What type of a driver are you?

Having driven over 175 thousand miles in the last 8 or so years, I’ve noticed some patterns regarding the type of people on the highways. It seems to me that a lot of my commutes are made up of people that can be grouped into some loose set of characteristics. Here’s a list of some of those groups and their associated traits:

Indecisives – A type of driver that’s not really sure which lane they want to be in or how fast they want to drive. If you keep a steady pace, you’ll see these drivers time and again as they pass you, then slow and get passed by you. I can’t decide if these drivers go through their life like this or they’re just like this when they drive.

Blinders On – The reasons can be many, GPS Naviagtion, Phone Calls, Apathy, Blackberries, deep thoughts, whatever the case, these drivers aren’t REALLY driving. Sure, they’re sitting behind the wheel, but mentally, they are somewhere else.

Panicker – If anything appears ahead that may might affect traffic, these people will switch lanes, hammer their brakes, even accelerate if it means getting in their perceived optimum position.

The AFK (Away From Keyboard) guy – Yeah, I know this is a computer term, but it describes a group of drivers quite well. You can tell a AFKer is out there when you see someone drifting or slowing for no apparent reason. This sometimes can be related to drowsiness. Whatever the reason, they’re AFK.

Tailgaters  – I get the feeling these drivers see themselves as some type of victim in life…As if everyone else on the road is somehow holding them back, intentionally.  Many times these people are so close, you can’t even see their headlights. Following too closely is a factor in about 40% of all collisions. Remember the two-second plus rule to keep a good distance.

Erratic – For overall effect on traffic flow, these drivers are the worst. It’s my belief that a car with fluctuating speeds can cause waves of congestion that appear to have no clear cause. Traffic congestion caused by this type of behavior has no place in the commuting world.

Multitasker – This is the “I’m just too busy to ONLY be driving” They feel their car is the perfect spot to catch up on makeup, shaving, eating a steak, reading, or all of the above. They may be somewhat of an Erratic (see above) driver, but only because they, for the last 3 minutes have only kept the road in their peripheral.

Supportive – I think possibly this is the type of driver we should strive to be. This driver is helpful, friendly, gives others the benefit of the doubt. They take driving seriously and realize that anger is something we choose.

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