Combat Driving

We see them every day, sometimes multiple times. We try to avoid them, not let them affect us as we go on about our business. They do, on occasion, become unavoidable.

Who are these people?

I call them 'combat drivers'. Law enforcement prefers the term 'aggressive drivers'.

You know who I'm talking about. The drivers, doing 85 miles per hour on the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting off other motorists and causing a chain-reaction of brakes lights. Sometimes, chain-reaction accidents, which is then the cause of a massive traffic jam.

Here's a few tips for urban/suburban drivers on how to deal with combat drivers, and how to avoid becoming one.

SLOW DOWN. No matter how pressing it is to get from point A to point B, the most important issue is to get there successfully. It isn't worth $125 out of your bank account and points on your driver's license, much less an accident.

PAY ATTENTION. This one can't be stressed enough, especially in this age of 'distracted driving'. Be aware of your surroundings, what other motorists are doing, and less concerned with changing the radio station or trying to fish the breath mints out of your purse or pocket. Foremost, PUT THE CELL PHONE DOWN. If you just have to check that text message, pull into a parking lot or off the roadway.

DON'T TAILGATE. Riding someone's bumper doesn't necessarily make them go faster, and it's a good way to be the cause of a rear-end accident. This isn't NASCAR, so the whole 'drafting' technique won't work.

TRAFFIC SIGNALS. They're there for a reason. A yellow light means 'prepare to stop', not 'floor it and beat that red light'.

STOP BARS. 'What are those?', you ask? They're those big, wide white lines at traffic signals and they, too, are there for a reason. Your front bumper should never extend past the stop bar. They are placed so that your vehicle sits where the under-pavement sensor knows you're there and will activate the 'left turn' signal at the traffic light. Pull past it and you are beyond the sensor, waiting for a light that will never change. Additionally, if you are past the stop bar, someone turning left from an intersecting roadway may clip the front end of your car and you will be at fault.

CHANGE LANES. If you're on a four-lane roadway and driving in the left lane just because it is a smoother ride, you WILL encounter a combat driver. The left lane is for passing. That's why you see big, white signs that say 'Slower Traffic Keep Right'. If cars are lined up behind you in the left lane, change lanes to the right lane so that those in your rear-view mirror don't transform into combat drivers by passing you on the right and giving you a one-finger salute as they roar by.

USE YOUR TURN SIGNALS. Especially when you change lanes. That lets the combat driver behind you know that you're getting out of his/her way so that they don't have to pass you on the right. ALWAYS check that there are no vehicles coming up on your right side before doing so. And, yes, this may actually require turning your head to look over your right shoulder. Don't solely depend on that right-side mirror.

USE YOUR MIRRORS. According to a study done by the University of Texas-Dallas, a driver should check their mirrors – right side, left side and rear view – every five seconds. It will help you avoid changing lanes into another motorist...and an increase in your insurance rates, points on your license and a hit to your wallet.

There are some unbelievably unconcerned drivers on our roadways - the lady applying her eye makeup using the rear view mirror, the guy with the newspaper spread across his steering wheel – all while navigating traffic on the interstate or city streets. They, too, are combat drivers because they have the potential to inflict casualties.

Slow down, relax and be a courteous driver. Law enforcement, your family, emergency services and your insurance provider will thank you for it.

As fictional Sergeant Phil Esterhaus used to say on the old TV show Hill Street Blues: “Let's be careful out there.”