Road Rage 101

 

You probably would be appalled at the things I say, rather scream inside my car when I'm faced with dumb-ass drivers out there driving their two ton weapons.

My buddy Al would be the first to agree that 85% of drivers out there don't belong on the roads and in my world, if there's a 90 degree bend at your elbows when you drive, you should reconsider the whole driving thing.

I consider myself an excellent driver. Some friends think that I drive aggressively, but the truth is I drive assertively and confidently. 22 years on the road with no accidents is proof of that. Sure, I've had a few speeding tickets in the past, but nothing over 20km/hour and on highways.

My secret? Common courteousy and constant road analysis. When I drive, my eyes scan everywhere in order to prepare me with encounters with bad drivers/cyclists, and distracted pedestrians as well as darting children. I've avoided several accidents that could have been pretty serious in some cases by predicting other drivers' actions. Never assume another driver's move, but anticipate the worst case scenario instead (this works particularly well on Somerset between Bronson and Preston).

Let me share with you what I consider safer ways of sharing the road.

1) You're not alone on those roads. Learn to share lanes (i.e. you're waiting to turn left at a red light - your left tires should be hugging the median line in order to let other drivers make a right turn in the meantime.) You want to be in the fast lane on the highway? Great, because that means your intention is to PASS a slower vehicle and no to become one by staying in it. Yes, I know the speed limit is 100km/hour but that's not for you to control. (It might come as a surprise to some that our 400 series highways have been designed to allow safe road handling at 140km/hour traffic. This isn't to say you should be driving that fast, but it's ok if confident drivers around you feel they can drive a little faster then the posted limit.)

2) If you're driving in a residential area (slowly and cautiously), scan underneath parked vehicles for tiny feet (be them human or animal) that could possibly dart out onto the road at any instant. However, a crossing animal is not as important as the lives of the people driving behind you, so if you must run over a squirrel instead a causing a pile-up, so be it.

3) Intersections: never proceed through without looking both ways, especially when the light turns green. Sacha could have been severely injured if I hadn't adhered to this important rule! There's too many red light runners and distracted drivers out there.

4) Your turning signal: not an option.

5) Taxi drivers are like big exclamation marks on wheels. Their fare is more important than your life. I have no respect for them as they rate as some of the worst drivers out there. Drivers beware around these idiots.

6) Need to make an important or unimportant phone call? Stop on the side of the road to do so.

7) Your brake and gas pedals don't need to be used intermittently at 2 second intervals. If you're looking for an address, then plan your trip before you get into the car or pull over to let the other drivers behind you pass.

8) Drive 100 metres ahead of you as well as your immediate vicinity, meaning, look ahead an assess any bad situation that could arise because of others. This way you'll be prepared.

I could go on and on but those are my pet peeves. If you still want to call me an aggressive/bad driver, let's trade our driving history and then we'll talk...

This is the car I wish I had at times