Thursday 8th April 2010

Throughly Modern Motoring Manners from Debretts and Astra. Seriously. I’m not kidding. This is a real handbook guide, published a couple of weeks ago. And about time too I would say.

Travelling with or without people, with kids and/or pets and all whilst trying to be mindful of other road users and pedestrians has become all too much...What is the right or wrong way to behave and make that journey as pleasant as possible for everyone?! Admittedly the all-new Astra helps, from an internal and external design point of view (thanks GM), but no one drives around in a bubble or a vacuum that I’m aware of. There are other people out there too, or in here too. So, to stave off the road-rage, that scourge of the modern day driver, or impress the female sex, what do we knights of the road need to do in order to impress? And more importantly, what do our passengers need to be aware of so as not to drive us up the wall?

Well, now we have the definitive answers to absolutely everything to do with cars, journeys, passengers, pets, playlists, eco-driving, town, country, parking etc. Thanks to a partnership between Astra and Debretts, the famed publishers of all things good mannered and etiquette, established in 1769, we now have the definitive resource book of knowledge to all the important driver and passenger etiquette and manners questions we could ever ask.
Expect very soon to see those who have already purchased a copy using this as the basis of their answers on certain well known internet question and answer sites or solving ‘disputes’ in the pub (don’t drink and drive). If you too would like to brush up on the courtesies of being a well mannered driver and passenger, the book guide is available to buy here

Debrett’s etiquette advisor Jo Bryant says she felt the guide was crucial because “modern drivers often forget their manners when they get behind the wheel”. (Half the drivers I’ve ever known I’m not too sure had any to start with. I can honestly say, and Fartamus Maximus you know who I’m talking about, I’ve needed a gas mask to get through certain trips I’ve been on to visit clients up and down the UK)
Jo went on to say “we have increasingly busy roads and drivers are keen to get from A to B as fast as possible. We felt that driving is an area where people forget their manners and display aggressive behaviour they wouldn’t show in their everyday lives. It’s important to remind people how to behave when they get behind the wheel; time and patience and being considerate to others on the road is very important. If people take notice of our advice and behave themselves on the road, we would have no more road rage”
I’ve had the privilege to read the book already and a thoroughly useful and interesting guide it is too; especially contentious I thought, and something we have already covered here on TorqueAstra, was the ultimate driving playlist guide. I think there were only 6 songs out of 50 mentioned that I don’t have currently on my well known brand of mp3 player, so you wouldn’t get many complaints from me! When you’ve had a read, drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

But back to what I was going to talk about, having read Thoroughly Modern Motoring Manners, I am aware that I should feel a bit guilty, as there here have been numerous times in the past (cough cough) when I have knowingly contravened and broken the etiquette driving rules without a second thought.

Not that I’m particularly proud of this but, as my father would say, there are times when knowing the rules means you are allowed to break them. One such occasion, which I shall relate here just to highlight my thinking, I think even Debrett’s would find themselves agreeing with me. I’m pretty sure most of you will too. This story doesn’t take place in an Astra but a Peugeot 205, sorry about that, but it has managed to cram in 6 of us and all of our gear as we first year students look to celebrate Summer and the end of first year exams by sampling the delights of Glastonbury for the very first time. It wasn’t my car and I wasn’t driving but after about 10mins on the motorway, I knew something had be done and as I was the front seat passenger, that ultimate sacrifice of duty was going to rest on my shoulders.
I slowly electric buttoned down my side window, pressed eject on the car stereo CD player, casually tossed said CD out of window, and then ever so nonchalantly closed the window after me. Pretty much all in one quick elegant and fluent movement.
My soon to be ex-best mate driving said nothing, nada but just stared at me in shock with his mouth agape, whilst I smiled back comfortingly.
He went back to driving, no one suggested a new CD be put on instead, so we all sat there in silence whilst the tension mounted and the back seat passengers tried to stifle their ‘biggus dickus’ type giggles.
All that I can say, in my defense and it is a doozie, is that I wasn’t going to Glastonbury (then a bit Indie music-ish) with the most hideous song of that Summer being repeatedly played over and over again whilst cruising down the motorway. However sunny and hot the day was and the weekend was meant to be.
Honestly, anyone who remembers Ace of Base and All that She Wants will know exactly what I’m talking about. There wasn’t a female friends’ room during revision weeks that that song wasn’t blaring out of...
Just to finish off, we didn’t go the whole way to Glastonbury not talking, with the driver hating all of us or trying to throw us out the car. The passengers in the back, after a while started very very quietly singing All that She Wants over and over getting louder and louder until we were all laughing and singing shouting the lyrics out as loud as we possibly could. A bonding experience as you’ll recognise and a source of in-jokes between we merry men all weekend and for a number of years afterwards.

Well, that’s quite enough from me. Buy the book, become a more courteous driver and passenger and make the roads a more pleasant experience for us all of us to negotiate.
My final word on this though would be could Debrett’s possibly get in touch with Raleigh or another bicycle manufacturer and have a go at sorting out Thoroughly Modern cyclists? As someone who is a pedestrian in London it would be great if they could learn some manners about how to use the road, the footpath and what a red light actually means....

If you write in and tell us some of your best and favourite car relate manner stories, we'll chosse the top 5 and send you a free copy as a wee prize! Can't say fairer than that can I and we'd love to hear some amusing or shocking anecdotes!