Tag: dailyprompt-2133

That driving pet peeve

Taylor BurianLeave a comment
Daily writing prompt
Name your top three pet peeves.
View all responses

Last year I wrote about the one pet peeve I could come up with and included some brief educational notes regarding reading road signs.

This all still applies, but I wanted to take a moment to address another couple of facets of driving that really irk me, and it’s rather timely that I’m writing about it again tonight. My roommates were just out and about this evening and experienced something driving related that NEEDS to be called out.

PAY ATTENTION TO SPLIT/DIVIDED ROADS.

My roommates were on the other side of town visiting with someone and picking up a few things, and on their way home they encountered someone who decided to make a left turn into oncoming traffic (possibly without looking both ways). The road was divided, so technically to complete the left turn into the correct lane you have to cross two lanes of oncoming traffic and pass through the opening in the median. This person obviously didn’t do this, and my roommate had to swerve out of the way. Oh, and also this person driving toward them was wearing sunglasses. At night.

Don’t wear your damn sunglasses at night while driving. Seriously, just don’t, you’re a public safety hazard.

When something irritates you to no end

Taylor Burian1 Comment

Name your top three pet peeves.

I can only come up with one pet peeve, and that’s probably because I deal with this one thing almost daily.

Driving.

I’m always amazed, and irritated, by the things I see people do when driving. I am constantly on guard while on the road, and try to give proper respect to pedestrians, especially since I’m in a giant moving death machine and they’re, well, not.

People behind the wheel here have almost no spatial awareness or sense of timing, and they don’t read signs.

Right turn lane from one street becomes a new lane on another? People will stop and treat it like they’re merging into oncoming traffic, completely ignoring the new land added sign.

Left hand merge into traffic? Nope. One of two things typically happens. They never get up to speed and stop near the end of the merge lane, or the drivers in the lane they’re merging into don’t get over to allow room. First one is mostly in the city limits, the second is interstate traffic.

And on the subject of interstate traffic. Pay attention to your mirrors! If I’m behind you and I get over, maybe you should check to see WHY. It’s either something ahead (vehicle with flashing lights, construction, someone merging, slower vehicle) or you’re going too slow. This kind of ties into my motorcycle training, which I didn’t learn in Drivers Ed as a teenager. Always be looking 12 seconds ahead.

I could probably rant forever about this, but then I’d be writing a novel, and I’m already trying to do that for something else.