I was watching the news last week, and there was a segment describing preliminary findings on the new B.C. rules regarding driving in the left lane. The reporters primarily presented on the number of tickets issues for inappropriate left-lane usage. The issue of left-lane hogs was framed as important because people driving slow (or close to the speed limit) in the left lane lead other drivers to become frustrated and to make dangerous lane changes. Hmmm… This made me wonder – Are the “left lane hogs” really the problem? Imagine for a moment what it would be like if people did not drive as if their very lives depend on their ability to get from place to place as quickly as possible. Imagine if people drove mindfully, as if the goal was to focus attentively on their surroundings and modulate their speed and movement according to principles of safety and concern for themselves and others. If this involved slowing down and waiting behind someone driving more slowly, imagine what driving would be like if we all simply waited patiently, slowed down, or safely changed lanes. Imagine no honking, gesticulating, darting from lane to lane in a desperate attempt to shave off a few seconds here or there. Imagine of people drove mindfully and close to the speed limit. What would driving be like? How many accidents would still occur? Would there be 314 driving-related fatalities per month (http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/osmv/shareddocs/MV-Fatal-Victims2009-2013.pdf), as there are now? Somehow, I doubt it. As an aside, given these fatality statistics, I’m also wondering why the main outcome criterion for the new left lane rules is number of tickets issued. Shouldn’t we be examining accident statistics as a better indicator of the usefulness of new road rules? Why would we care whether tickets are being issued if these new rules have no effect on the safety of the roads? This would be a lot like claiming that a jaywalking prevention program is successful based on the number of jaywalking tickets issued. This seems like a better measure of police activity than of the effect of a safety rule/law.
In any case, the main point I’d like to make here is that the safety of our communities could benefit greatly if we were all to drive more mindfully. Try it out. Try driving as if there’s nothing better that you could be doing right now. Don’t drive to get from place to place. Don’t drive to get it over with or to be fast, or to get to work (or home) early. Simply drive to dive. Stay grounded in the present moment. Focus on what you’re doing. If you’re moving slowly, wait patiently until you can change lanes or pick up speed. If someone is going slowly in front of you (even in the left lane), see this as an opportunity to practice patience. Waiting is an underrated skill given how often we all wait for so many things. If practicing patience and waiting is too much to stomach behind the wheel, get a start with this the next time you’re waiting in line, waiting for the bus, waiting for service at a restaurant, waiting for your computer to do what you want it to do, and so on. Ask yourself why things (such as the bus arriving, your turn in line coming up, your food arriving) need to happen right now. What’s fundamentally wrong with doing whatever you are doing right this moment, even if it’s simply waiting? – Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.