As grateful as I am to Good Ol' TxDoT for our state's "Driving Motto" (is there really such a thing?!?!), it sure would be nice if they could ensure that everyone adheres to it. I don't think I'm such a Friendly Driver, but maybe that's a reaction to all the other Friendly (but altogether CLUELESS) Drivers on the road.
My children will LEARN how to drive. In fact, I'm pretty certain I could put them behind the wheel of the car, and, barring the obvious (legs that don't extend to the pedals and heads that don't reach above the steering wheel... oh, wait! That doesn't stop 67% of all grannies in Texas!), they could probably do as good a job as some of our fine Friendly Drivers. They know, for example, that:
A bright red triangular sign with "YIELD" displayed on it means to LOOK for other traffic and give them the right-of-way, and that almost every frontage road has one at an on-ramp. It's not a tough concept in the end, but its difficulty for some has had the effect of making me a very Unfriendly Driver.
Turn signals are, indeed, very pretty, but they are also functional. Braking for 100 yards then putting your blinker on for the last 5 before turning is not their optimal use. Nor is leaving your left signal on, then turning right. Nor is leaving your signal on obliviously for 3 miles before turning it off.
The right-hand lane is for people who want to go slower than the other traffic. Just because you are driving at exactly the speed limit doesn't mean there aren't intrepid fools like me that want to be a renegade and drive 6 miles over! Europe has this concept perfectly... it's not an impossible fantasy.
Before a certain age, and (most importantly, in my humble opinion) AFTER A CERTAIN AGE, driving just isn't such a damn good idea. Yield signs become harder to spot, as are "One Way Only" signs. (This particular case is supported by evidence supplied by one very cute geriatric couple I saw cruising merrily the wrong way on a one-way overpass of a major highway here in town.) Speed minimums become a more attainable goal, and the tendency to drive in the left-hand lane increases for unknown reasons.
Please pardon my Unfriendly Driver status; Drive Friendly is a fabulous concept, you see. However, maybe we should simply strive for Drive Sensibly!
(Originally posted 5/23/05)
Haha -- couldn't agree more! What you probably don't get in Texas but we get here in Toronto are the drivers who, in a blizzard at dusk on the highway, decide that they don't really need to put their lights on anyway... I wish there was some universal signal for "PUT YOUR FREAKIN' LIGHTS ON!" Great blog... and thanks for visiting mine, too!
Posted by: vanessa | March 07, 2007 at 11:27 AM