Don't be that guy who ignores the rules of the road

Ok, I know what you are thinking.
"I am a great driver but you should see the clowns I share the road with on my way to the office."

In the U.S. our sense of driving skills is interwoven with our sense of self worth. I often wonder why I am able to insult someones job performance or manhood without so much as a snicker but If I tell them they are a bad driver I am met with enraged silence or actual violence. My theory is that driving is one of the most "American" things you can do and by being bad at driving, you are somehow a social aberration that should be driven out of the village with torches and pitchforks.

So I propose we look at why people suck at driving.

1st- The way you drive is directly linked to the type of person you are. If you are a nice person, you will generally be a courteous driver. If you are an "A" type personality you may be more aggressive on the road than generally is considered safe. However certain people are aggressive when they drive and timid most other times. I suppose that the reason for this is that driving gives you a feeling of power that you can only get in a few other places. In your car you are the captain of the ship and are responsible for the lives of your passengers and other roadway users.

So the first step of being a better driver might be to recognize our own driving tendencies.

2nd- Men and women suck at driving for different reasons. (Warning Sweeping Generalizations ahead.)

I will address men first because I am a man and I understand how we think a little better. Men who are driving poorly tend to be focused on showing everyone around them how they are so good at driving that they can ignore the rules of the road.

"Obviously these rules were written for all the other terrible drivers and the police will only pull over a pro driver like me if I do something really stupid."

Men have driving hubris because they are taught that they are the best drivers and that bending traffic rules is ok if you don't get caught. The safety of other roadway users becomes secondary to them showing off and getting to where they go quickly and with as much elan as they can muster. In short men drive like idiots because they are selfish and do not consider how their stupidity can hurt other people on the road.

Keep in mind that twice as many men are killed in car collisions each year than women. That isn't to say that they get in more accidents. Men simply suffer from the "hey watch this" syndrome and take bigger risks with their automobiles. So my advice to men is to slow down and realize that you are not the greatest driver ever and you don't have to prove yourself out on the road with other people. Do that at home by being good to your family.

Women...You are not the most important person on earth! Despite what your family and society has taught you, you are not a princess or special in any way. Immaturity behind the wheel is not limited to men. Woman act as if they are alone on the road or more accurately, as if they should be alone because they are the most important person and what they are doing trumps what anyone else is on the road to do. They are in contrast to men because they are not trying to prove their worth by driving but rather they are demonstrating their worth by downplaying the importance of all other roadway users.

In short, women are bad drivers because they are selfish and don't consider the needs of other roadway users as being important.

See what I am getting at.

Simply put, good driving is a product of courtesy. If you respect the rights of others then you will be a good driver. If you are selfish, your driving suffers. Keep in mind that you may think you are so good at driving fast or multitasking that your friends recognize your skills and respect you. In actuality they probably make fun of you behind your back. (I know I do)

So what can we do to avoid being "that guy?" It may be as easy as realizing that you are not the only person on the road. Thinking of your car as a means of transport instead of proof of how important you are is an important first step to better driving.

We need to think of our driver's licenses as a social contract that says we will do our best to keep the roads safe. Once we realize driving is a responsibility to be taken seriously, then we will drive with the safety of our fellow citizens in mind.