As someone who learned to drive in South Florida, I can say with full and complete confidence that I ... probably shouldn't have a driver's license or at least should only be allowed to drive in Florida.
Driving here is like driving on easy mode. We don't really have hills or mountains. No need for snow tires. I can't remember the last time I had to parallel park...
If you can get past the fact that about 70% of the other drivers on the road might actually be blind and earless ghoulish undead, based on their driving awareness, driving here is cake!
Reddit user Wolfies_Games asked:
"What's the most important thing to learn to be a good driver?"
So let's talk about some stuff the drivers here know nada about!
Paying Attention
"Pay attention."
"The amount of distracted drivers out there is insane. If you pay attention and maintain situational awareness you’ll be able to react to situations before they become accidents."
- Nasmix
"This was mine as well."
"Pay attention!"
"Driving becomes so mundane and mindless that it's crazy easy to get distracted or to expect everyone to behave as expected. Some people don't behave in the expected way and you won't see it until its too late if you're sending a text or trying to grab something out of the back seat."
- apollymii
"This! Also, don’t lose your focus becuase someone else is driving badly. I notice this happening to me. Every time there’s someone driving weird, chances are 30 seconds later I find myself thinking about that incident instead of paying attention to what’s happening presently."
- ConfidentValue6387
"I think it's best to pretend like everyone on the road is a dangerous idiot. It helps you avoid many crashes because you can anticipate people doing stupid things."
- i_dont_care_1943
happy homer simpson GIFGiphyBe Predictable
"A good driver is a predictable driver."
- WhiffMyAnus
"This is especially important to remember when driving on GPS in an unknown place. Sometimes you end up in the wrong lane, just follow through and take the wrong turn, don't make erratic last-minute lane changes."
- TheBrain85
"Be predictable not polite is the best advice I ever got about driving."
- bcorr12
"Glad this is the top comment. I hate when i get to a stop sign 1 second after someone else and they're trying to be nice by letting me go first. No, you get to the stop sign first, you go first. You are being more dangerous by being less predictable and not following the rules of the road."
- Bilbo_Bagels
"Came here to say this."
"Especially around trucks, trains, or anything heavier than average. Predictable is the safest way to be."
- Medium-Put-4976
D-Fence
"Many drivers ignore right-of-way. Drive defensively."
- Heckin_good_time
"Right of way is not something you HAVE, it is something you are GIVEN."
"A lesson from my dad. Never expect someone to cede the right of way. Just wait and watch what they're doing."
- shaidyn
"My mother always told me "Assume the other driver will do the wrong thing" and "Nice drivers are how accidents happen" meaning for example if you wave someone on and they don't have the right of way and other drivers don't notice you can cause as accident."
- Ty_J_Bryan
GiphyNo Sleepy Driving
"Never try to drive if you're feeling sleepy. The amount of preventable deaths caused by this is unfortunate."
"If you're driving and feel sleepy half way, find ways to keep you awake (chewing gum works great) long enough to find a safe place to park and get 5-10mins of shut eye."
- kctheboy3
"Exactly!!! Sleepy drivers can't react. And even if they react, they won't be fully capable to prevent an accident"
- Wolfies_Games
"I don't know about elsewhere, but the advice in my country (and on the theory test here) isn't to have a nap, having a 10-25 break and a coffee is recommended. Having a nap can make you more groggy and less aware"
- Felicfelic
"My friend who would stay up for days at a time doing questionable things swears that the only thing that can truly keep you awake is talking to someone. So if nobody is with you, calling someone and having it on speaker might do the trick."
- miss_misery__
"Yup! I once fell asleep driving on the highway and am somehow still alive to tell it. Hit the rumble strip and opened my eyes with enough time to yank the wheel back, somehow missed the cars around me, fishtailed for what felt like forever but probably was maybe 2 seconds, then just kept on like nothing happened. I should have died that day. I have no idea how I avoided everything and everyone."
- justbrowsing987654
Tired Modern Family GIF by PeacockTVGiphyGrandma's Wisdom
"My grandma taught me this rule when she took me driving: Always assume that everyone else is going to do something stupid. It's served me well."
"EDIT: One thing I wanted to add too. BE PATIENT WITH PEOPLE LEARNING TO DRIVE!"
"Don't forget that you were once that learner driver behind the wheel, terrified of handling a giant hunk of metal on wheels, trying not to hurt anyone. It can be a difficult thing to pick up and you shouldn't honk or get mad at learner drivers for making mistakes, they are LITERALLY LEARNING TO DRIVE and you getting angry is just going to rattle their confidence."
- TrueDeadBling
"Patient with learners? Yes please. I had an instructor who would frequently just freak out and start shaking because, 'See that car three back in the other lane? HE HAS A BEARD!' or something trivial like that."
"He acted like it was a nuclear crisis. I did not benefit from those lessons other than situational awareness in that sometimes the passenger is a really weird person who says stupid things that can be quite distracting."
- lawnmowersarealive
"I totally agree with your grandma, wise words of her"
"Driving casually is not hard, but driving abiding all the rules or driving fast on a track, that's hard."
- Wolfies_Games
Leave Space For Stopping
"Stay off the tail of the vehicle ahead of you."
"I knew a guy who would, for reasons unknown, look 90° to the left and accelerate when brake lights appeared ahead. We'd basically roar up onto them and I'd have to scream 'STOP!!' Put me into atrial fib more than once. No reason at all to do that-- no idea what he was doing."
- hmmm_thought_pig
"ALWAYS keep safe distance of the car in front and pay attention to road!"
"Hope you all were alright tho! Things like these are very stressful"
- Wolfies_Games
"Exactly. I was going to say dont fucking tailgate people. You are basically relying on your own reflexes and hoping the person in front of you doesn’t slam on their brakes for some reason."
My mom tailgates like a mofo sometimes and then tries to be bold and check her email on her phone and shit. I just take her phone and read it to her. She’s a menace but never been in a bad accident (knock on all the wood)."
- AnnoyinglyEarnest
Car-sonal SpaceUSE YOUR DAMN SIGNALS!
"I’ve taught numerous people to drive and I’m surprised I haven’t seen this in the responses but always keep a box of air around your car. It’s size varies with your speed but you need to always be checking your mirrors so that you have space on all sides to maneuver. You can’t be defensive if you have nowhere to go."
- Chewbagus
"I totally agree, you never want to stay in other people's blind spots or around them, it just makes an unsafe pack where everything will go down together"
- Wolfies_Games
"The amount of people that will just coast in my blind spot or directly next to me is unreal."
"I don't know how it doesn't immediately make them uncomfortable."
- MangoMambo
" 'Box of air'. I like the phrasing. I described it as “checkerboard” to my kids teaching them. Space open front, back, both sides. That way you always have a direction to bail. Never speed match a car to your left or right. Put yourself on their diagonal ahead of your blind spot or behind their blind spot."
- psgrue
Signal Your Turn
"USE YOUR DAMN SIGNALS!"
- BMoney8600
"AND TURN THEM ON BEFORE ACTUALLY DOING THE DAMN TURN!!!"
- Wolfies_Games
"YES"
- __Im_Dead_Inside_
"YES"
- lawnmowersarealive
"this is the best answer."
- TeachAManHOWToKaboom
"You do realize that all those other cars on the road are driven by actual people, right?"
"Those people need to be able to predict, with a reasonable degree of certainty, what all the other drivers around them are going to do. Signaling turns and lane change is law for a reason. Just f*cking do it."
- fantine9
season 8 episode 21 GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphyFour Words
"Patience, forgiveness, awareness, and tolerance."
"Be patient with traffic, other drivers, and animals. When driving was first invented, it was a leisurely activity for the rich. It was a privilege. It was intended to get us out and into the world. Aim for that experience."
"Forgive others as well as yourself. Did someone, “cut you off”, or did you accidentally begin a lane change towards another driver? Let it go. Smile. Apologize. Wave. Return to the task at hand."
"Look up, look around, and use your mirrors. Be aware of what is ahead, near, and behind you. Always be moving in the direction of less congestion, less conflict, more space, and larger margins for error. Turn down your music, put down your phone, eat before you leave or when you get there, and do your personal hygiene in a bathroom."
"Have nearly endless tolerance for people that don’t know or don’t care to follow these rules. If one person on the road is in a rush, mad at someone, focused on something other than driving, or is incapable of accepting that they aren’t the main character."
"- Don’t. Become. The. Second. Bad. Driver. Give them space, wave them on, ignore their actions, don’t take the bait. Let them go on about their day and get back to enjoying your drive."
"We’d all have a better experience if the majority of drivers did this."
- JLHawkins
Take It From A Pro
"I used to teach performance driving (not drivers Ed, which merely reaches you to operare a car)"
"Learn to set your mirrors properly. Doing so will keep you from having to check over your shoulder. Or even turning your head to see who is in your blind spot. If your mirrors are set correctly, you won't have a blind spot."
"When driving, look as far down the road as you can. Not at the nose of your car or the car in front of you. Many wrecks will be avoided this way."
"Learn how your brakes work and how to drive your car when your ABS is engaged and practice it. Consequently if you don't have ABS, learn to properly brake under manual braking."
"Always turn into a skid, even though it feels unnatural. And maintain speed."
"Don't be an asshat, and don't drive in the left lane unless you're passing someone. Also, don't use your phone in the car either. Seriously, most idiot drivers are on their phones."
"Always watch other drivers. They're stupid and will do stupid things, it's your job to avoid them."
"Learn to zipper merge."
"Keep your car well maintained."
"If other drivers are impatient with you, let them pass. It's not your job to make them obey the rules of the road or speed limits. It's your job to avoid them and let them go."
"Take a performance driving class at a local race track (in your own car, even if its a mini van, or. Prius or whatever). You'll learn a lot about driving and the car you drive most frequently."
- Xerisca
Bbc Family GIF by Top GearGiphyYeah nope, Florida drivers know absolutely nothing about that.
I was going to say "especially in Miami" but c'mon - have you ever been to Jacksonville? The whole state needs traffic Jesus.
