Have you ever noticed how many bad drivers there are on the road? There’s a lot of them. But that’s not you, right? Surely you’re one of the good ones.
Interestingly, studies show that people tend to rate themselves as being a better driver than most other people. But it simply can’t be true that all drivers are better than other drivers. Some drivers have to be worse than others. But I think people aren’t seeing themselves as realistically as they could.
I ride with a lot of different drivers since I myself don’t drive. I’ve noticed that many drivers judge other drivers very harshly when that other driver makes a mistake. They attribute the other driver’s behavior to the person’s character or low intelligence or malicious intentions.
But if they themselves make a mistake, they want the other driver to give them grace. “Oops! I didn’t see you there. Give me a break. Sheesh!”
How can we expect other drivers to be gracious when we are being harsh with them?
If you want other people to be kinder on the road, it starts with you. Instead of assuming something bad about another driver–like that they meant to cut you off–assume instead that it was an honest mistake, just like what you’ve done on accident, too. If you ever look at your phone while you are driving, you don’t really have room to criticize other people who do. Truthfully, no one should be looking at their phone while driving. But it all starts with you.
Can you be more gracious to people who appear to be bad drivers? It will improve your own experience of being on the road. It will improve the experience of any passengers you have with you. And the other driver deserves kindness as much as you do. Remember, it all starts with you.
(If I ride with you and you’re wondering if I wrote this blig just about you, the answer is “no.” I see this all the time.)
