Courtesy in driving is vital to the safety of the public, and most drivers are aware of this.  Driving is an example of public trust.  One cannot venture onto a modern freeway without knowing in their heart that they will make it from the on-ramp to the through-lane on a busy morning.  That feat is not accomplished without the explicit and expert cooperation of dozens of other drivers.  That’s the way that freeways and turnpikes are designed.  Coming up to the top of the ramp and stopping to see if a car is coming is dangerous indeed.

When a driver displays bad judgement and rudeness in traffic, it is with full knowledge that the drivers around him will compensate for his inconsideration, if for no other reason than not to do so will cause death and chaos.  A driver who habitually relies on those around him to watch his actions and compensate for his needs is destined to cause anguish for himself and many others. 

Driving is a dance in some ways.  Drivers are taught the steps of signalling, stopping, knowing when to enter an intersection after a stop sign, not using the horn unless we risk offending someone, obeying the speed limit.  We usually are taught to drive as children, watching our parents in awe and sometimes fear as they negotiate tight curves and lane changes to get us to ball practice on time.  Driving is often accompanied by lectures after a stressful moment, either in criticism of someone else’s inconsideration or explaining the strategy of certain moves.  Sometimes after watching a parent’s frightening driving for several years, a child learns how not to drive.  Childhood is also the time to learn that the driver needs a certain courtesy from the passengers as well.  Passengers need to acknowledge that the primary attention of the driver needs to be on the road.

For the privilege of driving, adults give up certain freedoms, the most notable in recent years being the use of cell phones which restrict the use of hands.  Other laws involve the use of seat belts and speed limits.  The laws become necessary when the conventions of courtesy are not enough to protect the public safety.  There is a basic conflict on the roadways.  We drive so much, and the driving experience is so uniform, that we become comfortable in what is actually a very dangerous situation.  We forget that the power that our vehicles give us is a communal power, and that taking risks with speed and recklessness, even though it may seem necessary, is to rely on the reflexes of other drivers and the good working condition of equipment that we have no control over.

The conditions on a road or street are different every day, even though they seem the same.  There is no way to know that the family next door needs to get across town in an emergency, and under the stress of the moment the driver forgets to look all around before backing out of the driveway.  There is no way to know that the signals on the car ahead of you aren’t working, and that the driver thinks that he has indicated that he needs to get off at the next exit.  Driving becomes so personal and so related to our own needs that we forget the intricate web that keeps us alive on a day to day basis on the road.  The traffic laws are designed to remind us that the road demands conformity with the needs of the public if it is to continue to serve our needs as individuals.

Courtesy on the road goes beyond obeying traffic laws.  It also requires that we give ourselves time to get where we are going so that we are free from the stress of having to take chances.  It requires that we keep vehicles in good repair so that the vital electronic devices communicate properly with other drivers.  It requires that we devote attention to driving as a focus instead of any conversation in the car, and that we secure the other passengers so that they don’t create a dangerous diversion.

No driver is perfect all the time.  A driver’s personality and temperament is more vulnerable to indignation and rage during times of personal stress.  But the odds for your own safety increase if you remind yourself each time you enter a car that courtesy and respect for the pressures in the lives of others is not only polite, it is a necessity on the road.  The best bumper sticker is the one that states, “Caution:  I drive like you do.”