From merging on I-5 to the snowpocalypse, we have proven, year after year, that our driving skills as a city are wanting. We are surprised by rain, confused by four way stops and baffled at how to turn two lanes into one. Here is a fun but ranty plan for teaching Seattle how to drive right.
About Scott Berkun
Scott Berkun is the best selling author of The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker, and released just this week, Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds. His work as a writer and public speaker have appeared in the The Washington Post, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Fast Company, Forbes Magazine, and other media. He has taught creative thinking at the University of Washington and has been a regular commentator on CNBC, MSNBC and National Public Radio. His many popular essays and entertaining lectures can be found for free on his blog at Scott Berkun.
See Scott in action or read his popular blog on his main site: www.scottberkun.com
Ignite Seattle 
I applaud most of the points Scott brings up – I’ve complained about these for years.
That said – I have 2 points of disagreement.
1 is mild – when alerting a driver, I start with flashing my high-beams at them. This is an unintrusive, highly directed way of getting someone’s attention. The horn, on the other hand, startles *everyone* on the road. And Seattle drivers don’t react well to getting startled.
That said, if the high-beams don’t work, I’m all for escalating to the horn.
My 2nd issue is with the lane closure problem. It unfortunate, but I’m one of those folks that merge over as soon as he sees the sign. Why? You know those angry drivers you referenced that aren’t making full-and-proper use of the lanes? Those same folks aren’t terribly inclined to letting you back *into* the lane if you pass them. Seattle providing signage on the correct behavior could help immensely.
One thing I wished you mentioned – the *another* woefully under used feature that every car comes with: the turn signal. Drivers: The turn signal does not shift the weight of your car into the turn – it is *not* dangerous to turn on before your turn, and isn’t terribly useful to flip on half-way into your turn.
But again – a wonderful presentation. Thanks, Scott!
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