Malaysian Drivers, Which Ones Are You?
More and more people are on the road nowadays compared to 50 years ago. Our parents will tell you ' When we were in school, we used to cycle our way there. There were no buses to school and our parents don't send us to school'.
Yeap. That was way before schools had to come up with a road system just to address the traffic we cause sending our kids to school. And mind you, this is also after some kids are packed in school buses to get there.
Driving or riding a vehicle nowadays is not a privilege, it has become a necessity.
Because everybody needs a car, every person is on the road in one! ( excluding the public transporters of course). So driving schools flog the town, passing everybody who can pass the theory and driving test.
But it is not their fault that we have so many personalities on the road, some to our advantage, but most just give us a hard time.
The journey to becoming a good driver starts after the test. Yes, I said that!
With many years of driving, not everybody gets better at it, some people do not advance, and some regress.
They regress with having kids in the car ( extra cautious and making other drivers go nuts) and with age ( hearing impairment, cataracts, reflexes) just to name a few factors.
1. SAYA PANDANG STRAIGHT SAJA.
Are you the driver that does not make use your peripheral vision? That you only look to the front, but do not use your side mirrors or the rear view mirrors? If you're not sure, then maybe you are one of those that never sees a car coming from the side, or the car behind you that's been flashing multiple times to make you get out of their way.
Solution: Those mirrors are there for a reason, and it is for you to use it. Yes it is important to look at where you are going and the traffic in front of you, but it is also equally important to be able to anticipate the drivers or bikers behind you or next to you.
2. I AM THE WEAVER. YEAH.
' I can outdo everybody in front of me here who is caught in traffic or behind slow cars that happen to be in the wrong lanes. And not just that, I have the skills to do it'
Well not everybody does it, but it doesnt mean they cant do it. Maybe they find it a bit dangerous for themselves and other motorists
Solution: The next time you do it, time yourself. Acknowledge one car which is in front of you on the highway, start weaving and check if 5 minutes later despite all of your hard work, that car is somewhere around you too. Imagine all the skills that you've used including burning fuel, accelarating, braking and analysising. An easy drive would end up being very tiring and frustrating if you actually find the same driver whom you've spotted before starting you weaving.
3. I DON'T THINK I AM THE TORTOISE, BUT MY FRIENDS SAY I AM :(
First of all reflect. Do most cars end up overtaking you?Flashing their lights? Honking? Do you drive at 50 when the speed limit is 90km/hr, or 80 when the speed limit is at 110km/hr? And to top it off you got yourself a fast car! Well, my dear. You are the tortoise of the tortoises!
Solution: First of all, there is no slow limit, but that doesn't mean you should crawl. Following the traffic is important to keep the traffic slowing,and not upsetting other drivers. You might think you are safe for driving slowly, but do not forget your lives depend on other drivers too. Some of us are quite short fused, so upsetting them would mean them making tricks to get ahead of you. They might get ahead clean sometimes, but not all the time. Raging hormones are never a good motivation. If you feel you just can't go more than 50km/hr, stick to the sloweST lane, not the sloweR. There is a reason why our highways are built in 3 lanes- slowest, slow, fast.
4. I AM THE REBEL!
'I wanna break things. I just HAVE to follow what my parents say, my aunties and uncles' say, my friends' say, my boss' say. I am tired of being the 'YesMan'. On the road I will not be that. Because I will not see them twice on the road in my lifetime. They won't even remember me. This is the place I vent out all my frustrations'.
Solution: There is always a cause of someone being a rebel, but it doesn't make it right when you rebelling endangers everybody else's lifes on the road, and they are all strangers with families. If you still can't find the cause or confront the people who have made you a rebel, find a new hobby that can make you vent out safely - Karaoke-ing out loud, Hitting baseball, Playing tennis, Swimming, etc.
5. I AM THE MEANEST ROAD BULLY!
'I always get to make people get out of my way, or make the other driver angry but I always come out winning'.
Solution: You are not winning. It just means you have not grown up. First of all, there is no prize for being the best road bully. Second of all, nobody can acknowledge your 'skills' except for those who are in you car. The most that can happen is you video taping youself and posting it on YouTube and hope to get the most hits. I still don't see how you are winning, unless you are making lots of money from that YouTube vid.
6.THE SUPER CAREFUL.
' What if this happens when I do this?' 'What if that happens when I turn now'
Solutions: I am not saying that it is wrong to be careful, but super careful does not mean safe.Super careful means you are never going to be excercising your reflexes, learning to anticipate or taking chances. Driving is like a relationship too. If you are being super careful, you won't be able to explore new skills about you or your car. In fact you will never be confident in your driving or you car. That's bad!
Hope this helps!
XOXO!
Princess
Yeap. That was way before schools had to come up with a road system just to address the traffic we cause sending our kids to school. And mind you, this is also after some kids are packed in school buses to get there.
Driving or riding a vehicle nowadays is not a privilege, it has become a necessity.
Because everybody needs a car, every person is on the road in one! ( excluding the public transporters of course). So driving schools flog the town, passing everybody who can pass the theory and driving test.
But it is not their fault that we have so many personalities on the road, some to our advantage, but most just give us a hard time.
The journey to becoming a good driver starts after the test. Yes, I said that!
With many years of driving, not everybody gets better at it, some people do not advance, and some regress.
They regress with having kids in the car ( extra cautious and making other drivers go nuts) and with age ( hearing impairment, cataracts, reflexes) just to name a few factors.
WHICH ONE OF THESE DRIVERS ARE YOU?
1. SAYA PANDANG STRAIGHT SAJA.
Are you the driver that does not make use your peripheral vision? That you only look to the front, but do not use your side mirrors or the rear view mirrors? If you're not sure, then maybe you are one of those that never sees a car coming from the side, or the car behind you that's been flashing multiple times to make you get out of their way.
Solution: Those mirrors are there for a reason, and it is for you to use it. Yes it is important to look at where you are going and the traffic in front of you, but it is also equally important to be able to anticipate the drivers or bikers behind you or next to you.
2. I AM THE WEAVER. YEAH.
' I can outdo everybody in front of me here who is caught in traffic or behind slow cars that happen to be in the wrong lanes. And not just that, I have the skills to do it'
Well not everybody does it, but it doesnt mean they cant do it. Maybe they find it a bit dangerous for themselves and other motorists
Solution: The next time you do it, time yourself. Acknowledge one car which is in front of you on the highway, start weaving and check if 5 minutes later despite all of your hard work, that car is somewhere around you too. Imagine all the skills that you've used including burning fuel, accelarating, braking and analysising. An easy drive would end up being very tiring and frustrating if you actually find the same driver whom you've spotted before starting you weaving.
3. I DON'T THINK I AM THE TORTOISE, BUT MY FRIENDS SAY I AM :(
First of all reflect. Do most cars end up overtaking you?Flashing their lights? Honking? Do you drive at 50 when the speed limit is 90km/hr, or 80 when the speed limit is at 110km/hr? And to top it off you got yourself a fast car! Well, my dear. You are the tortoise of the tortoises!
Solution: First of all, there is no slow limit, but that doesn't mean you should crawl. Following the traffic is important to keep the traffic slowing,and not upsetting other drivers. You might think you are safe for driving slowly, but do not forget your lives depend on other drivers too. Some of us are quite short fused, so upsetting them would mean them making tricks to get ahead of you. They might get ahead clean sometimes, but not all the time. Raging hormones are never a good motivation. If you feel you just can't go more than 50km/hr, stick to the sloweST lane, not the sloweR. There is a reason why our highways are built in 3 lanes- slowest, slow, fast.
4. I AM THE REBEL!
'I wanna break things. I just HAVE to follow what my parents say, my aunties and uncles' say, my friends' say, my boss' say. I am tired of being the 'YesMan'. On the road I will not be that. Because I will not see them twice on the road in my lifetime. They won't even remember me. This is the place I vent out all my frustrations'.
Solution: There is always a cause of someone being a rebel, but it doesn't make it right when you rebelling endangers everybody else's lifes on the road, and they are all strangers with families. If you still can't find the cause or confront the people who have made you a rebel, find a new hobby that can make you vent out safely - Karaoke-ing out loud, Hitting baseball, Playing tennis, Swimming, etc.
5. I AM THE MEANEST ROAD BULLY!
'I always get to make people get out of my way, or make the other driver angry but I always come out winning'.
Solution: You are not winning. It just means you have not grown up. First of all, there is no prize for being the best road bully. Second of all, nobody can acknowledge your 'skills' except for those who are in you car. The most that can happen is you video taping youself and posting it on YouTube and hope to get the most hits. I still don't see how you are winning, unless you are making lots of money from that YouTube vid.
6.THE SUPER CAREFUL.
' What if this happens when I do this?' 'What if that happens when I turn now'
Solutions: I am not saying that it is wrong to be careful, but super careful does not mean safe.Super careful means you are never going to be excercising your reflexes, learning to anticipate or taking chances. Driving is like a relationship too. If you are being super careful, you won't be able to explore new skills about you or your car. In fact you will never be confident in your driving or you car. That's bad!
Hope this helps!
XOXO!
Princess