I’ve been driving vehicles for almost 27 years and I’m still learning the ropes. I’ve been communicating with my fellow human beings for much longer… and I’ll be working on that process until the day I die.
Lately on my commute to the office, I’ve been assessing my process of changing lanes — because sometimes we all have to make changes to properly move with the flow of traffic — and yesterday morning I realized the steps I take to do so is out of sequence.
I started wondering if I sometimes communicate or make life changes the way I drive.
Over the years I have subconsciously adopted the following four-step automated procedure when moving from lane to lane:
Decide. Move. Indicate. Look.
This all happens quickly, with Move, Indicate and Look occurring almost simultaneously. I know, I know… and I already said, it’s out of whack, and sometimes I’ve almost gotten into accidents because I’m relying on my quick reflexes to kick in after I have looked. But there is another underlying ‘step’ that isn’t mentioned here, and that’s because it took place before I even put the key in the ignition, and it needs to remain as part of the process until I shut the engine down and exit my parked vehicle.
Awareness.
And Awareness is good. I need to be constantly aware of what’s going on around me — inside and outside of my environment — in order to get it right and not crash into and wrongfully affect someone else’s life. But I can’t rely solely on Awareness. My Awareness does not cover my screwed up process, which must be shuffled a bit to look like this:
Look. Decide. Indicate. Move.
Look.
This is not the last step! (What was I thinking?) It’s the first step. I need to take a good, long look around me before I do anything. I am not the only one on the road. What’s coming my way? What does the situation look like in the place I want to be? What am I getting myself into with this change?
Decide.
Is right now the best time to be making my move? Would it be smarter to wait just a little longer? Is it going to be a smooth transition? Do I need to step on it and get it done quickly while the opportunity presents itself?
Indicate.
Will my actions affect others around me; negatively or positively? I have to know who my move is going to impact, and let them know I’m about to do something different. And am I giving them enough time to see me coming, in case they need to make adjustments to their process?
Move.
I can Look, Decide, and Indicate ‘til the cows come home, but if I never make my Move, I’m just wasting my time, and probably annoying those around me.
Have you ever seen someone motoring along in the passing lane with their right turn indicator flashing for miles, and they never… do… anything? You know they accidentally flicked it on… or you know they forgot to turn it off after their last lane change… or… did they? Being in the immediate vicinity of people like this is an uncomfortable feeling. You don’t have a clue what they’re doing. They’re not communicating properly. You’re unsure of their next move. They make you cautious, maybe even jumpy.
You don’t trust them. (Naturally.)
It’s okay to change lanes (that’s what the dotted lines are for), but get your process straight first — then make your move.