Driving in New Brunswick

I was over visiting the Deep Friar reading his Passive-Aggressive Driving tips. I grew up driving in Ontario and so I’m quite familiar with these “tips”. As an Army Wife, I’ve moved around the country and noticed that there are a few different rules for driving in different provinces.

After five years of living at C.F.B. Gagetown, I picked up a few things I’d like to share some tips about driving in New Brunswick.

1. Politeness reigns supreme. If you’re at a 4-way stop, wave the other people go first even if you got there first and even if they’re waving you to go first. You might have to sit there all day until a car with an out-of-province-plate comes along and blasts through the intersection. At which time you can all get out of your cars, complain about how rude the foreigner was while drinking the Tim Horton’s coffees that were perched on your dashboards.
2. If the sign says “MERGE” then stop. If the sign says “YIELD” then stop. If the sign says “STOP” then stop and finish your Tim Horton’s coffee.
3. If the light turns yellow while you are in the general vicinity of any intersection STOP because the light will turn red. This is especially true if you’re approaching an intersection, in the middle of an intersection or if you even know anyone who is in the intersection.
4. If there is a garage/yard sale, you are permitted to stop in the middle of the road, get out and shop, even on a major highway. If there are signs indicating the location of a garage sale, you are permitted to stop and take down the directions even if you have to write on the side of your Tim Horton’s coffee cup.
5. Never speed. It is better to go 10-15 km under the speed limit so you can roll down your windows and talk to the driver in the car next to you as you’re driving. It’s okay if you block both lanes on the highway. It will give the other drivers a chance to talk to each other.
6. Wave at all the transport drivers. You want them to know that you’re friendly. Slow down right in front of them and flash your brake lights in a Morse code greeting.
7. Slow down going up hills and speed up going down hills; just to see if every hill is like the Magnetic Hill.
8. Make sure you have a religious themed bumper sticker on your car as well as the one from the Magnetic Hill and one shaped like a lobster.
9. You are permitted to swerve erratically through any kind of traffic whatsoever in order to get into the line up for the Tim Horton’s drive through window.
10. In parking lots take your time parking your car and make sure you park VERY close to the people next to you so that the will know how friendly you are and they’ll be able to see how many times you’ve “rolled up the rim to win”.
11. Stop, ALWAYS stop for pedestrians or potential pedestrians (i.e. people just hanging out on the street corner with no real intention of crossing the street).

Frustrating as driving is in New Brunswick, I absolutely LOVED living there. The people are, in my opinion, the friendliest in Canada. I would love to be posted back there someday!

If you ever have the chance to visit this beautiful part of the country…remember to wave….they like that!