Rules of the Road

The other night, I saw a woman in a wheelchair and her boyfriend/husband strolling down Michigan Avenue hand-in-hand. They were perfectly in sync. He held her right hand, comfortably tugging her along. And she kept her left at the wheel to steer. I smiled, impressed by their practiced technique, and they nodded back in acknowledgement.

The brief exchange reminded me of a conversation I had ages ago with a friend about unwritten “rules of the road.” She drives a Jeep, and every time she sees another one, she and the other driver exchange friendly waves as they size up each other’s vehicles. She explained to me that this behavior is so common among Jeep owners that it might as well be printed in the car’s instruction manual.

Since having that conversation, I’ve made a concerted effort to smile and nod at every person in a wheelchair I pass, and I’ve given a lot of thought to the wheelchair rules of the road. These are the most amusing tips for walkies I’ve found on the net, and Wikipedia's guide to disability etiquette is extremely useful too (Thanks Karen!).