It’s that time of the year again. We get a clean slate, or so we think, when we can start anew with the best of intentions. All bad habits are so last year. This year will be different, right?
Well, as the first new workweek of the year begins, I’d like to share what I see as the Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions drivers should adopt. I won’t state the obvious like use your seatbelt or don’t drink and drive. The law covers those pretty well. So, without further ado, here goes.
Use your turn signal – Repeat after me. It is not a sign of weakness to use your turn signal. This isn’t poker and you’re not giving up your hand by trusting another driver to let you in. Same applies if you let drivers into your lane when they signal. Just look at it as good karma. Today you let someone in; tomorrow you get a good parking space. You also can’t expect everyone in LA to have psychic powers and anticipate your next move.
Don’t accelerate when someone uses their turn signal and tries to come into your lane. More people will signal when this behavior stops.
Don’t drive on an empty tank of gas. Come on, you know that happens. You get in your car and the warning light comes on. BUT, you still have 1 bar showing you have gas. You instantly become a religious person. You pray to the driving Gods to let you get away with it this once and you promise you’ll never do it again. Ha! There’s your first lie of the new year.
Be more patient in the car. *see footnote below. Let me share with you a story that might help here. I was pulling up to a red light on a street and I was in the right turn lane. There was a gargantuan SUV in the lane to the left of me waiting for the light to turn green. I inched forward so I could see past him as he didn’t obey the law to stay behind the crosswalk. He kept inching forward making it impossible for me to see. It took me a moment before I realized he was fu*#ing with me. I looked at him and mouthed something that seemed to displease him. Let’s just say, he was clearly not a balanced person and I feared that he was about to get out of the car and come over to me and show me just how unbalanced he really was. So, here’s my point. It serves no purpose to engage an asshole in any way, particularly in a vehicle. Sometimes people get caught up in the heat of the moment and sometimes they really didn’t intend to do what they did to piss you off. In other instances they’re just complete assholes like this guy and the best thing you can do is get away from the person as quickly as possible. That’s what I did in this instance.
Don’t text and drive. It’s just not worth it. Despite what our egos tell us, our brains are not wired for multitasking. That’s why people these days just sit at an intersection, even after the light turns green. *see footnote below
Leave for work 5 minutes earlier than usual. You’ll be surprised how much less stressed and more patient you’ll be when you’re not running late and have time to spare. (I’m pretty sure this is the resolution I’m least likely to stick to, but I’m going to try. Every minute in the morning is precious especially when you’re not a morning person.)
Keep air in your tires. It’s kind of like having good posture. Everything feels and seems to work better when you’re sitting up straight. Same is true when the tire pressure is right.
Smile at a random driver at least once a day. I’m pretty sure it’ll catch the person by surprise. I’m also pretty sure that the person you smiled at will tell someone about it later. In fact, let me know how they react after you smile. If they change lanes to get away, take a look at your smile in the mirror. You just want to offer an easy, friendly smile not appear as a stalker or lech.
Practice isometrics in the car. Squeeze those buns! Odds are you made a resolution to lose weight or get more fit this year. Why not use that time sitting in traffic wisely. I don’t consider this multitasking. I also don’t recommend smiling at someone while you’re doing the isometrics.
Learn something new. Los Angeles has a decent selection of radio stations with some interesting programming. Catch up on current events, listen to books on CD or podcasts. Who knows, you never know where that next source of inspiration may come.
And the number one resolution for 2015 … Tell someone about this blog! I have a fun year planned for the blog, so please be sure to check back regularly to see what’s going on. Sign up for mybLAuto’s email list and then you won’t miss anything! I will never sell your email address.
Wishing you a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous New Year!
Marci
*You have every right to honk if someone in front of you is not paying attention because they’re texting.
© 2015 mybLAuto