Recognize that everything works best when traffic flows in a natural, balanced, and predictable way. This is the single most important concept behind not annoying other drivers.
Beware if you attempt to match their speed, you risk at least getting a traffic ticket for speeding and the officer is not likely going to accept the excuse that you were “just keeping speed with traffic”, especially if you’re the lead car. But this does not mean you should endanger yourself by slowing them down and risking a collision. In general, you should drive at or close to the speed limit unless conditions demand that all drivers slow down.
If the vehicle in front is traveling slowly in the passing lane, be patient. Do not flash your headlights while tailgating as this is viewed by many drivers as an act of aggressive driving and very rude. In certain areas of the United States, aggressive actions such as these are monitored by surveillance cameras and ticketed accordingly. If you have legitimate need to pass and there is only one lane per direction of traffic (i. e. the vehicle in front is going at an excessively slow speed and there is slightly heavy oncoming traffic) and you cannot pass naturally, back off to a safe distance (if you aren’t already) and briefly flash your lights (no more than twice should be sufficient). At this point, the driver in the vehicle ahead may understand your intentions better and pull off slightly to allow you to pass with greater ease, if not just continue attempting to pass naturally while not tailgating. If you find yourself catching up to vehicles ahead of you continually, then you’re probably going too fast relative to traffic around you. [5] X Research source
Semi trucks have much bigger blind spots. You might think the driver can see you but his vision may be obstructed as the drivers can only use their mirrors to see others on the road.
If you’re on a fast moving road with a fair amount of traffic, turn on your signal much sooner, to let other drivers know you are turning, and to give them ample time to pass. If you’re making a left turn at an intersection, the drivers behind you will appreciate advance warning. If you need to slow down to make a turn or pull over, use your turn signal before pressing the brake pedal. This will give other drivers advance notice that you’ll be slowing down soon. [7] X Research source When you’re finished making your turn or lane change, make sure your turn signal is off. If someone is performing a reasonable merge or lane change in front of you (timely and using a turn signal), let them in.
