I don’t really have room to talk about traffic because I live in a rural area, and the nearest town has a population of only a few thousand people. Honestly, I would never make it in a city because I come unglued all the time when I’m driving. I’m not as bad as I used to be now that I work from home and don’t have to be on the road every day. In fact, I sometimes go weeks without leaving the house. Not having to drive every single day has made a huge difference in my stress levels!
Two-Lane Roads
I have to drive twenty minutes in either direction on a two-lane road to get to any type of town, and there is only one passing lane in each direction. The roads where I live are quite curvy, so with the exception of a short truck lane in each direction, your chances of being able to pass anyone are pretty slim. As a result, it is possible to become the victim of three different types of outrageous driving conduct:
- People who go 10 mph slower than the speed limit
- People who brake excessively for every curve
- People who want to go 20 mph over the speed limit and insist that you do the same by tailgating you.
Okay, so I’ll admit it. I’m in the third group more often than in the first two! I’m pretty comfortable going 5-10 over, and I really don’t like going slower. BUT, I’m the first to acknowledge that if someone is at least going the speed limit, I really don’t have room to complain, no matter how much I want to.
You may recall my mention of passing lanes. Well, some of these cars that insist on forcing you to drive at or below the speed limit on a two-lane road suddenly become inspired to keep you in line by speeding up when you finally get to the long-anticipated but overly short passing lane, just to make sure you can’t pass them ever! Then they slow down again when it goes back to two lanes! For the love of God, people, WHY????
I have had to haul loads in a pickup a few times, which meant I had to be a slow-moving vehicle on the road. When I reached one of those truck lanes, you can bet I slowed down to 5 mph and let as many people as possible pass me. There are also plenty of places on the side of the road where you can pull over to let faster cars pass, but no one ever does that for me. I would do that for others if it came up, and in fact, I have. All I want is the same courtesy from others that I’m willing to extend to them! Why is that too much to ask?
What Ever Happened to Turn Signals?
It shouldn’t even surprise me anymore when people don’t seem to know what a blinker is for, yet somehow it still does. I find it most irritating when I’m waiting to turn right or left, and an oncoming vehicle that I was waiting for turns off right before it would have passed me, which meant I could have gone had I known they were turning! The jackasses!
Here are a few more examples of blinker behaviors that drive me nuts!
- When people stop in the middle of the road for seemingly no reason, but in reality, they are turning left without a blinker on a road with no turn lane!
- When people turn on their blinkers in Kansas because they’re turning in Nebraska!
- When truck drivers on the interstate switch lanes without using their turn signals and just about run you off the road!
Slow Turns
Even worse than not using a blinker, and sometimes in conjunction with not using a blinker, some drivers feel the need to practically come to a complete stop in order to make the most basic of right turns.
Improper use of the left turn lane is also far too common. If the turn lane is long enough, which it generally is, there is no need to slow down until after you’re in the turn lane. The point of a turn lane is to allow cars to slow down and stop to turn without disrupting the flow of traffic.
Asleep at the Light
Maybe I just have faster reflexes than the general public, but to me, when a light turns green, it means “go.” It doesn’t mean, put your cell phone down, fix your hair, think for a minute, and then go. You should be ready to go when the light changes. I mean, are you not aware that you’re still in your car? I think the first driver at the light has a responsibility to all other drivers in the line to respond promptly to the light!
The lights in some of the towns around me are some of the longest red lights I’ve endured in my life, so it is incredibly inconvenient when you don’t get to go when the lights finally turn green because the car in front took too long to start. This is especially problematic in turn lanes.
I can tell you one thing, though. When I’m first in line at the light, I’m usually on the other side of the intersection before the driver beside me has even started. This problem is of epidemic proportions. I see slow responses at almost every. single. light.
I’m sure I’ll be adding to this page each time I venture out. In the meantime, please don’t speed, remember to use your turn signal, and don’t drink and drive!