Bad Drivers

Can I please become a CHP officer for a day, a week? I wouldn’t spend my time tracking down speeders (unless they were seriously reckless), I’d drive around and give people fat tickets for being oblivious. That should be Sesame Street’s word for the day, oblivious. People drive around in their cocoon of a car without regard for the others on the road; be it bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians or even cars. I’ve seen cars merge without the driver even looking at the lane they are going into. I’ve seen people on cell phones driving 20 mph slower than the flow of traffic and they are sitting in the fast lane, 6 or 7 cars lined up behind them with everyone passing on the right.

I think when it comes to bad drivers there are 4 main types:

• “The Elderly”. Sorry but it’s so true. These can be the most difficult to accept because you know you can’t be upset with them, they don’t even know what they are doing! (note: elderly is your own definition – what you consider elderly I may not) And there are some really great drivers in this age demographic, clearly you can see the bad driver name is a generalization.

• “The Slow-Reactors”. These are the people who don’t see the backup behind them for about 2-5 miles. To their credit when they finally see that they need to move over, they do, even if it is a very slow reaction. They see it. They think about it. They put on their blinker. They wait. They look. They begin the lane change and then they finally move over (this process took about ½ mile to ¾ mile.)

• “The Jerks”. These are the drivers that feel it is their God given right to set the speed limit. If the speed limit is 55, then they are going to go 55 in the fast lane and you just shouldn’t be driving faster than that so slow down. They don’t care that there is room in the lane to the right and that the law says, ”Slower traffic keep right.” Like I said, Jerks!

• “The Idiots". Folks, here are are real winners! Drivers who have don't have a clue of what is going on in the lanes around them. It is an absolute wonder that they make it to each of their destinations without hitting something. They stay in the fast lane until ¼ mile from their exit, where they suddenly realize that they need to be 3 lanes over and so they just go. These are the auto pilots who can have a conversation with someone in the seat next to them and actually forget that they are the ones driving! (I've been the passenger in a car where this situation played out – freakin’ scary!)
  

So what is it about an automobile that gives people the right to be bad drivers. Does no one care about those around them? If this situation does not improve, the CHP will be receiving my application.

Drive safe.