Being a grumpy old witch, I would like to have another rant and rave over one of my pet topics – traffic etiquettes. Three things all drivers should be taught before they are turned loose to menace other drivers:

1. the speed limit is called a limit and not speed guidance;
2. tailgating should only happen if you know the driver of the car in front of you and are merely following directions (or if the car is a suspect in a criminal matter);
3. there is a reason why cars have indicators lights install and it is not to make the car flashier.

I have noticed that on my several occasions to Sydney now that Sydney-siders tend to drive over the speed limit. Now I expect this sort of behaviour from Canberra drivers (in fact, I am surprise when Canberra drivers obey speed limits). But have not really experienced this in Sydney until recently. So the next time you fine yourself driving behind a lady who is following the speed limit and shaking her head at every driver that overtakes her, that would probably be yours truly.

The other thing that annoys me about tailgaters is the blatant disregard for their own and others’ safety. Tailgating is fine if your car is going at the snail pace of 40 km/h in a traffic jam. But when cars are travelling at 70 or more km/h, it means that the impact of a crash would be more severe. If tailgating is your strategy of trying to get the car in front of you to go faster, I guess you overtake that car (so that I can then shake my head at you, lamenting the decline in respect for the speed limit).

Lastly, indicating your desire to change lanes is not merely a matter of manners. This is also a safety issue. Now there have been several times when a car in front of me decides to change lane into my lane without indicating. Now if I have not been noticing how that car seems to keep weaving in and out of traffic, chances are there would be an accident. Then there are also those who blithely changes lane without indicating or noticing that there is a car right next to them (which have also happened to me before). In that situation, I was very lucky because the next lane was free so I was able to quickly indicate and switch lane before the miscreant driving the car moved into my lane.

Now that I have said my piece, drive safely and have a great day.