Rules of Driving in Highlands Ranch

Rules of Driving in Highlands Ranch
 
Driving a car is part of life in Highlands Ranch for most people. Getting to and from work, shopping, picking up the kids at school, dropping the kids off at the Rec centers, and so on ....! Highlands Ranch has a lot of roads and a lot of traffic. Highlands Ranch also has a lot of road rage and quite a few accidents. Wouldn't it be easier for everyone to follow some simple rules of how to drive properly in Highlands Ranch? That said - here are "our" rules of how to drive in Highlands Ranch:
 
1) Proper Use of Cell Phones while driving
Driving during rush hour is pretty stressful. To make everyone more relaxed we recommend using your cell phone to make relaxing phone calls during your drive to/from the office. Nothing takes the stress more out of your commute while talking to a loved one or friend and peacefully sweering across the nice 3 lanes Highlands Ranch Parkway or University Blvd. have to offer. Using 2 or 3 lanes at the same time, especially in heavy traffic makes sure there is enough room around you and keeps aggressive drivers away from you. Don't forget to wave your hand friendly at anyone who eventually manages to pass you. A relaxed drive home is almost guaranteed.
 
2) Turn light Entertainment
Turn lights are a fun way to entertain yourself while driving. Like many others it often seems drivers in Highlands Ranch have forgotten what that little plastic stick at the steering wheel does. It's not only to be used to communicate via high beam with other drivers, but it can also function as a way to signal a change in direction. However, this functionality seems to be overrated among most drivers in Highlands Ranch and therefore we recommend to either use it to announce the opposite of what you are doing. Turn left if you want to turn right or leave it blinking while going straight. The advantage is that it sharpens the attention skills of other drivers around you. The result is that other drivers are much more aware of you and that in return makes you safer and protects you from accidents. Leaving the turn light on blinking while driving is also quite entertaining. It's almost like Sudoko where you have to "guess" the next number. Fun and entertainment among other drivers are guaranteed. Watch their excitement.
 
3) Don't feel lonely
We all know that singles (as in single, not married people) have tough times finding a partner with how busy we all are. Long hours at work and less social life just makes it difficult. It is really appreciated that some folks are stepping up to the plate and provide comfort to those in need. I always get this warm fuzzy feeling when the hood of the car behind me disappears in my rear mirror when it comes closer. If an airplane, I'd say this is how close you would come for refueling in-flight, but of course we all know this has not been implemented yet for cars. At least now I am no longer alone and feel "protected" from behind. Can it get better than that?
 
4) Turn into moving traffic
The fastest way to make new friends is to make a turn from a side street into fast moving traffic on the main road. Highlands Ranch Parkway, Wildcat Reserve Parkway and other streets with a 45 MPH speed limit are perfect for finding new friends. Just pull into the moving traffic and slowly (!) accelerate. You will get immediate attention as cars behind you "voluntarily" slow down due to you only slowly reaching drive speeds. Now here comes the clue - once you see all cars lined up behind you, make a lane change into the middle lane. Chances are that a car behind you will do the same in exactly the same moment. That is a sign that there are higher powers around us that want you to meet that person that is again behind you.Stay at least 5 MPH below the speed limit and reach for your cell phone. Eventually he/she will call you ....! At this point you might experience friendly sign language signals or curious looks from the other drivers around you. Ignore them by starring straight ahead and by pretending to have a cell phone conversation.
 
5) Be safe - Drive Slow
Even though the speed limit is mainly 45 MPH on the main roads in Highlands Ranch, we all know speed kills people. So, we recommend going slow. A good average speed is 35 MPH even when no cars are around you. This assures other people will be able to catch up with you. Slow speeds also connect you to rule #3 (Don't feel lonely) - especially during rush hour when people want to get home or to work. Two slow going cars make up for a great group experience. To add some more security to the mix, make sure to tip on the break every once in a while without actually slowing down the car. Don't let anyone else tell you different - going well below the speed limits the way to go. You save on gasoline and you are able to really see more.
 
6) Green Traffic Light? Slow down
See a green traffic light ahead of you? This is a great opportunity to slow down. Not just to slow down, but to actively hit the breaks. This really makes sense because if you manage to slow down enough chances increase dramatically that you hit the light on red and are able to come to a complete stop. We recommend starting to slow down and using the breaks at least 0.5 miles before the intersection. The earlier the better and the more the people driving behind will take notice of what a safe driver you are. And we all love to slow down for no reason in front of a green light as it takes away the stress and the urge to arrive on time.
 
By now you probably realized that these rules are not really rules, but point out some of the problems we are experiencing when driving in Highlands Ranch. Traffic has reached a volume where even the slightest interruption in traffic flow has significant impact driver behavior. People are stressed and it does not take much nowadays until somebody snaps. This can result in going through a red light or worse - road rage. And road rage might not even hit the person who did the "worse" thing. But imagine somebody driving during rush hour from one end of Highlands Ranch to another. During that time you will most likely experience a large set of matches for our "rules" listed above. Combine that with the really bad traffic light syncronisation (hint, hint, ...) and it does not take much for people to snap. So, please be considerate when driving in Highlands Ranch. If everyone gives another 5% to spend more attention and to think what is the impact of what I am doing to overall traffic, we all could arrive less stressed and more relaxed and ... on time.

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