QUICK - PASS THIS ON TO SOMEONE WHO DRIVES LIKE SH*T!

Our cities have never been great at driving. We are angry, filled with rage, and inconsiderate. We don't wave anymore. What would it take for us to become better drivers? Treat it like a damn job. Follow the law but also follow the social driving scene:

FIVE LAWS:

  1. DRIVE IN THE RIGHT LANE - unless you need to pass in the left
  2. USE YOUR SIGNALS - let people know where you're going
  3. LEAVE YOUR PHONE - looking down for 1 second = 50 meters of travel
  4. MERGE CORRECTLY - like a zipper, let one car merge ahead of you
  5. IF YOU'RE IN A FENDER-BENDER - pull off to the shoulder/or next exit

FIVE RULES:

  1. CAREFUL NOT TO RUN YELLOW TRAFFIC LIGHTS - be patient
  2. DON'T CUT IN FRONT OF TRUCKS - they take up to ten times farther to stop
  3. HAVE A ZERO TOLERANCE for alcohol, drugs in your system
  4. PEDESTRIANS ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY - we are all pedestrians
  5. Kindly WAVE to people who let you cut ahead of them in traffic. Just WAVE!

As someone who once held driving as a thrill, a passion, I'm now seeing a counselor for driving anxiety after three car accidents that weren't my fault. I've studied the driving habits of 40+ countries, and we Canadians are the worst. We tie with America.

It takes next to nothing to become the Best Driving City in the Country!

It only takes respecting other traffic and an awareness that you control a 2500lb—piece of metal.

Going for a Sunday drive out in the country used to be nice. Now, it's tied up with new developments that put far too many cars on roads not built for the traffic. Now, the fun of a Sunday drive is mayhem, and it's a challenge to find somewhere to drive for the enjoyment of driving.

And isn't that what the car manufacturers claim when hitting us with provocative driving advertisements? They promise the most fun, the thrill in open roads, the Sunday drive, the lure of the backroads, the joyful holiday, the joy of an exotic road. What bullshit... the roads are often filled with accidents or construction zones. The thrill of the open road is gone. Unless we drive right... Go drive your local highways at 3am without the threat of others!

Unless we change our ways, and drive every second as if it mattered, we'll be locked in gridlock for the foreseeable future. We have to all become respectful of others, we all need to know what's happening 360 degrees around us, and we have to learn the weight of our car versus its stopping abilities—no wonder we're so rude. The driving has been replaced with menus and options for two simple pedals. Our minds are removed from driving.

Not that it matters much, but I have an accident-free status after 38 years of driving a 5-speed transmission. I put myself at 8/10. I've studied our local drivers and given them a grade out of 10:

1) New Drivers from other countries are usually the poorest drivers. They won't merge effectively. They don't use their signals. They cut in front of trucks. They run crosswalks. They run yellow/red traffic lights. They're preoccupied with things other than driving. They have no 360-degree self-awareness, they pull out too slowly and have poor timing, and they drive in the passing lane. 3/10

2) "L" Graduated licenses - often learning at rush hour for some reason, and at any time may do the unsuspected, may do anything wrong on the road. 4/10

3) Taxis and rented U-Haul trucks - often on phones and Bluetooth devices, are unfamiliar with their limitations and cannot be trusted to follow road rules or speed laws. May do the unexpected, illegal U-turns, sudden lane changes, etc. 4/10

4) Regular drivers are usually poor drivers. They won't merge effectively, they don't use their signals, cut in front of trucks, run crosswalks, run yellow/red traffic lights, and DRIVE IN THE PASSING LANE. 5/10

5) "N" Graduated license drivers are good but robotic. They exceed the speed limit. And they do use their phones. They do use their signals. They don't drive with respect. They often stop at yellow lights. They drive slowly in the passing lane. 5/10

6) Performance cars, motorcyclists, and delivery trucks are better drivers. They often have multiple licenses or extra driver training - They seem to care about their vehicles. They often use their signals. They stop in time or speed through traffic lights. They merge correctly. They often have respect. They speed ahead to the next red light. They seem to follow their license booklets closely. 6/10

7) People with collector cars, exotic cars, and cars with manual transmissions - are often the best drivers. They care about their vehicles and their driving. They use their signals, they stop in time, they merge correctly, they have respect, and they follow the lessons in their license booklets. 8/10

8) Semi-trailers - are the best drivers. Seldom do they violate common road rules or laws. They are still respectful in heavy traffic as people cut in front of them. 9/10

Me - I'm generally an 8/10. But I try to be a 10/10.

Elaborating on the TOP RULES of the road - how to drive professionally

  • Use your TURN SIGNAL 2 to 3 seconds before a turn or changing lanes.
  • Conditions: knowing that your car slides in the wet, SLOW DOWN.
  • BE AWARE OF THE WEIGHT OF A CAR and your control of it - practice LOOSING CONTROL in an empty ice-covered parking lot.
  • Patience — a few deep breaths will go a long way
  • It's ok not to be first.
  • Roads are not designed for speeding; some are engineered for speed, but our driving is too poor to get the limits raised — LET'S CHANGE THAT!
  • If two cars leave the exact location towards a destination and one car speeds, they get to the destination roughly the same time.
  • Follow the signs —
    WHITE signs are LAWS, speed limits, Keep Right Except To Pass, etc.
    YELLOW signs are WARNINGS like speed around a corner, merging traffic, and exit speeds.
  • WAVE if someone lets you into traffic, WAVE - new drivers are unfamiliar with the courtesy — WAVE!!! Say THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME IN!
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