There's a lot more to it than just stepping on the gas and going forward. The Art of Driving means becoming one with your car and understanding the world outside your car to achieve maximum speed/time efficiency while remaining respectful and safe.

A friend once related a story to me of how her father, while teaching her how to drive, walked around the car and tapped each corner of it with a stick as she sat in the driver's seat. This helped her to understand the size of her car. With this comprehension, she could better tell what tight spots she could squeeze into.

That, along with an understanding of your car's optimum performance levels, are essential towards becoming one with your car. These other factors include your car's acceleration, speed, braking power, and agility.

There are many articles out there on understanding your car, so I won't focus on that. Instead, I'll focus on the world outside your car.

The key to knowing the world outside your car is to understand traffic patterns. Traffic patterns are influenced by the environment (road type, weather, time of day) as well as human psychology.

Road type effects the foundation of traffic. Smooth, paved multi-lane highways will generally encourage faster driving than, say, single-lane dirt roads winding through the mountains.

Weather and time of day are also important factors. People generally drive slower in rain or at night. Sunny afternoons are beacons of speed.

Human psychology isn't as recognized as an influence of traffic as it should be. For example, when there is an accident on the side of the road (or in the opposite lane), drivers are apt to slow down and gawk. Sometimes this is for safety reasons.

Other times, as when a police officer has pulled someone over, it's for unnecessary reasons. Once a cop has pulled someone over, they aren't going to be watching the traffic on the road anymore. Slowing down in these cases isn't going to make a driver less of a target than speeding up would.

A firm understanding of these factors will allow any driver to make the destination in the maximum time, given the course is the shortest (or most efficient) route there.

Knowing these factors means a driver can circumvent traffic to take advantage of particular patterns that allow for maximum speed. These practices, however, do not maximize fuel efficiency.

I've coined some terms for use in the Art of Driving. Some apply to general traffic patterns and movements. Others apply to types of drivers. These describe the ways in which drivers can use an understanding of traffic patterns to their advantage.

Disclaimer: I in no way support in-and-out traffic weaving. Drivers who do that are discourteous and dangerous. Always allow generous space between cars before merging into another lane, and always use a turn signal.

Disclaimer Two: The terms and concepts here apply to countries that drive on the right side of a road.

Challengers
Sometimes also known as Punks or Racers; drivers who eye each other while driving parallel, then race down the road. Challengers are generally Leaders who don't want to give up their Alpha Male status.
CLLs
Courteous Left Laners (pronounced Clils); drivers in the left lane who move out of the way when you're going faster than they are, bless their hearts.
Followers
Drivers who follow the Leaders through Holes.
Gap
The space between two cars in one particular lane.
Groove Line
The inside lane of a curve, which is shorter than the outside lane. Professional race car drivers always aim for the inside lane so that they don't have to travel as much distance and use as much power. When driving on a winding road, be aware of the Groove Line and try and take the insides of the curves if possible.
Hole
A collection of Gaps that cross multiple lanes. To take advantage of a Hole, you have to merge through several lanes.
Leaders
Drivers who lead the way through Holes.
Left Lane Phenomenon
Since traffic is generally faster in the left lane, sometimes staying in the left lane is more advantageous than shooting for every Hole out there.
Merge Points
Major intersections or merges of streets. On highways, these would be the entrance and exit ramps.
Morons
Drivers who switch lanes without properly checking their blind spots and accidentally cut off other drivers. These drivers aren't necessarily rude, they're just clueless Morons.
NIMLs
Not In My Laners (pronounced Nim-Ells); drivers who speed up when they notice that you might merge into their lane.
Right Lane Phenomenon
Sometimes many drivers are cognizant of the Left Lane Phenomenon, and flock to it. This leaves the right lane relatively empty, opening a Speed Lane opportunity there.
Roadblock
A slow driver or collection of slow drivers who block any passing opportunities, either by accident or on purpose.
Slingshot
Overtaking a car on a curve by taking the outer lane. In auto racing jargon, this act is more akin to Riding the Rails.
Speed Lane
A very large Gap that allows you to overcome several cars at once. Speed Lanes generally must be taken quickly before other cars notice the Gap and fill it in.
Undercut
Overtaking a car on a curve by taking the inner lane. This is taking advantage of the Groove Line. In auto racing jargon, this act is known as Getting Under another car.

As you can guess, keeping a keen eye for Gaps and Holes is a key point. Speed Lines can be useful, unless you notice that the end of the Speed Line is going slower than another lane, in which case the other lane may be more advantageous.

The concept of the Groove Line cannot be understated, especially when deciding which lane to take in a Hole. However, street driving is not like auto racing, and it is very dangerous as well as disrespectful and illegal to jump across multiple lanes at once. Change lanes one at a time; and again, always use a turn signal.

Another useful point to keep in mind is the Left and Right Lane Phenomena. The key idea here is to keep an eye on all lanes. Further than that, keep an eye on a few cars ahead of you. Use the cars in front as a gauge of how fast a particular lane may be.

Knowing the road is also very useful. Sometimes that's not possible, like when you're in new territory. But if you are driving on a familiar road, be cognizant of major Merge Points. These Merge Points can slow traffic and open or close Holes suddenly.

Beware: certain Holes aren't meant to be taken. Always allow for enough space to merge. Don't want to be a Moron; make sure you aren't cutting off any drivers. Do that, and they might slam on their brakes and cause a multi-car accident. Then you'd be more than a Moron, you'd be a Moron Who Just Caused An Accident (MWJCAA). And Momma don't like MWJCAAs.

Using all of these concepts will help maximize your driving experience, as well as your speed/time efficiency. And that's what the Art of Driving is all about. It's not about mindless speeding. It's about careful, considerate driving that helps maximize speed and time while remaining respectful and safe.

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Another recommendation is to invest in a good radar detector. I have the Valentine One and it's been a blessing to me. If you get one, take the time to learn how to read it and interpret its signals. A good radar detector is only as good as the person interpreting it. And this combination can save you a lot on speeding tickets as you take on the Art of Driving.

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Do you have any concepts to add to the Art of Driving?