Being a selfish driver hurts you too

We often find ourselves in traffic jams from time to time. We all know that in rush hour no one is really rushing anywhere. There are often too many vehicles for the road to handle. Think of it as the same as a crowded hallway. Too many people walking in the same direction will often mean you have to walk slower.

Some of the slowdowns we experience are caused by selfish, unobservant and unthinking drivers. Maneuvering a large truck takes a lot of talent, skill and patience; especially while trying to back it up. This will often mean the patience of other drivers will be needed to help the truck driver maneuver safely and effectively in smaller spaces.

This unlucky truck driver had to stop reversing into their space because a selfish driver stopped right up to his truck. The driver of the truck then honked a couple of times to try to get the driver of the small car to reverse and give him more space. The driver of the car reversed – roughly 1 car length – which wasn’t near enough to help. Why on earth couldn’t the driver of the small car realize the truck driver needed more room to maneuver the truck while in reverse? Did they care? Were they in that much of a hurry? Did they even notice the truck had to use more space to back up?

Luckily, the driver of the van, which was behind the small car left more than enough space for that car to back up. After a few minutes – not a few seconds – the driver backed up enough to let the truck driver continue their maneuver.

This selfish driver caused a traffic jam for a longer than necessary amount of time. Traffic was backed up for a number of blocks because of this. I’m sure a few drivers ended up feeling a little annoyed and frustrated because of this. Looking ahead, thinking ahead and anticipating the actions of other drivers are important skills that every driver needs. Being cooperative in traffic can also help you save time in the long run.

If the driver of the small car had recognized what the truck driver was trying to do, they could have slowed early and left extra space between them and the truck. That would have ultimately reduced the amount of time the truck driver needed to reverse into the space.

Think ahead and respond to problems early and cooperatively. Stop being a selfish driver. It only hurts you in the long run.