The "pressure" of driving

Do not get me wrong, I enjoy leisure drives but when you think about the traffic condition and the mentality of most road users, driving is a real challenge that consequently causes a rise in our blood pressure and heart rate, which sort of translates into strenuous exercise.
Remembering my “non-driving” years, before I obtained my now cannot-live-with driver’s license, driving was not the top of my priority. As I edged closer to my legal driving age, my mum – the ever heroic driver whom I have taken after – constantly “advised” me against certain bad road behaviors, and I quote her, “Don’t do that when you start driving, okay?” At that time, oblivious to the challenges of driving that lay in front of me; I usually just laughed it off as a rhetorical question or statement. Needless to say, driving has evolved into a necessity skill of mine ever since I “ruled” the roads 6 years ago. Unlike my mum, I love driving, it is like a stress relief and like my vastly acquired taste in music, driving coincides with my mood; thus fast-driving when I feel upset, angry, frustrated or just in a plain hurry, versus decent driving. However, I do take on a very eccentric habit of my mum as a driver, which I assume to be a common plague among road users in Malaysia, cursing and swearing at other road users whilst driving.
Anyway, there are many “trends” of road users in Malaysia, which are discussed everyday, even through the media, especially the radio stations. I can continue incessantly about the various annoying trends of motorists in our nation, e.g. not utilizing indicators, driving right smack in the middle of 2 lanes, hogging the fast lane, etc.; yet my recent “discovery” of a new trend among motorists that almost baffled me because it is such a simple yet intrinsic theory that ought to be researched and studied, is that motorcycle enthusiasts assume that they are driving a car, while car enthusiasts assume that they are motorcyclists. What a quandary! It almost seems like a new achievement that should be logged under the revolution of reverse psychology.
Let me briefly explain my observations and findings in lieu to my new-found theory.
The habit of motorcycle enthusiasts:
- Driving in the middle of the road.
- Taking up the parking spot of a car albeit abundant parking spots designated for motorcycles.
- Refusal to drive in the designated motorcyclists’ lane.
The eccentric habits of car enthusiasts:
- Driving in the shoulder of the road.
- Squeezing through traffic through “invisible lanes”.
- Driving in the designated motorcyclists’ lane.
- Taking up a whole row of parking spots designated for motorcycles.
I urge to all to give my theory a thought and you might start to notice these ridiculous contradicting patterns between car and motorcycle enthusiasts. Lastly, please be considerate to others on the road as we begin our soul searching towards the pleasurable practice of driving – calm and considerate. Being considerate of others is similar to being humble as a person. During my years in the U.S., I was impressed with the level of consideration between all road users. Pedestrians were always given top priority and attention and one particular routine of drivers that stuck in my thoughts is utilization of STOP signs at many major crossroads throughout the country. Unlike our Malaysian BERHENTI signs, people actually slow to a complete halt whenever they encounter a STOP sign and they obey a first-come-first-serve rule of thumb at all crossroads, hence well-prepared for any traffic light shortages. Imagine what a disaster it would be if we had only had BERHENTI signs at all major crossroads; I mean, obeying simple traffic light instructions already poses as a difficulty for the majority of our nation’s drivers, especially motorcyclists whom take traffic law or undang-undang for granted. Let us not even mention the poor pedestrians in our nation whom are always overlooked in the sea of overflowing and swamping vehicles. Berhati-hati di jalanraya! (Be cautious AND CONSIDERATE on the road!)