Road Etiquette

Be nice to others.

While living on the road you may end up getting the short end of the stick pretty often, but try to be nice to others if you can. If people remember you as being nice, they may be more agree to help you. You may also change their mind about homeless people, car dwellers and van dwellers.

Drive generously. I can't count the number of times I've driven down the road and some nob hoons past me only to get caught at the next red light. I'm not the fastest driver (even in my car that will easily do high speeds and accelerate rapidly) but I usually get to my destination in the same time others do, much more safer, and using a lot less fuel. So when I'm stuck in traffic I will let other drivers from side roads in, it is only one more car in front of me. No big deal. Similarly I will slow down to let cars merge into the lane in front of me, and will definitely let trucks in. Though I admit I don't like to be behind them as I can't see what's in front of me.

Always leave road side stops as cleans as when you arrived, or cleaner. Many RVrs carry a spare set of gardening style gloves and make a point of cleaning up road side stops when they leave. This can really be in your favor if you are noticed by police or local council types. If you are picking up rubbish when they arrive you can bolster your image of being a fine upstanding citizen. Unless of course they get the impression that you dropped the rubbish in the first place, so keep the are around your van or car clean.

Keep your van or car clean. I'm lucky that I have a relatively nice looking campervan. There re some slightly weird looking antennas hanging off of it, and an awning, but nothing that looks untidy or out of place. I saw a similar sized van to me heading down the road the other week that had a rather tacky looking sun shield shoved up behind a cupboard at a weird angle that just shouted 'make do poor people'. Now some times I know we do have to make do. That's life. But with the use of scissors and a little care, that sunscreen could have been trimmed to fit and mounted in a neat and tidy way. It would have looked a lot more professional and less make do.

Also, as we share the road with truckers, if you spot them awake in the morning, do some good relations work and invite them over for a coffee or breakfast. If you can win over a few hearts and minds or even make a new friend that's some one who will look after your best interests on the road or will come to your aid when you need it.

When driving at night and being over taken by a truck, when the truck is safely past you and can safely move to the left hand lane, flash your high beam lights at them for just a half second. This will let them know it is safe to move to the left hand lane. This has become a standard practice for truck drivers in Australia.