If another driver cuts you off in traffic, you should:
- Pull next to the driver and yell at them.
- Let it go. ✓
- Flash your high beams at the driver.
- Get back at the other driver by cutting them off.
Answer: B. Let it go.
If another driver cuts you off, let it go.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's safe-driving keys include courtesy, and it says safety comes before the right-of-way. When someone cuts you in front of you, holding onto the right-of-way or reacting to the other driver puts safety second. Letting it go keeps your attention on controlling your own car instead of on the other driver. The handbook does not spell out this exact situation, but its courtesy guideline points the same way as the answer.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Pull next to the driver and yell at them. — Pulling alongside and yelling at another driver is the opposite of the courtesy the handbook lists as a key to safe driving, and it takes your attention off the road.
- C. Flash your high beams at the driver. — Flashing your high beams at the driver is a reaction aimed at the other person rather than a courtesy move, and the handbook only describes flashing headlights as a signal when passing a truck.
- D. Get back at the other driver by cutting them off. — Cutting the other driver off to get even is retaliation, which puts safety behind the right-of-way, the reverse of what the handbook advises.
Remember it
Ask yourself which choice keeps your eyes and mind on your own driving, and pick that one.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 14: Additional Safety Tips , p. 67