I drive like a grandma. Friends and family members have been telling me this since I was 16. Not like the elderly who shouldn't be permitted a license, but the ones that drive with caution and don't speed or attempt any swift moves. I guess a mom with children in the car would be a more accurate comparison? Either way, I've never taken offense to this comment.
With absurd statistics that prove driving is a life or death activity, how do more people not drive like grandmas? Every time we sit behind the wheel, we are accepting a huge responsibility and driving should be treated as such. Whenever I drive fast or allow myself to get frustrated on the road, I ask myself "is it worth increasing my chances of an accident to get where I'm going?" The answer is always no. Try asking yourself the same question and you will see.
Since leaving NYC in 2013 and driving Los Angeles roads, there are a handful of "moves" I see repeatedly and don't think people are aware of how stupidly dangerous they are. My husband jokes I should apply for a position with the California Highway Patrol as I would exceed their monthly quota my first week on the job. Here are a few examples of pull over worthy infractions:
1 - Texting at a stoplight.
People claim this somehow is not risky since the car is not moving. False. Texting disorients you from the action on the road. For example, if your head is down at the stoplight you could see the glare of a green light and assume it's your green and start to accelerate through the intersection when the glare is actually from the green left arrow in the lane next to you. I promise you any text message can wait until you arrive to your destination. And if you're using your phone for directions, pull over.
2 - Left hand turn victims.
The person driving through the light is just as responsible as the person making the left hand turn. Do not speed up to make a yellow light when there is someone waiting to turn left. As I'm sure you've experienced, when you are the left turner you read the speed of the car driving towards you and make that left when the light is yellow based on the speed of the approaching car. So picking up your speed as the left hand "turnee" is plain dumb. My theory is, if you can gracefully come to a stop without slamming your breaks, you should stop. But if you have to slam on your breaks to stop, it's alright to drive through that yellow. This is assuming you aren't speeding and the green changed to yellow just as you approached the intersection, of course.
3 - Use your signal.
Not using your signal does not create the same kind of danger as the above, however communicating your next move with surrounding cars is proper driving etiquette. If you choose not to use your signal, you are assuming the entire road revolves around you and your time is more precious than others. If we knew you were making that right turn, we could have changed lanes earlier and gone around you. If we knew you were making a left out of that small side street when we assumed right, we could have squeezed passed you and made our right without wasting time waiting behind you. And changing lanes without using your signal on a congested road is the most self-centered, entitled move of all. What if no one used their signals? Then you couldn't drive like you. The only way those swift, tight lane changes work is when everyone else is using their blinkers. How narcissistic. If I made those same presumptions, we would crash.
Make sense? Stop being an a-hole.
Sincerely,
Sahra
