It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams,the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life,
but manners on the road are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men would
become fierce tigers behind the wheel. It is all right to have a tiger in a cage,but to have one in the
driver's seat is another matter.
Road politeness is not only good manners,but good sense. It takes the most cool-headed
drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving. On the
other hand,a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and
fighting. A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an
atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such behaviors
of politeness are by no means enough. Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize
politeness when they see it.
However,misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who
waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be
able to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and
whenever they want to.
An experienced driver,whose manners are faultless,told me it would help if drivers learnt to
correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings.
Unfortunately,modern drivers can't even learn to drive,let alone master the road man ship. ears
ago,experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take
from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.