How are your new year’s resolutions going? Chances are that, by now, you’ve given up on that detox, the gym membership is already a dormant financial black hole and that spare cash you were going to set aside to kick-start your new savings regime has already been spent in the January sales. I stopped making these futile promises to myself a long time ago.
But that’s not to say that I haven’t made up my mind to change certain things about my behaviour. I’ve resolved this year to improve the standard of my driving and the chances are that you should do the same.
The problem that affects me, to some extent, is that I allow the road manners (or lack thereof) of others to creep in and influence my own tendencies. A kind of “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach. That needs to stop, I admit. I’ve found that when holidaying in other parts of the world where there are more punitive punishments for driving transgressions, my driving style quickly becomes more relaxed – beneficial for me, my stress levels, my passengers, pedestrians and other road users. I drive with more consideration, with greater awareness of the consequences of stepping out of line.
A four-week stint in Western Australia, for instance, completely altered my driving attitude. Terrified of being stopped by the police while using a relative’s car, I simply took my time, relaxed and got where I wanted to go in a completely unflustered state. And here’s the thing: when I returned to Dubai, I actually found the traffic to be way too fast for my liking, but it only took a couple of weeks for that awareness to vanish, much to my chagrin.
Perhaps if we all examined our driving habits, each one of us would spot areas for improvement, too. I’m not just talking about speed, either. If we’re honest, could we say we leave sufficient space between us and the driver in front? Or do we allow the impatience of the driver behind us to cause us to narrow that gap? The recent pile-up on the E11 points to the fact that we’re simply not giving ourselves enough space – and that’s part of my resolution. The recognised minimum safe distance is two car lengths between moving vehicles – that’s what I intend to leave from now on. If you’re behind me with your lights set to strobe mode and I can’t pull in to let you pass, you’ll have to wait.
I also intend to be more courteous to other drivers and pedestrians. Whenever I spend time in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural areas, I notice an etiquette that’s sadly missing here. People let one another out of junctions and there’s usually an appreciative wave in response or a flash of the headlamps. It’s perhaps the tiniest gesture of goodwill, but it’s important nonetheless – something I almost never see happening in the Emirates.
For a motoring journalist to admit that he doesn’t often enough check the state of his tyres is inexcusable. That, too, is on my hit list. It’s simple and quick, but something I often forget, which could lead to disaster. From now on, once a week – no excuses.
Nobody likes to admit they have room for improvement when it comes to driving standards, but in the cold light of day, it’s important that we honestly appraise the way we behave behind the wheel.
I owe it to you to do better; and you, as a fellow human being, owe it to me. It’s a “pay it forward” scenario, but it has to start somewhere. Now it’s my turn.