Driving etiquette

Driving etiquette relates to the general courtesy rules which communities expect the operators of vehicles to follow while driving. Use of the term dates back to the early 1900s and the use of horse-drawn carriages. Good driving etiquette typically involves being courteous and staying alert which varies by vehicle, situation, and location (etiquette for driving an F1 car involves different rules than etiquette for driving an RV). Failure to adhere to this behavior can lead to increased risk of road collisions, anxiety, and to acts of road rage. Driving etiquette can extend beyond in-vehicle actions: "When a courteous driver scrapes the fender or inflicts minor damage to a parked car without its owner present, he leaves a note giving his name, his telephone number, and the name of the insurance company. If the owner is present, the courteous driver exchanges insurance information politely and contacts the proper authorities right away without incident". Breaches in driving etiquette can often be addressed amiably with a simple and immediate expression of apology. The general guiding principle behind driver etiquette is "one good turn deserves another". It is considered vital that everyone adheres to good driving etiquette. Speeding and aggressive driving, both examples of poor driving etiquette, have been cited as negative factors related to rural highways. Drivers need education about driving etiquette to prevent them getting into accidents.

Motorists in the United States and northern Europe are described as "predictably law-abiding", while the driving in Russia and India is referred to as being in a "madcap road-rally style".

"Many Chileans have tendency to speed, pull out of lanes without signalling, and rarely demonstrate driving etiquette when it comes to cyclists".

Driving etiquette is still in its early stages in China, where people have driven vehicles for well over 3,000 years. As a result, traffic can at times be chaotic, and some road courtesies are often ignored. Taxi and bus drivers will commonly aim their vehicles at pedestrians in order to get them to move out of the way more quickly, with regular honking of car horns the norm.

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