So you’re driving down the Deerfoot or other highway and another car is too close to your bumper. You look in your rearview mirror and the car is just staying there right behind you and even getting closer. The driver wants you to go faster or even better, get out of their way. Immediately you become uncomfortable and maybe a little angry. What do you do? I’ll tell you what my first instinct is, what I want to do. I want to roll down my window and yell at the person. Get off my bumper!! Or I want to slam on my brakes and give them a scare as a warning. As a rule, I never make rude gestures but if I did, I might want to give them the finger. Or I’d like to speed up and show them I’m a faster driver than they are.
These are all bad ideas. For one, your emotions are running high and when that happens you are not being a safe driver. And two, if you do give in and do any of these things, the other driver will also get angry and then they too will be unsafe.
Big huge emotions like anger toward another driver are DANGEROUS. Lives are at stakes when you are being unsafe behind the wheel. Your life and other people’s lives. Innocent lives. And guess what? No temporary satisfaction like speeding up, slamming on the brakes, giving the finger is EVER worth it.
Much, much better is to take a deep breath and change lanes and get out of their way. Let them speed and be in a hurry for their own funeral if they want. Your life and other innocent lives are not worth losing over such trivialities.
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