Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Driving and Lights
Or rather the lack of. Last night I was heading for home and it was dark and rainy/sleety and I work out in the boonies with little or no street lamps. There's a row of cars coming and two out of the first four have a burned-out headlight. One of the car's remaining lights wasn't all that great either. My first thought was what is the problem with these idiots driving around with half-a-light/brain on such a nasty day. So I wait for a couple more cars to go on by and then pull out.
Whoosh, some idiot with no lights at all breezes by just missing me. Had I been just a bit slower, I would've been t-boned in the drivers door at 45MPH. What on earth was that cretin thinking? It's not like it was just past dusk and hard to tell it was dark. Maybe he was wearing night-vision goggles or something, but I sure couldn't figure out that one.
Slow Drivers on the Left
I take a new route home now and instead of local neighborhood backroads, I drive a four-lane almost highway home. I can't figure out what is going on. Going to work (eastbound), I'm usually being passed by most vehicles as I putter along at allegedly just over 55MPH. On the same road, but heading home (westbound), I usually get trapped behind cars doing about 50MPH - one in each lane. I don't understand the difference. Does a bit of darkness scare people than much? I'd think people would be in more of a hurry to get home instead of speeding to work. This road is straight with few driveways and fewer crossroads. And it's not like it's a busy road either. And this road behavior has been consistent now for the month or so I've been driving it. Strange.
Right Turn on Red
Come on folks, this is a law for a reason. Why sit there when no one is coming from the left? There's no sign that says, no right on red . Why wait? However, when you do decide to pull out, why do you wait until there is a car almost in the intersection? Yes, I do realize it's only a matter of several seconds, but yes, I'm impatient. If there's traffic coming, by all means wait, but if it's clear, GO. What really bugs me is being behind someone waiting to turn right on red and there's two or three cars that making a left turn from the direction we're waiting to go. Hey, if they can make a left turn across the traffic, you surely can make your right.
Sigh... Ok, that off my chest for a few moments.
