We’ve all been in that situation when all hope seems lost for the day ahead because of… dreaded traffic. As you know by now, South African roads are very congested, and it feels like the traffic just gets worse day by day. This can be irritating and even delay all your plans that you had for the day.
Your mind can become very populated with other thoughts or daydreaming can set in which reduces your concentration on the road thus resulting in potential accidents due to negligence. Other dangers could result from getting into arguments with fellow road users and these altercations could possibly turn violent. Even though you can’t choose whether you will be caught in a traffic jam or not, you can choose how you react to it.
Take a deep breath, relax and just (literally) go with the flow. Arrive Alive have suggested the following tips to make time spent in traffic less torturous.
- Always indicate and check your mirrors before merging so that the other vehicles have time to notice your move.
- Avoid hooting as this will only aggravate fellow drivers
- Let vehicles which are driving faster than you pass and do not hog the right lane, this will avoid making other drivers angry.
- Make sure that there is a two second gap between your car and the car in front of you.
- Avoid making any hand gestures that might aggravate other drivers, rather just keep your hands on the wheel.
- Give angry drivers more space and try to put distance between yourself and them to avoid any unnecessary confrontation.
