I have lived a lot of places and each place has its own peculiar method of driving. I wanted to share my perspective on the local habits of the Utahan driver.
How to Drive Like a Utahan:
1. Be Courteous - Everyone loves a Good Samaritan. You should always let people in line in traffic even if they just pulled up and the people behind you have been sitting there for 20 minutes. They will appreciate your good samaritanism.
2. Use Those Brights - Utah doesn’t have many street lights. When you can’t see well, turn those brights on and leave them on. The people you blind will understand that you are just trying to be safe.
3. Choose the Correct Lane - On the highway, the left lane is the “safe” lane, always use this lane as the default. The right lane is to be avoided at all costs. When someone pulls up behind you in the left lane, they are just getting a closer look to see if you are related to them. Just wave.
4. Drive Safely on Snow and Ice - The best way to do this is to drive 10MPH or 60MPH. Nothing in between is safe. At 10MPH you are going slow enough to be able to avoid any accidents. At 60MPH you are going fast enough for the friction of your tires to grip ice and snow. All those overturned cars on the side of the road must have made the fatal mistake of driving at moderate speeds.
5. Always drive 10MPH under the speed limit - This is especially true in rural areas. You never know what will jump out in front of you.
6. Never Honk Your Horn - It is considered rude. And negative thoughts that strangers may harbor for you certainly outweigh any safety benefits of alerting others to your presence in dangerous situations.
7. Fill in the Gaps - When traffic is backed up, fill in those gaps in the intersections. If the light changes while you are in the way, the people will courteously wait for the traffic to clear.
8. Check it Out - Nothing is more exciting to behold than someone pulled over by the police except an accident. Take your time, slow down and soak in every detail.
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