40 Car Etiquette Rules We Wish Everyone Would Follow [Car and Driver]

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40 Car Etiquette Rules We Wish Everyone Would Follow [Car and Driver] #459027 Jul 5, 10:00am
Joined: May 2002 Posts: 6,716 Likes: 3 CelicaHobby CelicaBot Specialist year make model & trim
CelicaBot Specialist year make model & trim Joined: May 2002 Posts: 6,716 Likes: 3 CelicaHobby	40 Car Etiquette Rules We Wish Everyone Would Follow Some of these are laws, some just common sense, but all of them are essential to a civilized driving experience. Everyone who's out there sharing American roadways has their own list of things that other drivers do that annoy them, but there are a lot that we think everyone can agree on. After stumbling upon Town & Country's list of social etiquette rules, it occurred to us: "Hey, why isn't there a list of etiquette rules for driving?" So we made our own. We polled our colleagues here at the Car and Driver editorial offices, reached out to our followers on Instagram, and came up with our top 40 rules for driving etiquette. Take our poll at the end to let us know which of our rules you're guilty of breaking. -Drew Dorian No Feet on the Dashboard Aside from being dangerous, it's just gross. This isn't your living-room sofa, it's our precious car! Keep your stinky feet off the dash. Getty Images Passengers Shouldn't Touch the Climate Controls This etiquette rule has our office divided: Half of us agree that the passenger should let the driver set the temperature, while the other half think passengers should get a say. Maybe play it safe and ask the driver first in case they're part of the second group. If you're riding in a car with dual-zone climate control, all of our editors agree that your zone is fair game. Getty Images Use the Zipper Merge Method This one isn't just courteous; research has proved that it's more efficient and safer. Instead of queuing up in one lane because the adjacent lane is closed miles down the road, continue to use the open lane and merge at the last minute, combining the two lanes in a zipperlike left-right-left-right fashion. Getty Images Don't Eat or Smoke in the Car without the Driver's Permission Please wait until you get to your destination before tearing into your Crunchwrap or popping the lid and getting into your beef lo mein. Crumbs and debris can fall into hard-to-reach places between the seat and the console, and food smells can be hard to eradicate. Don't even get us started on lighting up a cigarette. Getty Images Only Use Fog Lamps When There's Fog The extra light from having your fog lamps on can be distracting to drivers of oncoming cars. Not to mention, if you're in a tall truck or SUV, those lights might shine directly into the back window of lower cars. Fog lamps are intended only for use in foggy conditions where lights particularly low to the ground will help improve visibility for the driver. Getty Images Don't Hold Up Traffic by Very Slowly Passing Other Vehicles We all get furious when we see it happening. A driver in a semi truck is ever so slowly passing another semi truck that is going only 0.001 mph slower. It takes forever and goes on for miles. Please stop this madness! Pass only when you have enough speed to do so quickly. And it's not only big trucks who are guilty; a lot of passenger-car drivers do this, too. Getty Images Use Your Turn Signal Really. For the love of God. Please signal. Letting other drivers know your intention to merge or turn is not only the courteous thing to do, it's also safer. Car and Driver Stay in the Right Lane Except When Passing No one loves being held up on the highway because another driver is camped out in the left lane doing exactly the speed limit. Move over to the right or middle lane and let faster traffic get by. Getty Images Pay Attention When Sitting at a Stoplight We're all tempted to stare at our phones for a few brief moments while waiting at a stoplight, but please resist. If you're distracted and don't see that the light has turned green or that traffic ahead of you has moved on, you'll be holding up other motorists who have places to be. Some cars, such as Subarus with EyeSight driver-assistance features, have an audible reminder if you're guilty of this. Getty Images Don't Text and Drive Speaking of phones, how about no texting while driving? It's incredibly dangerous and everyone knows it. Yet Americans do this regularly, putting themselves, their passengers, and fellow motorists at risk of injury or death. Put the phone down and drive. Getty Images Don't Drink and Drive . . . or smoke or otherwise ingest marijuana and drive. This one is rather obvious, but like texting and driving, despite understanding the danger involved, Americans still often take this risk. Stay sober behind the wheel, please. Getty Images Pull Over for Emergency Vehicles Ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars have ear-piercingly loud sirens and bright flashing lights, yet some drivers pretend not to notice and fail to pull over to clear a path for these emergency vehicles. Why? Don't be a jerk, get out of the way. Getty Images Let the Driver Choose the Tunes If we're putting in the wheel work, we'd like the final say on what's playing through the speakers. Feel free to suggest songs, podcasts, or radio stations, but don't take it personally if the driver vetoes your suggestion. Getty Images No Kids or Pets Left Inside Hot Cars Unless you're driving one of those new Teslas with Dog Mode, you shouldn't be leaving your pet (or your kid!) inside the car, especially on hot days. It is literally deadly, so please don't do it. Getty Images Park between the Lines We've all been there: The Trader Joe's parking lot is packed (it always is), and some creep in a dented Chevy is taking up two spaces because he couldn't manage to navigate his heap between the lines. Be courteous to your fellow errand runners and take the time to make sure you're not taking up two (or more) spaces. Getty Images Yield to the Right at Four-Way Intersections Maybe you forgot, or maybe you were never learned it in the first place, but at four-way intersections you're supposed to yield to the vehicle on your right if you both pulled up at the same time. This also applies to four-way intersections that are normally controlled by stoplights if those lights are no longer working, such as in a power outage. Getty Images Remove the Tow Ball When Not in Use We're the #SaveTheManuals people, but we're also the #SaveTheShins people. Please, help us save the shins by removing the ball from your receiver when you don't have a trailer hooked up. We're tired of bashing our legs when walking through parking lots. Plus, these things can do a lot of damage in rear-end accidents or if the driver unknowingly backs a little too close to another car in a parking lot. Getty Images Thank Helpful Drivers in Traffic with a Wave If someone makes room for you to merge in during heavy traffic, give them a nod or a wave. That sort of recognition shows goodwill and might encourage them to be more courteous in the future. At the very least, it will brighten their day. RUNSTUDIO - Getty Images Use the Proper Lanes at Roundabouts Look, we get it: Roundabouts are annoying and a little intimidating. But they work only when drivers adhere strictly to the rules. Use the proper lane and yield only if you need to when entering the circle. Getty Images Use Headlamps in Rainy or Low-Visibility Situations Sometimes it rains or snows during the day when automatic headlamps won't turn themselves on. So turn them on manually. It increases the likelihood that other drivers will see you and will help prevent accidents. Getty Images Passenger Should Clean the Windshield at Fuel Stops Polite passengers should offer to scrub and squeegee the windshield if it's spattered with bugs while the driver fuels up. It's not a horribly laborious task and it's usually quick work, but your driver will appreciate the effort. Getty Images Don't Leave Your Car Parked at the Gas Pump Running in for a soda and some Slim Jims after topping up the tank? Do everyone a favor and move your car to a parking spot instead of leaving it at the pump. Even if the gas station is deserted when you go in, there's no way to know if it will stay that way while you shop. Getty Images Don't Litter I mean, c'mon. Did we learn nothing from the Keep America Beautiful ad campaign? Keep your trash contained inside your car until you can properly dispose of it. American highways have enough issues with potholes; don't add a bunch of garbage to the equation. Getty Images Give Other Drivers the Courtesy Headlamp Flash See a Smokey hiding out with his radar gun at the ready? Maybe there's a family of deer waiting to cross the road? Alert oncoming cars to potential hazards up ahead with a quick flash of your bright lights. That's brotherhood, my friend. Getty Images Yield to Pedestrians This should go without saying, but be watchful and let pedestrians cross. Not only can you be ticketed for failure to yield, you could potentially maim or kill someone on foot. Be safe. Getty Images Make Room for Cyclists Same goes for bicycles. Give them space on the road, even if that means waiting to drive around them until oncoming traffic subsides. You have an entire car made of metal, plastic, and glass to protect you in a collision. Bikers might only have a helmet. Getty Images Don't Drive below the Posted Speed Limit If it says 55, you'd better be doing 55. Not 45, not 52. We're talking 55 mph or higher. We'll give you a break if the conditions warrant it. Getty Images Don't Block an Open Lane This goes for intentional and unintentional blocking. If you think you're the hero for blocking the adjacent lane to force those behind you to merge while queuing up for a lane closure, you need to read up on the zipper merge method because you're screwing it up for everyone. Getty Images Drive a Steady Speed on the Highway No one likes an indecisive driver. Don't tailgate us so we hurry up and get over to let you around only to slow down again. Can we please just go a steady speed? It makes the flow of traffic far less annoying. Getty Images Don't Tailgate Speaking of tailgating, how about not doing it. Ever. It's dangerous and anxiety-inducing. This isn't the Daytona 500 and your hatchback doesn't need to be drafting that minivan for better fuel economy. Back off and drive at a safe distance. Getty Images Don't Slam the Doors This one is for passengers: Don't disrespect the driver's car by slamming the door when you get out. Uber drivers are known to give their fares lower star ratings if they slam the door getting out. Don't do it to your friends either. Getty Images Don't Distract the Driver That funny meme you just got on Snapchat can wait until later. Don't try to show the driver something on your phone while he or she is driving. It's just as dangerous as if they were texting and driving, which is likely something you'd chastise them for. Likewise, minimize other distracting behaviors while riding shotgun. Getty Images Give Semi Trucks Space Don't tailgate semi trucks. Don't hang out in an adjacent lane next to them. And especially don't cut them off in traffic. These large vehicles require more distance to stop than passenger cars and more room to maneuver. Getty Images Don't Bump the Manual-Transmission Lever Watch your knees if you're the front-seat passenger in a manual transmission car. Depending on where the stick is, your appendage could accidentally bump the transmission out of gear. This could potentially cause damage to the car's powertrain or even result in an accident. Getty Images Don't Dillydally on Highway On-Ramps Ever get behind a slow-moving vehicle that's facing an impending merge with fast-moving highway traffic and think, "What is this person even doing?" Yep. It's a highway, and the on-ramp is intended as a runway to get up to a speed that matches traffic. Get on it, Gramps! Getty Images Give Motorcycles Extra Space Just as semi trucks need extra space on the road, motorcycles do, too. It's polite to keep your distance, especially when following from behind. Motorcycles, because of their light weight, can stop in very short distances much quicker than passenger cars, so following too close from behind can result in a rear-end accident that a motorcyclist might not survive. Getty Images Dim Your Headlights for Oncoming Traffic If you're driving with your high-beams on at night, be aware that oncoming traffic can be completely blinded by them. Just because you can see great doesn't mean that they can. Dim your lights and stop searing our retinas. Getty Images Don't Be a Back-Seat Driver Seriously, guy? If you know where we're going better than the driver, offer to drive or keep your mouth shut. Getty Images All Occupants Buckle Up Don't make the driver have to remind you. Buckle up for safety and out of respect for your driver. Getty Images Curb Your Road Rage We all have places to go. Mistakes happen. The road doesn't belong to you. Whatever gets you hot while behind the wheel, let it go. Breathe in; breathe out. Life is too short to be a jerk. Getty Images How Many of These Rules Are You Guilty of Breaking? We want to know which of our 40 rules you don't abide by. Take our poll and see if the ones you're guilty of breaking are ones our other readers also ignore. Getty Images Source: CarAndDriver.com Category: Features,Automotive