What kind of driver am I ?

Just what is it about car drivers that ignites so much wrath, self-righteousness and pre-emptive territorialism on the road?

Why do normally mild-mannered, decent people transform into cursing, spitting, baleful-eyed monsters once they get behind the wheel of a car?

Although the phenomenon has been studied many times since the first Neanderthals climbed out of the mud to take control of their wanderings across the planet, science doesn’t appear to have yet found any answer capable of modifying bad behaviour. Awful manners seem to be an intrinsic part of the human condition.

The problem is that bad manners on the road are potentially more dangerous than bad manners around the dinner table. Add a little bit of anger and outcomes can be catastrophic.

Without statistics at our fingertips identifying how many road accidents can be traced back to the combination of bad manners and anger, it is impossible to formulate any real way of minimising the problem. But we can suggest a starting point: Being nicer to each other.

Being nice to other motorists is more than just a smile and a cheery wave. It also means being considerate. It comes with the realisation that we are sharing the road with others and that, regardless of whether or not we approve of their behaviour, the best outcomes are usually only achieved by a withholding of judgements and a contextualising of the circumstances: More often than not, bullying behaviour inflicted by another driver proves, more than anything else, to be nothing more to the victim than a slight inconvenience.

Our advice, if another driver does something to annoy you, is that more will be gained and less will be lost by simply dismissing the incident (Obviously, if the misbehaviour seriously threatens your safety and wellbeing, that might not always be the case). Generally, a briefly irritating incident on the road warrants little ongoing attention.

Of course it is easy for us to encourage a constant attitude of calm behind the wheel. Not all of us chant a Buddhist mantra as we negotiate heavy peak-period traffic (which might or might not be a bad thing to do anyway) and not all of us are unaffected by stressful events in our lives.

However, if we stand back a bit and think of our goals every time we join the traffic stream -- and shouldn’t that include always arriving safely at our destination? -- we could develop a change of perspective that would not only make the whole experience more pleasant and positively karmic not just for ourselves, but for everyone else also.

Random acts of kindness are beneficial for both giver and receiver.

Here are a few examples of situations in which the friendly approach can reap dividends, creating a positive experience for you and the driver to whom you have extended your act of kindness (albeit sometimes with a total lack of awareness on his/her part).

A car wishing to change lanes in front of you just might need to do so in order to execute an upcoming right or left turn. Letting the car take the space ahead of you is unlikely to inconvenience anybody and may even evoke feelings of gratitude from the beneficiary.

The same when you are facing an oncoming car as you travel down a narrow street with parked vehicles on either side. Giving way to the oncoming driver will avoid angry flare-ups and maybe even save both of you from panel damage as you try to squeeze past. Again, waiting for a short time is not going to inconvenience anyone in a meaningful way.

Keep left on dual-lane carriageways unless passing. Cruising in the right lane at precisely the speed limit (according to your arguably accurate speedometer) may have some moral justification, but try telling that to the driver wishing to overtake, even if his/her speed is clearly excessive.

You are not required to police the decisions of other drivers. Even if you are being bothered by another driver on a single-lane road as you move along at the speed limit, let him/her go when it is safe to do so. It is best if your destinies remain separate.

On the freeway, if you are in the right lane on a long incline, passing slow-moving trucks, and a car ahead of you in the left lane is quickly approaching a truck, why not let the driver know you have backed off sufficiently to allow him or her to overtake, rather than force them to brake and slow down so you can sail past?

Admittedly this is not always easy, or even possible to do, unless you use some anticipation -- which brings us to our next point.

Thoughtful and considerate driving is only possible if you are alert enough to read developing traffic conditions. For example, a build-up of traffic in the left lane ahead of you usually forewarns of an upcoming something that may be best avoided -- while keeping the traffic flowing nicely -- by moving early to the right lane.

However, if a stroppy driver in the right lane behind you is unhappy about this and leans on the horn or closes in so you have no space to move into, it’s unlikely to be of benefit to either of you to engage in hostilities.

And even if you do end up being caught in whatever is causing the obstruction -- often something as simple as another driver backing into a parking spot -- it is unlikely you will be greatly inconvenienced anyway.

When entering a roundabout, tune in to the ever-changing scenario. It will often only be possible to make your way onto the roundabout as a car travelling towards you from the other side opens a gap and cars approaching from your right and his/her left give way.

Anticipation and quick reflexes are needed to capitalise on the available gap -- and care should be taken that the oncoming vehicle is not actually turning right into the roundabout.

The bottom line?

Although road designers and traffic engineers strive to make our roads as inherently safe as possible, the human element is usually the ultimate deciding factor when something goes wrong.

If drivers were to become more considerate, more courteous and less possessive of their bit of road space, as well as more anticipating and thoughtful about the actual conditions they are working in, it is possible they could contribute as much to general road safety, if not more, than the best traffic engineering.

Roads are an inherently dangerous place to be, but they are not battlefields.