More Driving My Car

In response to my Driving My Car blog, a reader from Nevada added to my list of driving gripes.

1. Those idiots that speed down the right turn only lane and then cut in front of you. Sometimes they just use the breakdown lane.

2. Talking on the cell instead of paying attention to the road - been cut-off several times by that person.

3. Tear-assing through the parking lots like they're on the highway.

4. Red light? What red light? (Also applies to Stop Signs).

5. I signal for a left turn and start the turn. The guy behind me decides it's time to pass (even though it's a solid DO NOT PASS line). Sometimes it applies to a right turn (see item 1 above).

6. Buzzing along the freeway in the passing lane then crossing 3 lanes of traffic (whether or not there's space to do so) just to make an exit. This maneuver must be done within 100 yards of the exit.

7. Especially when we're towing; I leave plenty of room for stopping. The 3 guys behind me have to pass, even though we're all doing the speed limit.

He also writes, “Having had the advantage of driving all across the country several times, I've observed that this behavior isn't necessarily confined to one particular region.”

So, I’m certain we’re not the only two people that have observed bizarre (and frequently dangerous) driving behavior. I’m still looking for people to share.

Driving My Car

I grew up in a small Western Massachusetts town. There wasn’t (and still isn’t) one traffic light. The police force was volunteers (much like the fire department). There was one store that was open Monday thru Friday 7 AM to 6:30 PM, 9 to 5 on Saturday and closed on Sunday.

Courtesy Google Images

As a teen in this town, there were a few options for employment.
1. The Box Shop – but you had to be 16
2. The Drum Shop – again, age 16
3. Picking apples and blueberries
4. If you were lucky (though I’m not certain I’d call it luck) your parents would drive you one town over to pick tobacco.

So, as a kid, I couldn’t wait to get my license and obtain a modicum of freedom. I remember riding in the backseat of a car and thinking how cool it must feel to be the only person in the car when you’re driving.

Man how times change. I’ve had my license for close to forty years, and I gotta say I do not find driving to be a cool experience anymore. (Rant time – if you don’t like to listen to people bitch best stop reading here.)

Now … everyone makes mistakes when they’re driving. When I do something stupid behind the wheel, I own it. I try to let the other driver know I screwed up by giving the apologetic wave, “Hey, sorry. I’m a dumb ass.”

And that’s the difference between folks like me and the A-hole; the A-hole flips you off when they make the mistake.

With this in mind, I present five things that irritate me while driving (in no particular order),
1. If you pull out of a side street … don’t meander. Step on it! Get into the flow of traffic as quick as possible.
2. And in that vein … if it’s that important that you must be in front of me … can you at least do the speed limit?
3. Back in the olden days (like when my eldest brother was learning to drive), it was probably a nuisance to stick your arm out the window to signal a turning event. However, street legal vehicles have these handy gadgets call directionals that allow driver A to, in theory, give others in the surrounding vehicles some hint of what driver A is planning to do next. I don’t get what is so hard about using directionals … finger cramps?
4. If you’re planning to make a left turn, how about moving as far left as you can so people behind you can get by on the right.
5. If you’re making a right turn in anything other than an eighteen wheeler, you don’t need to make a big looping swerve left before you turn right. Trust me; unless you’re that bad of a driver, you’re not going to hit anything with the passenger side of the car.

I know, petty whining. But I gotta admit, I don’t find driving nearly as enjoyable as I did when I got my license. Sometimes I miss those days in that small town when I didn’t have to drive anywhere.

Does anyone have anything they’d like to add to the driving rant list?