Is driving habits a reflection of true self?

Just an image from the web

As some of you might know, my home is not anywhere near my workplace, this means that I have to travel almost up to an hour every day to get to work. Really good time to people-watch; commuters on the train or fellow drivers/riders on the road. One common thought on my mind:

Switching lanes without signaling

I can't speak for most people on the road, but I for one, always ensure to turn on my signal before I switch lanes. To me, personally, this is an act of courtesy to the other drivers and pedestrians on the road. This gives them enough feedback on where I am heading to, and let them decide to do what they want to do next.

Of course, correct signaling is important. I don't signal left when my turn is at the following junction, not the upcoming one. This just confuses everyone on the road, which is equally as bad as not signaling.

Given benefit of the doubt, I agree some cars out there may have faulty signaling bulbs, which of course has to be replaced as soon as possible. But the sheer frequency of people switching lanes without signaling is too common to dismiss them as a case of faulty light bulbs.

So, as I am typing this post, I am thinking to myself:

Does driving habits reflect the driver's true self?

It may seem like an innocent act of forgetting to turn on the signal or some other legitimate reasons others may have, but those are not justifications to not using the signal - simply due to the fact that you have learned about it and how to use it when you are learning to drive.

What does this simple act imply?

Selfish and self-centered - It's all about you, and you, and you. You want to make a turn up ahead or overtake the car in front. You think that driving your car is a matter of your own convenience, or maybe you are the only ones that uses the road. Or even maybe, your grandfather owns the road. Guys, you uses the road just as everyone else does. Spare a thought for other pedestrians/drivers, others will appreciate and it will be a better driving experience for more people.

Lack of time-management - You may be rushing off to somewhere and running out of time, so somehow you forget to use your signaling lights. Guys, get up earlier and prepare your travels, waking up 5 to 10 minutes earlier can do everyone a lot of good.

Show off - Your car is better than everyone else'. Your souped up modified car (most of the time cosmetically), somehow is much better, faster and louder than most other cars on the road. Somehow, this gives you the right to switch lanes without signaling. It doesn't matter anyways because other cars are simply too slow to make a difference. This is exactly why accidents happen and massive jams are created on the highways. 

If you think these characteristics are not you at all, but somehow you drive without using your signal, I hope this post is a good reminder. I am also guilty of it sometimes too, and constantly reminding myself to do better. 

Idealistically, everyone drives courteously on the road and roads will be so much smoother and with lesser traffic jams; everyone benefits.

If finding out more about traffic jams interests you, e.g. how are they created and why it happens, read these links below.

Here, here and here (video)