Sandy Supposes....

Dismal Drivers

Prompt : Talk Tuesday! What bad habit ( or bad habits , if you're feeling feisty ) do people have that make you wish you could inflict severe punishment upon them without incurring any punishment of your own ?

         Do we have all day, or maybe months to moan about this? There are so many irksome habits, a plethora of pet peeves, I don't know where to begin. Perhaps I should begin with dismal drivers. Their numbers are ridiculously rampant.

         Okay....why is it that so many vehicle vagabonds ignore or simply refuse to use the blinker, the ticker, the turn signal indicator? Does it require too much forethought, or brain effort of any kind? I suppose if you're lost in your own limited thoughts, rambling aimlessly, you cannot be expected to signal your vague and meager intentions to other drivers. After all if you have no idea what you're doing why should the people sharing the road with you? Other drivers must be mind readers. They can muddle along, and second guess your sudden swerves, lane changes, turns, and exits. Driving is so spontaneous this way. Drivers are kept alert and on their toes, anticipating anything.

         Having vented about the lack of signal savvy drivers, I must now grumble about those that do the opposite. Oblivious drivers never turn their signal indicators off. For miles and miles, they motor along with a flashing red light blinking a steady rhythm. Did they execute a turn somewhere and at some time today? Have they avoided any and all turns since? Are they planning on changing their position on the road at some distant point in their journey? Are they too fatigued to touch the teeny tiny control arm, and power it off? Why are they immune to the annoying pinging and flashing inside their ride? Do they simply believe in an advanced advance warning of an impending turn?

          Since I'm on a roll with all thngs driving, and the habits that drive me crazy, I shall mention another. Most drivers take notice of the many road signs that warn of a lane closure, and take appropriate action. We ease into the open lane by virtue of waiting for a break in traffic, and signaling our intent to do so. We prepare in advance. There are many clues that traffic has diverted. Why do some special, perhaps entitled drivers ignore all of this to roar right up to the barricade blocking the closed lane? Did they think the signs were inaccurate? Had they not wondered why all the other vehicles were in the opposite lane? They become vexing when they decide they have a right and an urgent need to be in the moving lane of traffic. They won't admit they were stupid. Instead they nose their vehicle into the oncoming traffic like sticking their unwelcome foot into a closing door. Huh, just try and not hit me now. You are forced begrudgingly to let them into the lane ahead of you because you don't want to damage your own car.

         The very act of driving a vehicle is fraught with many distractions . Pedestrians , vehicles of many shapes and sizes moving at varying speeds, animals, terrain, weather, and accidents test any driver's sanity and commitment. Why do some drivers test their safety and mine? Once while travelling in a big rig along a quickly flowing interstate, a female driver in a compact car suddenly swerved across four lanes and me while balancing a bowl of soup in one hand, a hair brush in the other hand, a cell phone tucked between her shoulder and ear, and one knee steering her car. She was the champion of distracted driving. Unfortunately, I've witnessed people in the driver's seat with large dogs draped across their shoulders; breathing, furry scarves. Some drivers read books opened on the seat next to them. Do these drivers leave their brains in the trunk? Automobiles are not fully automated yet.