pet peeves & driving

Driving home yesterday evening, a car pulled out in front of me. Why is that a pet peeve? Because I was in the center lane, so this car completely missed the right lane & pulled directly into the center lane, in front of me, causing me to have to suddenly brake. Luckily, no one was immediately behind me. I started wondering why people can't pull out in the lane nearest them. If your entering traffic from the right side (on a multi-lane road), then pull into the right lane. Why is that such a difficult concept? I also wondered why people are in such a hurry that they could endanger not only their lives, but the lives of other drivers. Come on. In the evening, I am just as anxious as the next person to get as far away from work as possible, but not at the expense of other people (or at minimum, my car). After having my car in the shop for a week and a half from another hurried person rear-ending me, I can honestly say I fully support taking time and enjoying the drive. This time of year it's especially great (if you get off the highways and interstates). Last night, I took a new route home just because I wanted to see where that road ended. Sure, it put me out above where I live, but the time difference wasn't that great - plus I got to see an area I had never seen. And this time of year browsing neighborhoods is especially rewarding - I got to see all sorts of houses decorated in many different fashions (although some people need to learn that less can be more). I even saw one house that had their lights as a giant smiley face.

This got me thinking about other driving pet peeves that range from just nuisance to life endangering risks.

• Driving with your turn signal on for miles. Okay, this can happen to the best of us, but come on people, pay attention. After 5 miles, figure it out.


• Not using a turn signal. I don't know where you're going. So if you don't indicate your lane change or exit, I can't adjust my speed accordingly.


• Driving too slow. I'm all for obeying speed limits, but on a major highway or especially the interstate, slow drivers can be more dangerous that fast ones, especially when they drive in the middle or left lanes.


• Driving at a reasonable speed, but not passing (i.e., going the same speed as the car to your right). Alright already, just press the gas down a little more and pass the other car, then get back over to the slow lane to decrease your speed.


• Tailgating. Numero uno reason why my car spent the past week and a half in the shop. And a new police device that looks like a radar detector is actually a distance detector. Police in your area may be cracking down on tailgaters soon. My advice, don't do it. It causes unnecessary road rage and serves no purpose.


• Changing lanes when there's barely a car length between the two cars in the lane. Arg, I don't know how many times another car has forced me to tailgate because they assume the space I've left between me and the car in front of me is an invitation for them to get over.


• Constantly changing lanes, especially in traffic. The only rational I can assume is that the driver assumes it will get ahead of others and therefore will get to his destination sooner. If you're in that much of a hurry, leave earlier or accept being late.

I’m sure there are more, but these top my list. Bad drivers exist everywhere, but the south has more than it’s fair share. I blame it on NASCAR.