How to Drive in Traffic

Being stuck in traffic can be a very aggravating experience. Whether you drive in traffic on a daily basis or only occasionally, the most important thing you can do is pay attention to the vehicles around you and be mindful of your situation at all times. Here are some additional tips.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Car
• Traffic
• Patience

1. Stay calm and accept the situation. Getting angry is not going to help or make the traffic go away.
2. Be respectful of other drivers. Everyone is late and as frustrated as you are. Don’t be aggressive, try to weave your way through the traffic, or speed up and slam on your breaks over and over.
3. Don’t rubberneck. If there is an accident, people will be driving slow as it is, so don’t make it worse by holding up traffic even more. If you’ve seen one snarled car on the side of the road, you have seen them all. Keep your eyes on the road.
4. Merge carefully between lanes. Put your signal on and wait for a break in the lane you want to merge into. Look for cars that are going slower than other cars. Don’t try to dart over and then slam on your breaks, you may cause an accident and will definitely make other drivers angry. Wait your turn and do not cut people off.
5. Keep an eye out for motorcycles that are “lane splitting” – driving in between cars in stopped in traffic. Legal or not (and in some states it is legal) you do not want to hit and kill someone.
6. If driving in traffic is all together too stressful for you, get off the highway or take an alternate route. If possible, adjust your schedule to drive during off times.

Tips & Warnings

• When merging into a lane with moving traffic, look for a large vehicle like a truck. They do not accelerate as fast as cars and are easier to get in front of.
• If you are driving a long distance in traffic on a highway, merge to the far left. You will in general travel a bit faster with out cars entering and exiting the freeway trying to merge.
• Do not merge in front of a truck with stopped traffic ahead of it. Trucks need more space to slow down and stop. Only merge in front of a large vehicle if traffic is moving.