Friday, February 14, 2003

Car Rants


Saw a four-car pileup on the way to work this morning. It was actually quite impressive, as it was on a regular street, and the last person clearly had almost enough time to realize what was happening as the last car was half out of its lane. Fortunately, there was enough room to pass, and as I passed I could tell that no one was seriously injured so I didn't feel obliged to stop and help. I just wonder how fast the cars had to have been going in that 30mph zone to get that damaged, and how closely must they have been following one another for all four cars to get crunched.

I find that I usually can leave my "driving attitude" in the car. In fact, most of the time I can't remember the annoying things that happen during my drives unless I work to dredge them up. I get angry a lot, and I'm a prime candidate for road rage, but I mostly don't act on it and when I get out of my car at home or at work, the anger stays in the car.

I hate inattentive drivers. I don't care what causes them to not pay attention, but I just wish they'd get off the road while they deal with their personal problems and focus on the road while they drive. There is nothing more dangerous than a driver that isn't paying attention.

I guess I'm a pretty awful driver, because I pay attention to the cars around me, and the road conditions. I try to stay out of faster traffic's way while trying to safely get around slower traffic. I drive a little fast, but I watch for dangers and react quickly. I try to have an "out" while driving. If I'm headed down the road, I try to have an alternate plan if, say, the person next to me swerves into my lane. I think about what I would do next, while paying attention as the conditions constantly shift around me. But almost everyone else on the road seems to ignore conditions, either driving way too fast or too slow. They change lanes without signalling, slow down while in front of you then speed up if you try to pass, cut in front of faster traffic as if it wasn't there... Since that is normal, I must be a bad driver to pay attention. I suppose I should resolve to pay less attention. That would probably lower my blood pressure while driving, since I wouldn't get so angry at all the drivers who refuse to obey basic traffic laws because I'd be ignoring them myself!

Or maybe I should just ride the bus.

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