It seems like driving is getting worse and worse every day. More and more people are driving on the road, which makes it hard to navigate all of the congestion. It is not uncommon for drivers to get frustrated when they can’t find a way through traffic or an open space in order to merge onto the highway.
This frustration often leads them to cut off other drivers, flip someone off, or honk their horn excessively at their fellow motorists.
However, there are some psychological reasons behind this behavior that might make you think twice about driving etiquette next time you encounter someone who won’t let you in front of them while driving!
Here are some reasons why people don’t give way to you when driving:
You’re driving a more expensive car than they are:
Psychologists say that the nicer someone’s car is, whether it be luxurious or simply new and clean, the less likely other drivers will let them merge in front of them on the road. This is because those who drive cheaper cars see your pricey ride as an indication that you can afford to wait for traffic like everyone else.
The idea behind this behavior seems pretty logical; if someone has enough money to buy a nice car, then they must have money coming out of their ears and probably won’t care about waiting for an extra minute or two for traffic to clear up!
So next time find yourself trying to get into an open spot driving in front of someone who won’t let you, think about the fact that they might be driving an older car.
You’re driving with women or children:
There is no doubt that people are more likely to act courteously when driving around women and children; this idea isn’t negative at all! Studies show that male drivers tend not to give way to other men when driving on the road, but do so for female drivers much more frequently than if another guy tried to merge into their lane while behind the wheel.
Psychologists say this happens because we see men as predators by nature – especially young ones like teenagers since society sees them as rebellious troublemakers always looking for a fight (even if this is no longer the case!).
This idea is also closely related to driving around expensive cars and how it relates to gender because we tend to believe that men who drive nicer vehicles are doing so to show off their status.
However, when driving with women or children, you’re seen as somebody less likely to cause trouble on the road since these people aren’t seen as a threat socially speaking (but can still be dangerous behind the wheel of course).
You were polite enough for them not to let you merge:
One thing that does come into play here is politeness; according to studies done by psychologists at Ohio State University, being nice goes a long way towards getting other drivers on the road to give way!
If you were polite and let the person driving in front of you merge into your lane when it was their turn, then they might be more inclined to do what’s right by driving etiquette and let you in as well.
You’re driving a vehicle that other people don’t recognize:
Another reason why someone may not give way to you is that they simply don’t know what type of car you are driving! This idea makes sense since we live in such an advanced society where so many types of cars are on the road these days.
It isn’t uncommon for someone driving behind us at night time to believe that we must be in some sort of expensive sports car even though we’ve never driven a fancy vehicle in our lives. If you drive one of these types of vehicles, then people will assume they don’t need to give way for you just because it isn’t their car!
You’re driving an old car with low gas mileage:
One reason why someone doesn’t let another driver merge into traffic could simply be because your car has bad gas mileage and is very expensive to maintain!
We’ve all heard stories about how certain drivers won’t even let other drivers merge when driving older sports cars like Porsches or Ferraris since these vehicles have an expensive price tag attached to them.
Even driving a car that doesn’t cost as much, but has bad gas mileage could also factor into this idea of drivers not wanting to let you merge in front of them.
You’re driving a truck or SUV:
Another reason why someone might not want to let another driver enter their lane is simply that they don’t recognize what type of vehicle it is! In today’s society where so many different types and brands exist on the roadways, driving around trucks and SUVs can be seen as similar to driving around unknown cars that other drivers haven’t identified yet.
There are even some cases when people driving large commercial vans won’t give way for smaller passenger vehicles simply because they don’t know what type of vehicle it is!
You’re driving a different country’s road rule:
Finally, another reason why someone might not give way to you while driving on the road could be because they believe that your car isn’t allowed in their lane. For example, if you drive around with UK license plates and are driving in France, drivers from this latter country may think that British cars aren’t allowed on French roads when there shouldn’t be any issues.
However, these types of assumptions happen all over the world where people assume one thing or another about certain vehicles which can lead to dangerous situations for everyone involved!
In conclusion, though, driving etiquette is very important and should be practised by all drivers around the world. If everyone driving on our roadways was a courteous driver who allowed other people to merge in front of them, then driving would become much more enjoyable for everyone involved!
