Ahhh, traffic. Like bad weather, we love to hate it. But it's nobody's fault, right? Traffic just happens. Put up or shut up.
Well, not so fast. Sure, sheer volume of traffic is a problem in Canada's big cities, but the gnarliest snarl-ups are usually caused by somebody's boo-boo. A minor bumper bashing blocks lanes of traffic and suddenly thousands are late for work.
Yet even if we're not crashing, our driving influences traffic flow. Cue the butterfly effect. One minor but unnecessary slow-up gets amplified down the line, and 20 or 50 or maybe 100 cars behind us, somebody gets rear-ended.
Common courtesy goes a long way on the road, but pro-active kindness – such as letting another driver out of a driveway – isn't enough. Too many of us think we are courteous and considerate while in reality we disrupt traffic through random acts of thoughtlessness, ignorance and self-absorption.
Here are 10 resolutions for 2015:
1. Keep right, keep right, keep right
Left-lane hoggery is reaching epidemic proportions. It frustrates drivers stuck behind the hogs and disrupts traffic when other drivers pass on the right. So let's get a clue. Unless actively passing slower vehicles, get out of the passing lane.
2. Keep left
No, this isn't a contradiction. When on a two-lane road waiting to turn left into a side-road, let's pledge to hug the centre line of the road so following traffic has room to continue through on the right.
3. Signal. Just signal
This is Driving 101, so why is it so hard? The safe, smooth flow of traffic depends on "no surprises." At the very least, failure to signal can waste other drivers' time. Suppose you want to turn left out of a side road, you're waiting for a vehicle coming from your left to pass and instead they turn into your side road. Because they didn't signal, you waited for nothing.
4. Signal early, signal correctly
Signalling is supposed to indicate what we intend to do next, not what we're already doing. First signal, then start your manoeuvre. Example: We plan to turn left at a traffic light where there's no left-turn lane and no advanced green. We start signalling before we get there so following drivers can keep right and not get stuck behind while we wait to turn.
5. Right-on-red right-of-way
We're lucky we're allowed to turn right on a red light in Canada; it's a privilege that doesn't exist in most countries. So let's not abuse it. We are required to stop first, and only if it's clear may we proceed. Traffic with a green light has priority. If my "right" forces them to brake, it's my wrong.
6. Turn first, then change lanes
When turning into a road with two or more lanes, stay in the lane that matches the direction of your turn (for example, left lane when turning left). Then, as a separate manoeuvre, you can signal and change lanes (this resolution directed with special venom for those drivers who keep cutting off my 16-year-old learner driver when he tries to do this correctly).
7. Don't dither, don't dawdle
Canada has some of the world's lowest speed limits. In good conditions there is no reason to drive even slower. Failure to keep up with traffic (or at least the speed limit) is downright anti-social if it unreasonably delays other drivers or, for example, causes them to miss a green light.
8. Pick a speed and stick to it
It's maddening to be behind a driver who randomly varies their speed. And in heavy traffic, needless speed variations trigger the concertina effect that results in stop-and-go congestion. If we have cruise control, let's use it more.
9. Green means go
Some green lights, advanced greens especially, last only a few seconds. Let's not make drivers behind us miss their chance because we were too slow off the mark when the light turned green.
10. My mistake, my problem
Suddenly I find myself in the wrong lane for where I want to go. Too bad. I don't have the right to obstruct and delay other traffic just so I can get over to that other lane right now! Instead, I will go with the flow until I find a safe place to turn around and try again.