There are two kinds of drivers in this world.  Brake slammers wait until they’re an inch from a red light or stop sign before hitting their brakes, jolting their passengers, and worrying other drivers for fear they won’t stop at all.  Then, there are the slow, steady brakers. who  anticipate the change of the stop light as they approach an intersection. They don’t ride the brakes, but tap them lightly before applying a firm pressure as they come to a stop. Are you a brake slammer?  And if so, why?

Many older folks are brake slammers because they were taught that way.  My  mother grew up on a farm , rode a horse to school,  and didn’t learn to drive until she was 30 years old.  She pushed her seat  back and gripped the steering wheel as though she were holding the reins of  a horse.  Her driving was awkward, jumpy, and yes, she was a brake slammer.

Dad was a big city boy from Chicago, who drove a cab as a teenager.  He was always alert, shifting his eyes from side to side, but totally comfortable behind a steering wheel.  He maneuvered adroitly through heavy traffic even after he lost the sight in one eye.  Dad was not a brake slammer.  He taught me how to drive in the days when there was no such thing as drivers’ ed, and as you may have guessed, I’m not a brake slammer.

Some  brake slammers are known to be impatient.  They may be driving over the speed limit, and hoping they will beat the light and not have to stop at all. Sometimes, they rush through as the light is changing and that’s when accidents often happen.

When I’m driving along a city  street and a  speeding brake slammer at an intersection stops abruptly at a stop sign,  I feel  prickles under my skin.  My gut reaction is to slow down, irritating the traffic behind me, because I’m not sure that vehicle is going to stop at all.

Brake slammers are actually hurting themselves.   Their brakes wear out so fast that they’re replacing them about twice as often as they should. Brakes are expensive, as anyone who’s had to replace them knows. Also , brake slammers are more apt to get rear ended by other brake slammers. https://www.autosimple.com/blog/10-bad-driving-habits/    But as far as I’m concerned, brake slammers are getting what they deserve.