How do you drive courteous ( ideas welcome ! )

[Arragonis]

I kind of suspect that even the most ardent gun fan wouldn't advocate having one in a car as being a route to civility behind the wheel ?

I have one, I move to the nearside* lane when I'm not passing so faster vehicles can pass me.

On the other hand I also undertake those that don't, like the prat in a Toyota Avensis I had to pass on the nearside yesterday morning...

*Here the "nearside" is to the left, I understand some colonies and foreign lands have this to the right.

[ninetynineSC2]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

I kind of suspect that even the most ardent gun fan wouldn't advocate having one in a car as being a route to civility behind the wheel ?

If the person in the car is mentally stable/qualified to have it I see no issue with it. One of the gun reviewers I watch on youtube has a motto - "An armed society is a polite society". I think what he means by this is if you're in an area with a lot of people that have their permit to carry, everyone would be more polite to each other to avoid issues...Although someone upsetting you with a comment is definitely NOT a reason to draw your weapon.

Where I have an issue with having a gun in the car/on your person is if it is used just because someone made a bonehead mistake,said something you disagree with, or won't let you merge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUfHxsw0suE

Then from the alternate point of view, that carrying in the car could be a good thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsP5n3zDLWc

[Arragonis]

I'm happy to live in a place where guns are rare but not unknown, and the police are (usually) unarmed.

I'm not going to debate that aspect further.

[P-hack]

never pull out a gun unless you mean to use it. If you are brandishing or gonna shoot someone over traffic, you aint right in the head.

[Fat Charlie]

The initial part of this was headlight dimming etiquette, specifically when encountering security personnel: don't antagonize them. When entering military bases got mentioned, I listed lights as being equal to vehicle weapons as things you blatantly disable so to not make the gate guards even think you're behaving aggressively towards them. I put the humvee pic in because there are places where people are so casual about weapons that they have to be specifically told not to make guards worry about things. If we have to drag this into whether or not they are a good thing to have around, let's keep it about being considerate- if you're carrying, it's your job to be the polite one, it's your job to not escalate things. If an armed society is a polite society, it's the job of the armed people to be the most polite members.

But back to lights, they blind people. That's why shutting them off at security points is a good practice- why on earth would you want an armed guard to think you're trying to blind him? In regular driving you shouldn't have high beams on if there's anyone anywhere near you to the front. Obviously there will be roads or weather conditions when you still have to use them, but that's the exception and should be done only when you really have to.

[freebeard]

I liked this one from the Youtube sidebar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKWBDhTWiaU

Teaching respect for pedestrian crossings ...in Brazil

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

The initial part of this was headlight dimming etiquette, specifically when encountering security personnel:...

I'm not sure that the majority of drivers go into sensitive and/or military sites that often to make it a big deal really.

Anyway - Another one for me, leaving space for 2-wheelers. If I'm in a queue I try to leave space to one side or another (and in front or behind) for them to filter through. My car is quite wide so this is tricky, but I try.

[freebeard]

I saw this on Fark.com:

FARK.com: (8594781) Stoned driving not as dangerous as drunk driving, say two studies from those potheads at the NHTSA