10 Things That Will Make Other Drivers Happy

These 10 simple steps will not only keep the drivers around you happy, they’ll also help you stay safe.

1. Not tailgating. Always keep at least one car length per ten miles per hour from the car in front of you. This rule is not only a courteous one, but a safe one as well.

2. Be mindful of your lights. When on small rural streets with few streetlights, remember to turn off your high beams whenever a car approaches from the oncoming lane. Leaving your brights on can partially blind the driver and cause an accident.

3. Help other cars merge. Cars attempting to merge onto a highway are required to yield to the cars already on the highway, but that doesn’t mean you should make things difficult for them if you have the room to get over safely.

4. Keep the left lane clear. The farthest left lane of the highway is intended for passing only. Unless there’s an emergency, do not drive in this lane for extended periods of time. Try not to stay in this lane any longer than necessary so as to not annoy other drivers who wish to use it for passing.

5. Come to a complete stop. If approaching a stop sign, the law says to stop for 3 seconds before proceeding. The “rolling stop” is illegal and annoying to other drivers and pedestrians.

6. Keep your music at a normal level. Don’t be that driver who has their stereo turned up so loud that five cars behind you can hear it. This can cause a distraction and possibly an accident, not to mention that it’s incredibly annoying. If it’s a beautiful day and your windows are down, other drivers will appreciate being able to hear themselves think.

7. Be a good parking neighbor. Your car only requires one parking spot, so please use just one. If parking on a street curb, please pull up as close to the car in front of you without boxing them in. When parking in a parking lot, check to make sure you are parked between the two white lines indicating your individual spot. Make sure that the cars on either side of yours have ample room for the driver and passenger to get into their cars.

8. Keep your car maintained. No one likes to be stuck behind a car expelling a dark smelly cloud of exhaust fumes from its tailpipe. It’s disgusting and illegal. If your car begins to have this problem, get it repaired ASAP. No one wants to breath that in, including you.

9. Strap that mattress down. If you are carrying anything with flight potential in your truck bed, strap it down securely before driving. A 2004 report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found that more than 25,000 accidents a year are caused by litter that is dumped by motorists or falls out of vehicles. If your king-sized mattress is larger than your car, go rent a U-Haul. No one likes to drive behind the 2-door sedan whose driver has an arm out the window trying to hold that Sealy down.

10. Don’t block the intersection. One of the biggest pet peeves for drivers is not being able to go at a green light because the cross traffic is blocking the intersection. If traffic is jammed and your light is green, don’t proceed unless you can make it completely through the intersection.