Nobody’s perfect, especially behind the wheel, but following a few basic rules of roadway etiquette can make all the difference between safe, courteous driving, and driving everyone else on the road crazy. Ease road rage by avoiding these all-too-common driving errors.

Left-lane Hogging

The law states that the left lane is for passing and for faster-moving traffic only. If you aren’t passing another vehicle, you must move over to the right as soon as you safely can.

Whether or not you are going the speed limit is beside the point; failing to yield and let others by creates needless bottlenecks and delays, and it can be a safety issue to the orderly flow of traffic. Moving right and yielding to faster-moving traffic is the right thing to do.

In many states, the police are beginning to ticket for those left-lane hogs. So use your rear view mirror and move over when you are traveling or have finished making your pass on slower traffic.

Rolling Road Blocks

Related to the serious problem of left-lane hogging is that of rolling road blocks. The typical scenario is where a car in the left lane attempts to pass a car in the right lane. Instead of accelerating to overtake the other car, then moving back into the right lane, the rolling road block inches forward at a painfully slow speed and never actually passes, instead just blocking everyone else from passing. Whenever you are in a rush, these obstructions seem to appear like magic. Pay attention by using your mirrors, and if you do attempt a pass, complete it!

If you want to pass, signal your intent, then move left and speed up sufficiently to get past the other car quickly. After executing the pass, signal and move back into the right-hand lane. If you are unable or unwilling to travel fast enough to pass properly (the maneuver should not take more than 30 to 60 seconds), then stay in the right lane.

Turn-Signal Virus

Have you ever been at an intersection and the vehicle in front of you stops and then turns without letting everyone know their intentions? It can be dangerous and frustrating. Turn signals are an important form of communication with other drivers. It is important to use them, including for lane changes. Many accidents happen when people change lanes unexpectedly.

This 'turn-signal virus' has another symptom: not noticing the cars around you, especially around on and off ramps. When you see a car up ahead at a side street, clearly waiting to make a turn into traffic, but you refuse to slide over to the other lane in order to give the other driver room to enter the road, it is more than discourteous – it is dangerous.

Stop Merge Disease

When entering a freeway using a merge lane, do not stop and then pull into fast-moving traffic. The purpose of the merge lane is to give vehicles entering a highway an opportunity to speed up to match the flow of traffic, then to merge safely. If you enter fast-moving traffic going relatively slowly, you risk a rear-end collision. You not only create a dangerous situation for yourself, but you also force other drivers behind you to attempt the same high-speed merge from a standing start.

Only stop if there is a stop sign; otherwise, keep going! Merge is defined as “to blend or make two or more things flow together.”Match the approximate road speed of the other cars, signal, and merge. When leaving an interstate, slow down only when you are totally in the deceleration lane. It’s easy and will keep the horn honking and finger pointing to a minimum.

Wake-Up, the Lights Are On

When you are driving at night and an oncoming vehicle has their brights on, it can blind you , which is very dangerous. The best option is to flash your high beams briefly at the oncoming vehicle to remind them, if this happens to you. If the other vehicle won’t turn off their brights for oncoming traffic, they will temporarily blind those other drivers – not a good thing on a winding two-lane road with narrow shoulders.

So turn the brights off when other vehicles are approaching, or when you are coming up on a vehicle at night. In the case of those new HID (Xenon) lights, those blue headlights you see on some vehicles, there isn’t much you can do but go back to what you learned when you started to drive. The white line on the right edge of the road is always your guide. Stare it down, and you will stay on track. On side roads that are not marked, you will have to slow down a little and focus on the road, rather than the vehicle coming at you.

Use those low-beam headlights!

Multi-Tasking At The Wheel

It’s aggravating to other drivers (as well as unsafe) when you aren’t paying full attention to the road. If you need to make an important call, read a map, open a package of ketchup for your fries, or battle with spilled coffee, do it by the side of the road. You only have two hands and two eyes. Even a professional driver can’t fully concentrate on maintaining control of a vehicle while simultaneously talking with a friend, arguing with the kids, or wolfing down lunch. There are many distractions in daily life, but mixing that with all the modern toys, electronics, comfort and convenience controls, and thinking about driving is a recipe for an accident. For those of us around you, as you multi-task, you are holding up traffic and causing a conga line at traffic lights, intersections, and parking lots. Keep your hands on the wheel, eyes on the road, and brain focused on what you’re doing.

Personal Space

Have you ever had someone talk to you so close that you feel they have invaded your personal space? “Please back up five feet so I can breathe.” Now think about that when it comes to driving. Following too closely means you probably don’t have enough time and space to avoid slamming into the rear end of the vehicle in front of you. The law states that if you are the one doing the hitting, you are at fault. It’s usually more than a ticket, and it also leads to higher insurance costs.

If you are being tailgated, here is what you should do:

• Do NOT slam on your brakes if a car is tailgating you. Instead, tap your brakes lightly once or twice to remind them to back off. If necessary, pull over and let them by – it’s smarter and safer!
• Do not tail gate; leave a "two-second" space between you and the car ahead of you.

The Bottom Line

Too many people forget that driving in America is a privilege not a right. It is a privilege each citizen can enjoy, but one that also comes with an obligation to do so safely. If that obligation is not met, the privilege can be taken away. The government can suspend or revoke a license, depending on the circumstances. What will help is if everyone obeys the "unwritten rules of the road."

Remember, you do not have to obey the rules of the road, but if you don't, you may end up paying the price. Do the best you can. It will make your life, and life of those driving around you, a lot easier. In this day and age, it may even save your life.