Mahatma Gandhi once said that ‘When restraint and courtesy are added to strength, the latter becomes irresistible’. We doubt he was talking about motorists when he made this comment, but developing these two qualities certainly strengthens positive behaviours behind the wheel.
There are many ways to show courtesy; here are just six questions to ask of yourself to assess your current levels of behaviour…
# When was the last time you paused to allow a bus, mail van, or another service vehicle, to pull out into traffic? They have many stops to make; in fact, it’s likely they’ll only hold you up for a very short period before they make their next stop – leaving you free to carry on.
# Do you leave enough space when letting cars out of side streets in a town or city – or do you immediately pull right up behind them before they are used to the flow of the traffic?
# Do you leave indicating until the last moment because you are not thinking far enough ahead? Equally, when someone else indicates at the last moment, do you always believe they are an utter idiot, and never consider they might be in a geographical area that’s completely new to them?
# Do you always wave your thanks when someone lets you pass, or go ahead of them when pulling out from a side road?
# Whenever traffic is slowing up, do you become an inveterate lane-changer; one who is willing to make any effort to move even one car further up in the queue? How do you react when someone else uses the same tactics, pulling in front of you (often without a signal)?
Here’s the sixth question
There are only five questions above; the sixth is a corker: are you prepared to allow those who are your regular passengers to answer the above five questions about your driving?!
Of course, accidents do happen
And even to the most courteous of drivers. If you are the victim of a ‘not my fault accident’, keep our number to hand: 1800699034. Talk to our experts about your entitlement, under Australian Law, to a replacement courtesy car, with the insurance company of the driver who was at fault responsible for meeting the costs.
