With nerves already frayed from having to drag yourself out of bed at some ungodly hour each week day, the last thing you need is more stress thanks to thoughtless motorists who either hog the lane or whizz in and out of theirs oblivious to the welfare of others.
Here are seven types of motorists, some of whom can drive you up the wall with their driving antics.
1. The speedsters
There are many Dominic Toretto wannabes on the road who think they’re in a ‘Fast and Furious’ movie from the way they step on the pedal.
Usually detected from a distance due to their souped-up engines, these motorists look like they’ll drive you off the road if you don’t make way for them – and fast!
When encountering them, the best thing to do is let them pass and don’t compete. In fact, don’t even flash an angry glare their way – these speedsters can turn into road bullies remarkably fast.
2. The newbies
Ahhh, the new drivers with their shiny new driver’s licenses can sometimes make you want to tear your hair out.
Obedient to a fault due to nerves, you’ll see them check their rear view mirror every few seconds, grip the steering wheel real tight, neck craned forward lest they miss some exciting activity on the road.
Be prepared to see them applying the brakes every few seconds for fear of exceeding the speed limit or bumping into the car ahead.
A cautious lot, they prefer waiting at a junction for traffic to completely clear before making that all-important turn. Hurry up already! Some people are late for work!
3. The regular Joes
Another type you’ll find on the road is the everyman. They prefer to mind their own business as they get to and from work without issue.
Usually alone, the regular Joe or Jane can often be seen gently bobbing their heads to music or mouthing the words to their favourite song while sitting in gridlocked traffic.
They are usually harmless, barring the occasional honk when a fellow road user swerves onto their lane without signalling.
4. The reckless signal-hater
The lever for signals in cars must be cumbersome for many as it’s hardly ever used when changing lanes.
In fact, some motorists may even think it pointless, rationalising that motorists will naturally move out of the way upon seeing their car slide casually in front of theirs.
This type of driver is precisely why you should always keep a safe distance from the car ahead and be vigilant behind the wheel at all times.
5. The distracted driver
These people think of themselves as the multi-taskers of the road.
Talking on the phone, applying make-up, finger-combing their hair, checking their beard – and doing all this while munching on a burger – and yes, they are still driving when all this activity is taking place.
How many times have you honked at a slow vehicle ahead only to notice as you’re driving past that the driver was on their phone?
6. The musical prodigy
Listening to music while driving can be therapeutic. However, some motorists seem to project themselves onto the stage of a live concert while listening to theirs.
You’ve come across them before – the kind that get you whipping your head around because the thumping beat from the car beside yours cannot be ignored.
Often, the driver is drumming to the beat on their steering wheels or are hunched over, cradling the wheel as their heads bob up and down.
And when they step on the accelerator, their car happily lurches forward in rhythm to the music.
7. The road bullies
These terrors are just about everywhere – tailgating you, honking when you take more than a nanosecond to react to a green light and weaving in and out of your lane within a hair’s breadth of your car.
Their ‘I-don’t-care attitude’ is rather unnerving especially when all you want to do is get to your destination with all your body limbs intact.
Not making any generalisations here, but MyVi drivers are a particularly feared lot in this respect.