Okay, so we all know that there are areas all over the world where driver’s suck and the traffic is bad. I’ve driven around or have been a passenger in a few different places throughout the USA. Where I live in California is getting bad and I know why.
1 – People from the Bay Area and Southern California are moving to my hometown bringing their big city attitudes and rude ass driving with them.
2 – The city/town is growing faster than the infrastructure can keep up so there is more congestion.
3 – The city police, county sheriffs, and CHP are all over worked, understaffed, and have to do their work by quota now instead of by what they see, hear, or get told over the radio about.
This has caused a lot of drivers to just say fuck the law and do whatever they like. This pisses me off because one of the rules of etiquette is to act like someone is always watching. Basically always follow the rules, excuse yourself in empty rooms, etc. I’ve actually been honked at for coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. I’ve been cut off, flipped off, honked at, yelled at, etc. for driving the speed limit both on surface streets as well as the freeway/highway/motorway.
It’s like people have forgotten why these rules were put in place. They are there to try to save your life, the lives of people in other vehicles, and people that aren’t in vehicles around you! Fucking Assholes!
I think there needs to be a resurgence of tv movies, etc. that talk about what could happen to people. I remember in the 80’s and early 90’s that there were tons of them. The one that stands out in my head, I can’t remember the name of it, was about a little boy who was hit by a car and the person knew they hit someone but kept going because they didn’t want to be caught. The kid of course was killed. The movie was about how they were found and eventually convicted for the death. There were others during that time period that spanned all the different things that could happen from death for playing chicken with cars, to drunk driving, etc. Heck, one of the biggest movies from the 80’s Footloose is partly about the risks and the aftermath of drunk driving!
I’ve been driving for almost 20 years at this point, I was a late learner, and have never had an accident that involved other people or other vehicles. I did back into a metal and concrete pillar once and dented my trunk lid but that was within the first year or two of driving. Since then I haven’t had any major incidents at all. I also learned my lesson on speeding within five years of getting my license. I was pulled over for going 65 in a 55. Had to pay the ticket and then wait for the mark to come off my record. Since then I don’t speed, I use my signal at all times to turn/change lanes, etc. It’s just easier and safer that way.
For those of you that use the excuse of running late for why you speed and such? Not my problem dudes. Plan better, leave earlier, and don’t make appointments close together.
Derek's Mindscape 