Driving. Me. Crazy.

I am not a patient driver. There, I said it. The first step, they say, to overcoming a bad habit is to admit your problem. I have to confess that bad drivers drive me crazy. I'm not totally sure why.

There is a part of me that gets so frustrated by the danger they are to everyone on the road. You know the kind of drivers I'm talking about. I've seen people driving while doing all sorts of things. Texting? Oh sure that's a problem but how about driving while putting on makeup, reading a newspaper, or changing clothes...? Seriously? I've seen all of these numerous times.

Green means go

Then there are the poky drivers. If you are the first car in line at a red light, you have a moral responsibility to all the other drivers behind you....its like you are the leader of the parade. When the light turns green, you must first check to see that all the cars coming from both sides are actually going to stop at their red light and then ....MOVE...get going.... at a safe speed that allows as many cars behind you to get through the light before it turns yellow. I have seen occasions where there are 10 or more cars backed up at a red light and only 3 cars get through the intersection.....THREE! I know, I know...I should just be patient and hey, if it takes 3 cycles of the traffic light for me to get through the intersection, what's the big deal? Its only time. But it drives me crazy. It is so discourteous to other drivers. You may think that I am a horn honker. I'm not... unless someone is so asleep at the wheel for so long that they need a little wake up call.

I also don't do well when traffic is just backed up and running slowly. I will take an alternate route that adds 10 miles to my trip just so I can keep moving.

I took a driver education course my junior year of high school. We had driver's ed at my school but the order in which you could take the course was determined alphabetically based on your last name. That meant I would have to wait until the end of that school year before we got to the TUVWXYZ people. So I paid for private lessons. My instructor was incredible! He taught me so many things that I remember to this day. If the speed limit is 55, go 55, not 50, not 52...55 (he didn't encourage speeding either.) When you get to a YIELD sign....yield....then GO. Some people must think that YIELD is French for GIVE UP. 

Sir Isaac Newton..no relation to Fig

He also instilled in me a recognition of what a privilege and huge responsibility it is to drive an automobile. To wield control of a 2 ton vehicle traveling at speeds of 60-70 mph is a serious thing. A 4000 lb car at 70 mph generates 654,686 ft/lbf of kinetic energy. 






That's a lot of mass at a lot of velocity. But some drivers drive as if they are in a balsa wood soap box derby car going 5 mph.


I'm not sure why I get so bothered by bad drivers. I guess part of it is that something that should safely take 15 minutes shouldn't take 25. Driving is also a matter of courtesy. Don't block the intersection, don't creep along in the left lane, don't speed, don't clip or paint your fingernails while driving, don't tailgate, don't fail to use your turn signals, don't cut people off, don't fail to let someone into the traffic flow if it is safe to do so, move over, get a room, put your child in a car seat, pull over for emergency vehicles, pull over and show some respect when the funeral procession comes by....I mean drive like you have some sense.


OK...I feel a bit better. Until tomorrow when I have to hit the streets again. Lord, give me patience. They're driving me crazy.