Road rage has become a serious problem in the US as well as the world. There are motorists who believe that they are the best drivers in the world and that other drivers lack experience. They will grow impatient with their fellow motorists, resulting in road rage. This rage manifests itself in several ways, including aggressive driving, tailgating other drivers and driving erratically, as well as other dangerous behavior such as flashing your headlights. An online search for “what headlight flashing means” will yield different results, but according to the highway code, it is a way of making yourself visible to and communicate with other motorists, however, it has become a way of showing aggression to other drivers. Many road rage accidents have resulted in serious injury which is why one should never understate the importance of safety when out on the road as other drivers are not always as level-headed and considerate as you are. West Boca is no exception. As a public service West Boca News would like to offer a few tips to our readers about how to reduce road rage. This is the first in an indefinite series.
Proper Lane Usage
Consider the following image of Glades Road:
We’ve enhanced the image with arrows to help identify lanes and their proper usage.
The right lane (black arrow) is for slow drivers, typically driving at or below the speed limit. This includes most people over the age of 70, school buses, people who are lost, users of cell phones and other mobile devices, drunks, unlicensed drivers, unregistered vehicles, and public officials and candidates facing elections in the current year.
The right lane is also useful for other drivers who are thinking of making a right turn within the next quarter-mile.
The middle lane (yellow arrow) is for most regular drivers, driving anywhere from the speed limit to 10 mph over.
The left lane (red arrow) is for fast drivers, going 10 mph or more over the limit. Typical drivers fitting this role include males under the age of 25, off-duty police officers, judges and politicians not facing reelection in the current year, lawyers and amateur journalists.
This lane may also be useful for other drivers planning to make a left turn in the next 100 yards. Please keep in mind that if you’re at Lyons Road, Jog Road is more than 100 yards away and you should move to the middle or right lane as soon as possible.
Parking Rules
When you see a no-parking sign, whether on an actual sign or in the roadway, please understand that it applies to all cars including German cars. It does not have to say parken verboten. We see this all the time, including yesterday in a local plaza.
Failure to follow simple guidelines like these may cause road rage in others. Please do what you can.
We will add more to this series as the muse inspires us, because we think writing articles like this is a lot better than engaging in road rage behavior.
