Driving Rants...

So, you've got a car. Great... it gets you from point A to point B! Great! But...

1) If your car can't drive the speed limit (or if you're too afraid to drive the speed limit)...

If you can't even go the minimum speed of the road that you're on, get off that road and take another route!

What do you think is happening behind you when you're going 35mph in a 55mph roadway?!

2) Pay attention to the road signs... ALL OF THEM!!!

If it says "Slower Traffic Keep Right", and you're going below the speed limit or below the speed of the flow of traffic, get into the right lane!

If it says "No Turn On Red" and you're behind me in the right lane, don't honk your horn thinking that I'm going to break a traffic law just so you can get past.

If it says "Don't Block the Box" and you can see that there's tons of traffic ahead of you and the light is going to turn red, that means don't go into the intersection and block the traffic that is going to have the right of way.

Also, since I'm not going to sit in the middle of the intersection, don't honk your horn behind me thinking that I'm going to put my life at risk just so you can get past when the light is RED!

The YIELD sign means exactly that! YIELD to the traffic that has the right of way. If you're idling at the intersection and someone is coming at the speed limit or speed of flow of traffic, how do you think you're going to merge into traffic without causing people to slam on their breaks to avoid hitting you?!

Of course, for those driving the speed limit or going with the flow of traffic, if you see someone wanting to merge into the lane and they've signaled, pay attention! They want to get into your lane and possibly in front of you! So... what are you supposed to do? Look to your left and right to see if there is an open lane for you to change lanes.

the STOP sign means STOP!!!! It does not mean YIELD. It does not mean tap on your breaks so your break lights flicker for a second before you proceed. It means STOP! STOP. Look at all directions of traffic and only proceed if it's your turn to go and if it's safe for you to enter the intersection.

3) If you see that there is an accident on the side of the road...

Well, if you see it happen and you're the only one on the scene, stop and help the people or at least pull over and call 911 or whatever emergency # is for your area!!!

If you see that there is an accident and the people are being attended to by others and emergency personnel, well, then move on! There is no reason to slam on your breaks and come to a complete stop just so you can see what happened. Just be thankful that it's not you in the accident and keep your eyes on the road. Cause if you don't, it could end up being you that causes another accident!

4) If you see a cop on the side of the road...

Don't slam on your breaks thinking he's not going to see you. If you see him, he's already seen you!

If that cop has pulled someone else over, don't slam on your breaks to see the idiot that got pulled over before you... cause if you cause an accident, that cop is going to be giving you a ticket.

5) If you don't know where you're going...

Pull over to a safe location and look at a map! Or stop at a gas station or convenience store and ask for directions. Don't drive under the speed limit and block traffic while you slam on your breaks at every intersection trying to read the street names.

6) Learn how to utilize the mirrors that come with your car...

Although it's great that you're looking at the road ahead of you, you do have to pay attention to what's beside you and behind you. Those mirrors installed on your vehicle aren't there just to look pretty. They are there so you can get a view of what's around you! If you bothered to look in the rear view mirror and see that there is a 20 car caravan driving behind you, then change lanes!

7) If you know your exit is coming up, don't wait until the last 20 feet to exit...

What is it with people and merging in and out of traffic? Do you think it's just snap your fingers and voila! a space opens instantly for you?!

Why must you wait until the last 20 feet, cut over two lanes of traffic just to get to your exit?! Don't you realize that you're the one causing the backup for 2 miles cause you slam on your breaks to cut someone else off and they slam on their breaks and everyone else behind them sits in traffic?!

8) Familiarize yourself with your vehicle!!!

This sort of goes back to the point about the mirrors... but hey... know your vehicle... If your car doesn't accelerate very well, and you're trying to merge onto the highway, don't think that only going 25MPH is going to get you into traffic flowing at 65MPH!

Also, the size of your vehicle and how to drive in the middle of your own lane. If you're driving a larger vehicle, please note that you can't randomly let your tires cross the white line into someone else's lane.

9) If you're vacationing and going to see the sites, don't go during rush hour...

If you're unfamiliar with the area, but you want to go siteseeing, find out about public transportation or wait until after rush hour before you get on the road!

There are those of us that would like to get to and from work (school, routine activities, etc.) without having to avoid you to avoid a collision because you're unfamiliar with the flow of traffic and road closures during rush hour.

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*sigh* I'm sure after driving to work tomorrow, I'll just have more to add...

Arghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!