In general, etiquette is something most people in society choose willingly to observe. We exercise it as a sign of mutual respect for our fellow human beings wherever and however we encounter them, and we do so habitually and with intent. Some people however, decide variously when, where, and if they will even use etiquette. It is confusing to know today, like baggy pants that hang low enough to expose a person's underwear, whether lack of etiquette is becoming fashionable, or simply neglect. It would appear that individuals practice etiquette only when and if the situation suits them, and other times not at all. Sometimes it depends on the circumstances involved.

For example, there is a vast difference in the way people interact with other drivers on a busy road, and the way people interact while walking together in a bustling city.

Walking on a busy, crowded sidewalk in a city can be close and personal and obliges people to be more respectful to their fellows. If you bump into someone while trying to move around them because you are in a hurry, you politely say, "Excuse me," and continue on. Generally there is no further confrontation.

While driving, people can act in a manner of gross disrespect towards others, a manner that they would never engage in if they were walking with them side by side. In cars people are separated from the social requirements imposed by other interpersonal interactions. They don't have to be as nice to others as they do when they are face-to-face. This can cause problems.

At times, one person's lack of etiquette on the highway can trigger another person to acts of outrage, anger, and even revenge. And while we all experience the occasional outright rude driver who seems to have never read a "Rules of the Road" manual, we need to identify why there is a lack of driver etiquette, what can result from that lack, and if anything can possibly be done to prevent it.

Driving is less interpersonal, vis-a-vis cars and the room needed for them; consequently motorists are freer to disregard courtesy because of them. The space created between people because of their vehicles somehow creates a wholly different dynamic from how people interact in person. Drivers find it acceptable to react to each other with shouts, degrading gestures, leers of disgust, and worst of all, rude, adolescent, reckless, and aggressive behavior. Bad encounters often result in two drivers pulling over to the side of the road to exchange

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