Complaining about traffic is a national pastime. Especially during construction season (otherwise known as “Summer”) or for if you live in a high-density urban area.

There are engineers who study the situation and try and create band-aid solutions which usually just create different versions of the same problem.

Here’s a different approach: Driving is not a right, so let’s put people through some rigorous testing before we give them a license. There are a lot of drivers out there who’s inabilities are causing many of the messes. Why not just screen more aggressively and really make sure they’re up to the task before we give them a license.

Some concepts people should be able to articulate, without prompting, may include:

  1. Your job at a stop light is to make sure the car behind you gets through it.
  2. Close the gap between you and the car in front of you.
  3. Don’t let everyone keep cutting in front of you. (If you do, you’re essentially going backwards… think about it.)
  4. Follow the rules, and don’t be polite. (Allowing someone to do something opposite of what traffic rules suggest often results in an accident, even if you think you’re just being friendly.)
  5. You can turn right on a red light. Try and do it quickly.
  6. You can also turn left from a one way street onto another one way street. Don’t wait.
  7. Get up to at least the speed limit within the first 200 yards (at the most).
  8. When you pass someone on a four lane road (two going the opposite way), move back in front of the car you passed as quickly as you can so we’re not all stuck waiting before we can pass, too.
  9. Drive at least 5 mph over the speed limit. (Better yet, just drive with traffic.)
  10. Stay in the right hand lane unless you’re going to pass. If you are going to pass, do it quickly.
  11. Don’t drive next to another car going the same speed.

Certainly, there’s more. But this would be a good start. An aspiring driver should be able to list at least 8 of these, unassisted, before they are eligible for their license.

Sound good? Got any to add? (Of course, you do.)