pants or legs snag the tires of a car because they are sticking out and you get dirt, mud, gunk, sand or worse, tar/asphalt with some tire black thrown in for good measure on your pants or legs.
My whole point is, thinking you drive safe tends to make you selfish on the road in that you think only about yourself and fail to anticipate that other people move at a different pace or require more space than you while driving, which is something we all need to respect. By being conscientious to other people, you give these people respect and you aren’t just driving safely, but you are making your entire driving environment safer as well. Of course, ensuring that your car is in tip-top shape is just as important because it’s less prone to breaking down, which causes traffic and annoys the hell out of more people. Don’t just drive safe, drive conscientiously.