Go with the flow

Improved interstate driving? Learn the rules

Last Updated: 8/24/2011 11:25:40 AM

By David Schmidt
Journal Register Newspapers

Do you find interstate driving frustrating? You aren’t alone. The only people not frustrated are the truck drivers who’ve seen just about everything, and have learned to just shake their heads.

The problem is, we get frustrated when people don’t drive the way we think they should – i.e., like us. In Vietnam many years ago, an old hand explained the inexplicable driving patterns of the population to me. He said, “It’s simple, they were taught by the French. Drive the way they do, and you’ll be alright.” He was correct, and I’ve never forgotten that. Every region of the country drives differently. In some cities, you run lights, in others you panic stop. Get it wrong and it can get you dead, so you have to learn the rules.

Since I’m such an expert, I’ll be happy to pass the interstate rules on to you. These may not make you less frustrated, but they’ll make me— uh, I mean many others— happier on the highway, therefore making all of us safer.

If you’re in the left lane, go faster than the cars in the right lane. In many states it’s a law— you must be in the left lane to pass another vehicle. No act on the road is more anti-social or more likely to make people do dumb and dangerous things than hogging the left lane while lollygagging along.

Don’t slow down when you pass trucks, and don’t stay beside them in the next lane forever. Professional drivers change lanes often. Pass them quickly, and get back in the right lane.

Don’t speed up when someone’s passing you. Since virtually every male can’t help but do this (and some women do it, too, but not as many) this will be tough. But try not to. It’s not a race.

Let a faster car go past. Let them collect the cops. I immediately move over when someone’s coming up on me. You don’t ever want to be the fastest car on the road. Let somebody else be about a quarter of a mile in front of you, then you can see what they do – presumably they’ll brake for cops. And you can enjoy watching them reach for their license and registration as you sail on by.

Drive roughly the same speed that everyone else is driving. On any interstate in America, there are two limits: the one that’s posted and the one that everyone actually drives. Usually that’s 10 mph or so over the posted number, but in some areas where speeding tickets are a revenue process for local municipalities, it may be tighter. If you’re really going the same speed as the rest of the cars, you won’t get a ticket.

Being self-righteous may feel good, but it causes more accidents than you might imagine. (“But he cut me off!”) As my spouse frequently said, it’s not my job to teach the world how to drive. This is usually a guy thing, and anyone that does it isn’t going to quit because of anything I say, so ladies, try to fix your man before he kills you or someone else.

If you’re stopped by the police, keep your hands on the steering wheel and have your passengers keep their hands in sight until the officer gets up to your vehicle and tells you what he wants you to do. The officers merely want to ensure they’re going to be safe while they check things out, and being able to see that you’re not harboring a weapon is the courteous and wise thing to do. And isn’t this one of those times when you want them in a good mood?

There are many more rules, but the idea is for highway traffic to flow smoothly. Do you know that traffic engineers study theories and principles of hydraulics and apply it to traffic flow? If you know someone who drives like a drip, tell them to get with the flow.