How to Effectively Communicate with Others While Driving

June 24th, 2014  |  Insurance

Why You Need to be a Good Communicator When Driving

Being able to effectively communicate with other drivers on the road is an important part of being a safe and effective driver. While many of us may feel like a rude gesture is an appropriate form of communication at times, there are much better, and more polite, ways to communicate with other drivers on our roadways. 

Who You Communicate With While Driving

• Other Drivers
• Pedestrians
• Cyclists
• Anyone else that is using the road or near the road

Where Communication Takes Place Most Frequently

• Parking lots
• Intersections, Stop Signs, Street Lights, and Crosswalks
• Construction Zones
• School Zones and Residential Areas
• When changing direction

The 5 Main Ways to Communicate with Others While Driving

• Turn Signals: Your turn signal shows other drivers that you intend to make a change in direction or make a lane change. It’s one of the most commonly used and most effective ways to alert other drivers of your intentions. 
• Car Horn: Your horn can be used to communicate with drivers in a number of ways. However, it is perhaps most used to reprimand other drivers if they made a mistake. It's main use is to prevent other drivers from making a dangerous maneuver. You can use your horn to:
• Alert other drivers that you are present 
• Alert drivers that you are backing out of a parking spot
• Alert drivers that they are about to make a mistake
• Alert drivers that the light turned green!
• Car Positioning: How you position your car can communicate a lot to other drivers. For example, if you plan on making a lane change, make your vehicle completely visible to cars in the other lane and turn on your blinker to show your intended action. This positioning will communicate your intentions to other drivers. 
• Eye Contact: Making eye contact with other drivers and pedestrians is a very important form of communication. Making eye contact ensures that both parties see each other and understand who has the right-of-way, which is especially important at intersections and in parking lots. 
• Hand Gestures: Hand gestures are another effective form of communication. You can use a courtesy wave to signal to other drivers to allow them to merge or proceed through an intersection. Just make sure that you do not misinterpret another driver’s hand gesture.  

Poor Methods of Communication When Driving

• The Middle Finger
• Obscene gestures
• Excessive honking of the horn
• Yelling out the window
• Aggressive driving behaviours 

Have you been guilty of using poor driving etiquette when trying to communicate with other drivers? What form of communication do you find to be most effective?