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Etiquette on the Road is all the Rage when Traveling
Rate it! Votes (2) | Comments (0) By Mommies Line, LLC Photos: Mommies Line, LLC Posted February 4th, 2009 Mommies Line, LLC is the author of CAR OWNERSHIP for Mommies, (2008, Lulu.com)	CAR OWNERSHIP for Mommies

According to Dani Ben-Ari, author of Car Ownership for Mommies, women are among the safest drivers. Still, we need to observe some simple road etiquette when we get behind the wheel. The first is to leave aggression outside the vehicle before turning on the ignition. Road rage has become an increasing problem in recent years, and in some cases it has even contributed to deaths.

Pay attention to what is going on around you and ditch the cell phone and other handheld electronics while driving, unless it is an emergency. Put your makeup on at the office or before leaving the house. It is critically important that you are consistently aware of what you and other drivers are doing at all times while your car is in motion and even while you are parked.

We need to practice safe signaling, parking, and driving.

1. Signaling: Use your blinker ahead of time and turn it off after making your turn or passing. Learn and use hand signals by checking your driver’s manual and watch how hand signals are used by motorcycle riders. When approaching a school zone, watch for posted speed limits and be alert to any hand signals given to you by a crossing guard. Watch for rapidly changing speed signs. Travelers tend to speed through small towns, ignoring speed limits.

2. Parking: Turn your front wheels toward the curb on a downhill slope and turn them away from the curb if your vehicle is facing uphill. Park so your car takes up the center of one parking space. Never block a driveway or fire hydrant. Never park in a handicap space if you are not handicapped. Travels need to become aware of the laws in each state in which they travel.

3. Driving: When driving, maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. Give pedestrians and any vehicle to your right the right of way. Yield to emergency vehicles like ambulance, fire truck, and police. Become more alert during the pick-up and drop-off hours during the school year. Stop your vehicle at a safe distance from any unloading vehicle like school buses or senior citizen vehicles.

These may seem like logical rules of driving etiquette, but we can each likely recall our fellow drivers (and us) not following these rules of the road, particularly when traveling. Travelers tend to have a mindset of being on vacation and throwing caution to the wind. Even women who are supposedly among the safest drivers on the road find traveling a time to let their guard down. However, drivers over the age of 35 are less likely to treat their time behind the wheel as "down time." Younger drivers tend to text message, put on makeup, and even change clothes while driving!

Gary Kusumi, CEO and president, GMAC Insurance reminds us that we need to work on our driving skills “every day.” Travelers wishing others on the road would follow driving etiquette can help by setting a good example, minimizing the condition known as “road rage."

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