Stuck in the Slow lane....

I left for work early twenty minutes early today since I have to to the eye doctor tonight and leave work a little early to do so. Unfortunately, I still only managed to arrive at work five minutes early due to the fact that I got stuck in a parade of cars.

My commute to work is a little tricky; the first part is easy, there's an interstate that offers plenty of options to change lanes and move at the speed you like. The second part is harder; it's a two lane highway full of hills and curves with absolutely no way to pass.

I usually don't need to pass. There are occasions when I get stuck behind a slow driver but when I say slow, I mean someone doing the posted speed limit of 45 mph. I tend to like to go about 55 mph. I mean, that's not exactly fast- it's normal. It's not an unsafe road but I think the 45 mph limit is set because it is a little hilly. Nevertheless, though I get slighly irritated at having to go the speed limit, I live with it.

Today, however, I got behind one of those drivers. You know the type I mean, someone you can tell does not like to drive and doesn't do it very often. At first, I thought it was a little old lady based on the way she was driving but some time later, I discovered it was a young woman.

I tried to be patient. I don't like to tailgate and though she was going 35 mph, I tried to keep a safe distance. Unfortunately, she was a braker. Every now and again for no reason whatsoever, she'd put on her brakes. I'd have to brake, the person behind me had to brake, the person behind them...and so on.

I didn't mind at first but as I'm on the highway for over 20 miles, you can imagine how frustrating it is to be stuck behind a driver like this. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one. I was directly behind the 'leader of the parade', second in line. Behind me, no exaggeration, there were at least 15 other cars, all positioned a car's length away from one another, all victims of The Slow Driver.

We were like that for 20 miles. I was a little irritated after about ten of those miles. I'm never the most patient driver. I'm not Ms. Speedy by any means but I'm a firm believer in at least going the speed limit, if not five miles over. I'm also a firm believer that if you are uncertain about driving or are out for a slow-paced joyride, you should NEVER choose to do it during the heavy morning commute time. It's just plain rude. It wasn't only me; I'd venture to guess that at least 90% of the cars were on their way to work and, as a result of Ms. Slow, we were all thrown off schedule.

I know, I know...I'm probably being unfair. It wasn't her fault; it's never a bad thing to be precautious. It's just infuriating when you really need to get to work and you can't. There is no way to get around her. I suppose my line of thinking if you're driving and you look back and realize you are leading a parade of cars that snakes up the hills behind you, you might do the right thing and pull over to let them pass. Farm equipment drivers will always do this. I suppose if you're already a nervous driver, you probably wouldn't know that it's ok to do that. Let me tell you...it is!

Again, I know I'm being unfairly impatient. Maybe she was a driver who hates driving and it was her first trip away from her local neighbourhood in months. Maybe she had a job interview and she was practicing. Maybe her little Kia Rio was unable to go above 35 mph. Who knows why she was driving so...cautiously? All I know is that she thwarted my intentions of a nice early arrival in the office and that does not make me happy. Now I shall have to skip lunch instead of going to the post office. I love going to the post office. I know I've mentioned that. I was going to mail some letters and buy stamps. Now i shall have to wait until tomorrow. That makes me sad.

It's ok though. The post office will be there tomorrow. I shall try again.

I did manage to get by the Ms. Slow right as I got into the town where I work. I saw her intention of going straight and so I turned, gaining an extra five minutes back by cutting through town the way only a 'local' knows how. That's the advantage to having lived here for a while; I know the short cuts.

Ironically, as I went to make my final left turn that took me to work, I glanced down the road. In the distance, a pair of headlights was bobbing moving slowly down the road. It was leading a parade of cars.

Happy Tuesday.

Bad Driving Blues....

As a former L.A. driver, I thought when I moved back to the midwest, it might be a little safer to drive on the roads, not to mention a lot faster to get from one place to another. I should have known from my earlier Midwestern days that while the latter might be mostly true, the former...is not.

My initial delusion is forgivable, I think. After all, L.A. drivers are...bad. There are certain things that I've seen in my days of driving in Los Angeles that are definitely the marks of driving in a city. For example, a friend emailed me yesterday to complain about drivers who think that because they use their turn signal, they have the right to change to whatever lane they choose to drive in, regardless of whether anyone is in their way. I had to sympathize with her; I've seen this many a time and it's always a little terrifying when the car next to you suddenly decides it wants to be where you are. And so the driver attempts to do so, ignoring the fact that...well...you're already there. Without some swift defensive driving, there is no way to avoid the inevitable collision if that driver decides he must, indeed, change lanes.

Though, I did remind her that the fact he actually used a turn signal was a privilege. So many new cars seem to come without turn signals these days, have you noticed? I wouldn't dare assume that so many drivers just don't know how to use one, it must be the car...right?

Ultimately, I think my friends complaint comes down to the overwhelming sense of entitlement that affects so many drivers in L.A. They get impatient because THEY have somewhere to be. You see this the most on the freeways. During morning rush hour, the only thing to do is to have patience. Traffic isn't going to move any more quickly if you get impatient. And yet, some people still haven't learned this and so you see what I call 'the lane shuffle' in which a car will attempt to outrun you by hopping, Frogger-style, from lane-to-lane. Most drivers watch this with amusement because they know that Mr. Frogger won't get there any more quickly than anyone else. This is usually proven moments later when Mr. Frogger realizes he wants to exit and is now stuck in the lane furthest away from the off ramp. Thus begins his game of 'reverse frogger'. Sometimes they make it, sometimes they don't. If he doesn't make it, often he'll honk and yell at everyone for making him miss his exit.

Drivers like Mr. Frogger seem to forget that they are not the only drivers on the road, nor are they the only ones with somewhere to be. When I first moved to L.A., I would get panicked in the mornings on the way to work if I got stuck in traffic. I hate being late, you see. Soon after, I learned that virtually everyone in the city has to commute from somewhere and being late is acceptable if it's due to traffic.

Moving back to the Midwest has given me a new perspective on driving, I have to say. I do love that sometimes, especially on the way to my parent's, I'm the only driver on the road. I can drive for up to ten minutes without seeing another driver. Yet, there are still bad drivers here.

Recently, I've noticed something that is fast becoming a pet-peeve of mine. It's usually concerning pick-up truck drivers or, sometimes, SUV drivers. You see, I get stuck behind them on the road. I'm not a Speedy-Gonzales driver by any means but I do like to at least go the speed limit. I usually go 60 or, at the fastest, 65 in a 55 zone. I know, technically, that's speeding but it just doesn't seem that fast. Anyway, when I get behind these drivers, they 're usually going about 45 or 50 mph in a 55 zone. I can deal with this a little better if they're old. It's probably a form of ageism or whatever but I tend to cut older drivers a little more slack.

It's the young couples I can't stand because what they're doing is having a conversation. I can hear you saying..."So?". Well, the thing is that they're trying to have it face to face while driving. Yes, you can actually see the driver constantly turning to face his partner as he tries to steer his truck. While I'm an advocate of manners, there's also such a thing as common sense and, call me crazy, but you'd think that while you were driving a big old pick-up truck, not crashing it might be the priority rather than staring at your lovely lass while you chat.

If it had only happened once, it would be ok. It's happened about six times in two weeks. It's usually on a busy two-lane highway so I can't pass. Instead, I get to watch John-Boy and Mary-Jane having a good old chat.

I should probably be more sympathetic because, after all, it is the Midwest and people take things slower here. I probably would be except that usually when I'm stuck behind one of these drivers, there is a parade of cars behind me all riding one another's bumper. Having been rear-ended during my first month in Ohio, I'm a wee bit weary of people being too close on my tail these days. I can still hear that crunch and feel the thud of being hit if I close my eyes. I don't want it to happen again. I usually leave at least a car length between me and the car in front of me these days, just in case I do get rear-ended again.

Yet I can't do anything about the parade of cars behind me. If John-Boy and Mary-Jane continue their conversation and he suddenly puts on his breaks, he's not getting hit, I am. Hence my dislike of getting stuck behind them.

There are other bad drivers here and they're not just limited to the roads. This morning, I almost got slammed in the carpark of my apartment building. Every morning, I pass by a driver that is speeding through, on her way to pick up someone. This morning, the sun was in her eyes. I know this because she was shielding them. She was still going at least 25 mph in a 5 mph zone. She didn't see me. I swerved, she just missed me. She barely slowed down.

I know, I'm probably guilty of bad driving at times, just as we all are. Sometimes, we just can't help it; we yawn at the wrong time, we forget to look both ways. We forget to look at our front end as well as our back end when pulling out of a parking space. There are all sorts of ways we can screw up. Yet there are bad drivers out there, drivers who forget that they have to share the road, drivers who are so worried about their own time that they forget that other people's is just as precious.

I suppose it's a comfort to know that even now I've left L.A., there is a little piece of the city here. Granted, it's one of my least favourite parts of the city but...I'm trying to look on the bright side. I suppose it just means I have to concentrate on being a better driver. Now...if only everyone could try that...

Happy Wednesday...