If there is one thing I fear about being at home away from college, it’s forgetting how to drive. There are long spans of time where walking becomes the primary form of transportation and getting behind the wheel isn’t even an option. So, going home and operating a four-wheel vehicle feels strange.
I get worried my depth perception worsened, and I have to be the one to yield to pedestrians instead of the other way around. But why am I the one who is worried about forgetting how to drive when there are maniac drivers out there?
These drivers are the ones who make other drivers fear for their lives as they speed by and swerve in and out of lanes. And being at home for spring break, they reminded me exactly how much certain drivers boil my blood and bring out my inner road rage.
The list could go on and on, but these are the simple driving courtesies that everyone should follow to make driving less painful for the rest of society.
1. Always signal when appropriate, e.g. switching lanes, making a turn. Push up to turn right and push down to turn left—the easiest driving concept to learn and practice. Lack of using turn signals is the cause of too many accidents.
2. Yeah, we go to Penn State, but believe it or not, there are times when tailgating is inappropriate. Doing it to other cars is dangerous for you and the person in front of you. Not to mention, you won’t get to your destination by riding the other car’s bumper.
3. The left lane is designated for passing, not driving. If you’re in the left lane and going the same speed as the right, you’re preventing others from going around you. Share the road and move over to the right lane if you’re not passing.
4. Headlights should be on if it is raining (or any other form of precipitation). A lot of state laws say if your windshield wipers are on, your headlights should be too. And it’s safer.
5. Never swerve to see why traffic has slowed down. You can’t fix the problem from your car, so there is no point to swerving out of your lane to see what the holdup is. It confuses other drivers surrounding you who are also waiting, which in turn, makes you look like annoying.
6. Speaking of swerving, drifting is equally annoying so use your steering wheel to control your care. It scares other drivers because they think you’re going to hit them, instantly triggering their road rage.
7. Park straight because those bordering lines are there to mark your spot. SPOT, as in a singular noun. Don’t be that person who parks over the line making it physically impossible for another car to park next to you.
Photo by Jacob Skoglund
