“There wasn’t even anyone in front of him!” she fumed as we passed the black dually pickup truck. There was one guy driving the truck which was loaded with a bunch of various boards, ladders, buckets and other things that would indicate that this may be a working man. Yet this was not the first such incident of getting stuck behind someone driving slow in the left lane. Yes we are on the road headed towards Tallahassee for our BBQ and Brunch Reunion with a bunch of friends we’ve not seen in years (in some cases). I have my laptop with me so I can get some work done, the kids are in the back watching Shrek on DVD
Why is it that so many people find it hard to observe the, “slower traffic keep right” rule? It’s certainly not that complicated. After all it is about being courteous to your fellow man. If I’m driving long distances I can be somewhat of a fast and assertive driver, but I am above all courteous to other drivers. I zip past people and pull up behind people pretty fast and expect them to merge over for me to pass. But when someone pulls up behind me I try to notice and move over, most of the time before they even have to slow down. Why can’t I expect the same from other drivers? I figure perhaps it’s because they don’t know how to tell when to move over. So I wrote this little program so that people can input a few simple parameters and get back a simple yes or no response to the question, “Should I move over (into the right lane that is)?”
Here is the situation. You are in the left lane (for whatever reason). If you are the only car for one million miles then I guess I can let it slip. Anyway, you are driving in the left lane and a car drives up behind you. Should you move over?
The point is, think about other people on the road. Be courteous. Did you ever think that the crazy guy behind you honking his horn and blinking his lights at you may have a pregnant wife in the back seat going into labor? Or perhaps his five year old little girl just fell on the playground and broke her leg and he’s rushing her to the hospital. That may change your perspective a little, eh?
Finally, in order for you to think about other people on the road you have to BE AWARE of your surroundings. You have to know that there are actually other people on the road besides yourself. You have to be aware that you have a rear view mirror and that you have side view mirrors. Don’t be so caught up with what is going on inside your vehicle that you are oblivious to what is going on outside. Don’t play your music so ridiculously loud that you cannot hear emergency vehicle sirens around you or car horns of surrounding vehicles that may be warning you of impending doom. And by all means please, please, please do not talk on a cell phone while driving. Cough, cough… I know nobody I know does this. If you must take a call make it short and sweet. If you need to talk for an extended period on the phone find a place to pull over and park the car. Then resume your trip when you are not distracted.
In conclusion, it’s ok to get your drive on. But be safe and be courteous!