In the square where I do my shopping, all 120 parking spaces were occupied. A random count revealed that 72 of the private cars there were either dented or had ugly scratches. This is in Herzliya Pituach, known as an upper stratum residential area.

I had the opportunity recently to be traveling in Europe with friends and together we must have looked at a thousand cars or more and simply could not find one with a dent or scratch on it.

What, then, is the difference between drivers in Europe and Israel? The Europeans do not drive any slower than Israelis do, and probably drive faster. However, they generally drive strictly according to the rules of the road, and they show respect and consideration for other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Sad to say, it is just these qualities that are lacking in so many of our drivers. Our miscreants of the road seem to adopt the attitude of “I’m alright Jack – never mind you.”

How many times have you had drivers suddenly stop in front of you in the very middle of the road? Never mind the line of cars building up behind him or her not being able to pass. You have to wait until the stopper decides to pull to the side or moves on.

Signaling to indicate which way he intends to turn is too much bother for many young drivers. Elderly drivers nearly always do abide by this basic regulation.

Vehicles reversing out of a parking space are the cause of most of the dents made on neighboring cars. The driver who is backing out may stop to see the damage he has caused, but how many will leave a note with their names and phone numbers on the car they have just hit?

I had the misfortune recently to be a participant in a Ministry of Transport drivers’ course. For 12 hours we were lectured on road rules and signs and held discussions on who was to blame for actual or hypothetical accidents. It included knowing the number of meters covered in a few seconds of driving at given speeds, and the centrifugal effects of cutting corners. All very interesting and useful information. But in all those sessions not one minute was devoted to the subject of road courtesy. Or how sometimes giving way and showing consideration to others on the road might prevent collisions. If lecturing on those things might have little impact on the macho drivers at Transport Ministry courses, it should be an absolute must for driving teachers teaching teenagers how to drive.

Whilst occasionally a Road Safety Day is declared, a good thing in itself, road courtesy should be part of driving every day.  That’s if we want to cut down on dents, scratched cars and smashups.