In the Steve Jackson game Car Wars there is a well known slogan: "The right of way goes to the car with the biggest guns", followed closely by, "Drive offensively". These two short quips work well enough in gaming but they do not work so well in real life.
Over the many years I have spent behind the wheel I have picked up my own view on "rules of the road" and I'm going to explain a few of them here.
1. When merging on a highway, the car with the most dents has the right of way - I learned this one early on. If your car is nicer looking than the car that crazy guy who is trying to merge is driving just let them in. Do you really want them to scratch your car up? It's obvious that they don't care about their car.
2. People who try to merge onto an exit ramp by speeding ahead of the long exit ramp traffic line and trying to sneak in at the top deserve no right of way - You know these people. Here you are, being a good driver, stuck in a long line to get off the highway and you see this guy fly up the left lane and then try to sneak into the exit lane at the opening of the ramp. They are betting that someone will let them in or that they can sneak in when some of the cars move up. These folks deserve no right of way and should be left to wait, and wait, and wait.
3. People who do not signal - Much like number one above you have to let these people in. It is obvious that they are oblivious and a danger to all within 50 feet of them.
4. The car with the out of state plates needs a big buffer - This rule is based on the idea that the further away from their home state someone is the less likely they have a clue as to where they are going. Because of this you need to leave them a nice buffer zone. This is especialy true in those bad areas where traffic planners got the bright idea to mix left and right lane exits together.
There is nothing worse than seeing an out-of-state driver caught in the left lane, that is now becoming an exit only lane, because they thought it was the high-speed lane. It's even worse when it's the left two lanes that are exit only!
5. When taking a road trip always ensure your co-pilot knows how to read a map - The shotgun seat is a very important seat in every vehicle. It is a seat that must be earned! The person who rides shotgun for me better know how to do the following things:
- Shotgun skills
- Read a map
- Read road signs
- Warn me of cops
- Warn me of crazy drivers
- Know when not to talk
- Be able to quickly acquire any item I request
- Be able/willing to pump gas
- Understand that the visor in front of them is for the driver's benefit, not theirs
- Know where we are going
There are a few more items I could add to the list but I think you get the picture.
image Creative Commons from flickr user Thiru Murugan
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I drive a 98 Mustang & one night while driving on the expressway, I fell asleep!
I awoke to my car just about to hit the guardrail on the driver’s side. It was too late, I tried to swerve, but my car scraped along the guardrail. I didn’t even stop, just kept driving home. When I arrived at home I stepped out to peruse the damage…
…sure enough I had scraped my front quarter-panel, my door, and my rear quarter-panel! Needless to say, it’s not worth fixing as it would costs thousands.
Also, now, as rule #1 says, I am always given the right-of-way when merging into traffic! ;-)
[...] at HMTK has finally turned over his “Rules of the Road” to the public! Thanks Steve, we’ve been waiting for this one. PS…who’s the [...]
6) People using cellphone when driving - They shouldn’t do that when they are driving 20km/h slower than the speed limit and can’t concentrate on the road…
Some states have laws against this now.
I enjoyed reading your rules. In response to number 2, I totally feel the same way. I actually get a little more confrontational than I think that I would normally get. Of course it helps that I drive a larger car. I think that I make it a point to actually block these people. However, sometimes my better judgment takes over and I concede the space due to rule number 1 coming into play.
I wrote more about cheaters on the road, and how much I dislike them.
Does rule#1 take priority over rule#2? ;)
I’m the asshole in rule#2… only because for this one, I follow Brazilian driving rules: Use every crevice you can find in traffic.
Rule #1 trumps all other rules!
[...] Just for fun I’m going to link to two similar articles that writing this post made me think of. Here they are: RT is Still Alive & Steve’s Road Rules. [...]