Please and thank you
Please and thank you. I was bought up using manners and I’m teaching my kids to use their manners everywhere they are. I believe that it will help them as they grow into the workforce. It also helps us feel good when we say and hear someone say thank you. What about when we’re driving? Do you use your manners while you’re driving?
Sharing the road with other drives takes a lot of patience as it is, but if you can do this in a polite manner, it may rub off on others. For example; as I was driving to my office one morning, I let another driver into my lane as their lane was ending. They then let someone else into the lane later on down the road. Wasn’t that nice of them? I think so. If we feel good emotionally, we may think clearly and drive with a better attitude.
I know we should all do something nice from time-to-time, but to be honest, do we really do that? Do we think of doing something for others because it would make them, and us, feel better? I don’t think that happens as often as it should. You know that phrase “What goes around comes around”? I believe in that. If I purposely stop and help someone who had a flat tire, I feel they will help someone in the future. It may not happen right away, but I believe it will happen.
Remember what it feels like when you’re nice and you let another driver into your lane and they don’t wave thank you? Did you curse at them? Did you punish them by tailgating them? How quickly your mood changes when someone isn’t as polite as you while you’re driving. If someone isn’t a polite driver don’t lower yourself to their level and act like them. Stay above their negative attitude. Perhaps they were distracted and forgot to wave thanks. Shrug it off and keep the positive attitude as you’re driving. You’ll feel better.
When I’m teaching my students to drive, I also teach them to wave thank you to a generous driver. Since my training vehicle doesn’t have tinted windows, I ask them to wave thank you with their right hand so it can be easily seen through the rear window to the driver behind. My van has a dark tinted window at the rear; so for this problem I roll my window down and give them a wave. I think it’s important to be a polite driver at all times. Remember, what goes around comes around.
So here’s my challenge to you all: do something nice for another road user. Let them in your lane during a lane change. Give them the right-of-way at intersections. Wave thank you after they’ve done something nice for you. Try it. I dare you! I double dare you!