#Manners & Traffic Rules
#Manners & Traffic Rules
“Vienna Convention road sign B2a” by Roulex_45 – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vienna_Convention_road_sign_B2a.svg#mediaviewer/File:Vienna_Convention_road_sign_B2a.svg
What do manners and traffic have in common? Apparently not much.
Like most of us I drive to work each day and have to navigate the rush hour traffic. As I dodge those who cut in front of me and change lanes without using turn signals I began to understand why the term ‘road rage’ came into existence.
Turn signals are used to indicate changing lanes or actually making a turn. Seriously… that’s what they are designed for. How many people know what they are designed for and how to use them? Apparently not many if the rush hour traffic is any indication.
Road signs are meant to guide and direct you. ‘Stop’ means you stop. ‘Don’t Block The Intersection’ means don’t block the intersection. It seems really simple, but how many drivers actually read and follow the signs? Again, from my experience not many.
Following road signs and the ‘rules of the road’ are essentially ‘manners’ you use when driving.
According to Wikipedia:
‘Manners’ is a term usually preceded by the word good or bad to indicate whether or not a behavior is socially acceptable.
Most people, at least in my day, use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ as good manners when socializing with others. It seems to me that following the rules of the road is like using please and thank you, just good manners.
How many accidents are caused by drivers not following good manners while driving? What ever happened to ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?’ Do you like people cutting you off, changing lanes without signaling or looking, not stopping at intersections or blocking them? Then why would you do that to someone else?
What has happened to manners in our society? Have manners become a thing of the past?
Until next time…
Geek Grandma
Filed in: misc
Oh Cheryl…this is a real Where's The Justice post! I don't think there is anything more frustrating than having to endure such poor manners on the highway! And like you, I really do think it is becoming MORE common to see bad behavior on the roads. Problem is, I don't know how to change it and like you, I refuse to act like they do. But I hear ya…it's abominable and very frustrating!
I actually thought of you and your blog when I wrote this. I don't think it will change, but sometimes just talking about it makes me feel better. 🙂
Driving has become a survival sport for sure in some circumstance, though Ive found that it really does vary depending on how busy the place is.. I was surprised when I moved to where I now live (a town of only 60,000 people) how polite everyone was, and how much people bend over backwards to let you go at a stop sign. But not so in bigger cities, or during rush hour when people are leaning on horns. All part of people leading stressful lives I think, with too much to do.
Driving can be very stressful these days, that's for sure. I live in a small town with a big parking problem – which also causes stress and bad tempers!
Idaho drivers are still pretty good at minding their manners. In fact, the four-way stop by my house around 530 every evening is a hoot. Nobody ever wants to go because they want to make sure they give each other a turn, even if it means we all just sit there 😉
One negative aspect of a multitude of refugees is that they drive like they did back home. And it's not only a nuisance it's really dangerous.