The 5 Biggest Traffic Annoyances. Do You Recognize Them? Weâve all been there: youâre cruising along, and within minutes, youâre completely annoyed by the behavior of other drivers. From tailgaters to smartphone users â the frustrations on the road seem endless. But what if we told you that with a few smart tricks, you can say goodbye to these irritations for good? Here are the five biggest traffic annoyances and three tips to stay zen behind the wheel.
1. Tailgaters
You encounter them everywhere. On the highway, but also within urban areas. Drivers who think theyâll reach their destination faster by speeding and tailgating, with no regard for others. If things arenât moving quickly enough for them, youâll often see them overtaking on the right (more on that later). Tailgaters arenât just annoying; theyâre downright dangerous. Theyâre often angryânot specifically at you, but at the situation. The fact that theyâre anonymously sitting in their car doesnât help, of course. And the biggest issue? They donât realize that speeding hardly saves any time.
But are you someone who deliberately stays in the left lane to frustrate a tailgater? Then definitely keep reading…
Smartphone users
“Youâre out of your mind if you think you can stare at a small screen and tap on a tiny keyboard for 5 to 6 seconds while driving at 90 km/h, and not be a potential threat to everyone in your path.” – Clyde Haberman.
Itâs also called the âSuperman Syndrome,â because people believe they are invincible behind the wheel with a phone in their hand. But the reality is that even hands-free calling is dangerous, as both driving and phone conversations require your full attention. What we can do is switch-tasking: quickly alternating between two (mental) activities. So, for one brief moment, your attention is on driving, and the next, your brain is focused on the phone conversation. We can switch quickly, but during the moments when your full attention is on the conversation, your focus on driving is significantly reduced.
Proven facts:
- 60% of drivers believe that talking on the phone while driving is dangerous.
- 88% consider texting or emailing behind the wheel a serious threat to road safety.
Yet research shows:
- 80% of drivers use their phone while driving, believing it doesnât affect their driving performance.
- 25% of drivers text while driving (and even 60% of young people do).
Left-lane drivers
Left-lane drivers: they cause a lot of frustration. Drivers who donât keep to the right unnecessarily linger in the left lane. The worst part? They often drive just a bit too slowly, forcing others to overtake on the right, which is, of course, incredibly dangerous. This isnât just about drivers in the far-left lane but also about middle-lane drivers who canât be bothered to switch lanes on a four-lane highway.
What happens? Other drivers are forced to shift over two lanes just to overtake. Checking blind spots becomes a challenge, and patience quickly runs thin. And letâs be honest: patience is already in short supply on the road.
The traffic jerk
Rush hour: youâre patiently waiting in line on the crowded exit lane, inching forward, and after a few minutes, youâre finally nearing the off-ramp. And bam! That Golf GTI squeezes itself in at the last second between the crawling cars. How convenient.
Infuriating, right? Or are you the type who does everything to block them from merging? (Keep reading.)
Or what about that guy who leaves his brown paper McDonaldâs bag next to his car before driving off? Or drivers who donât use their turn signals? Or the ones who treat the (high)way like a giant Frogger game, zigzagging through every lane to get ahead? Or those who use the emergency lane to bypass the traffic jam faster?
We all know them.
The traffic jam
Letâs be honest, traffic jams are a nightmare for most people. Itâs wasted time youâll never get back. Yet, some people have made peace with it and even see it as a sort of moment to relax. But for the majority, itâs just annoying, causing frustration and stress. Nobody likes waiting.
So, how do you prevent it from becoming a source of irritation?
Tip 1. Choose What You Care About
Some things are worth caring about, and others absolutely arenât. Itâs important to care about relationships with your family and friends or to focus on things you can actually influence, like your dedication to projects or the quality (and quantity) of the food you eat.
But does it make sense to get annoyed by the driver tailgating you? Or the one who wedges their car into the queue at the exit at the last second?
Is your solution to start âretaliatoryâ driving? Blocking someone from merging? (Which creates even more dangerâŠ) Or stubbornly staying in the left lane to further irritate the tailgater?
If so, youâre almost just as bad. And probably just as frustrated as the tailgater or the reckless driver.
These traffic jerks arenât worth wasting your energy on. And no matter what you do to confront or correct them, it wonât make a difference. Change will only happen when they themselves realize that their behavior is ridiculous. Sometimes that takes an accidentâor age and wisdom. But retaliatory behavior only worsens the situation. And makes it more dangerous.
So, move aside. Remind yourself that itâs not worth your energy to get upset. Avoid the danger. Donât make it worse. Itâs smarter to simply change lanes, keep your distance, or (mentally) flip them off. Iâve often done it not-so-mentally, but in retrospect, did it ever get me anything? No. Most of the time, frustration just compounds frustration (theirs and yours), and that certainly doesnât improve the situation.
Tip 2. Buy a dashcam
Do you think someone deserves to be held accountable under Article 5 of the Dutch Road Traffic Act for reckless driving? Consider installing a dashcam in your car. Modern dashcams are smart enough to start recording when you start driving and stop when you turn off the engine.
Not only can you capture your reckless driver on camera, but a dashcam can also provide legal evidence if youâre involved in an accident. And if the footage youâve captured is serious enough, a public prosecutor can use your testimony and the recordings to launch an investigation into the offense. For example, see https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2020/juni/17/11-vervolging-na-dashcambeelden-op-dumpert.nl.html.
But ultimately, it depends on whether you care enough about the incident to take that step.
Tip 3. Let someone else drive
Of course, weâre biased like WC-Eend recommending WC-Eend. But one of the best solutions to get rid of your road frustrations is to hire your own driver. This way, you can focus on whatever you need to do without worrying for even a second about whatâs happening on the road. Whether itâs work, calls you need to make, or even bird-watchingâanything but driving. Youâll be amazed at how much more productive you can be.
On DriveMeâs platform, you can easily and quickly book a private chauffeur for your car. DriveMe offers drivers in all shapes, sizes, and rates. The best part? You get to choose the driver yourself. Thatâs a service you wonât find anywhere else.
By: Jeroen van der Kamp