You Drive (Me) Crazy

As my sister and I were driving today, I couldn't help shaking my head at the lack of decorum and considerance (Microsoft Word says this isn't one. But for some reason, I hate tacking ness onto the ends of words. So I make up my own. I'm sure you can figure out what this word means.) shown by our fellow drivers. Come on, people, what's so wrong with letting in the car in front of you with their signal on, trying to switch lanes? How do you know they're not trying to turn right there so they don't have to go a long, convoluted way, and they didn’t know before (to get over with plenty of time to turn) because they were just in an accident and are extra cautious and slow, so they weren’t really listening to the directions their sister was giving them, on account of they were so busy paying attention to you, making sure they wouldn’t run into you and you wouldn’t run into them?

All right, although this is what happened to me and my sister today, it’s probably a very unlikely scenario, at least, there are many other reasons they may need to get over. Namely, they need to get somewhere. And yes, you also need to get somewhere. You wouldn’t be on the road if you didn’t. And maybe you need to be there sooner than they need to get to where they need to be. Maybe you’re late for class, and they are meeting their friends for coffee. That never means you can’t let them get into the lane in front of you.

Say you’re sitting at a red light in rush hour traffic, on the way to the interstate to drive home. You’ve just worked eight straight hours, and you’re tired. So when the light turns green, you go, because, even though there is no room for you on the other side of the intersection, and even though you are now blocking the intersection, you want to go home. And for that moment, nothing can transcend your need to be home as quickly as possible. Even if it means that the cars to your right, whose lights have just turned green, cannot go straight without running into you.

Well, guess what. According to Florida Statute 316.2061, that’s illegal. Illegal. Not frowned upon, not discouraged. Illegal. And yet, so many people do it anyway. What is wrong with them? They really have to pull forward into that space, so they can be ten feet closer to their goal, only to wait there just as long as they’d have had to wait if they’d stayed where they were legally bound to wait until the light turned green? But wait, since they’re sitting there “on the other side of the intersection” they can go when the light in front of them turns green, rather than having to wait the extra twenty seconds for the next to turn green. Wow, you really saved yourself some time there. According to this picture, however, you haven’t saved yourself any money.

So, do all of your fellow Floridians a favor, and drive with some care for others, laws, and yourself.

The song I wanted to use for this post, I could not find on Youtube, nor anywhere else on the Internet (though I'm sure someone could find it somewhere), so I went looking for another one. This is awesome in its lameness (lamity...), and 1. perfectly illustrates my point about inconsiderate drivers, 2. confirms my view on the unnecessary aggression of men, and 3. totally negates the point I made so emphatically about breaking the law. Apparently, people don't care as much as I thought they did. And in case you were wondering (and didn't already know), this is from 1984, Sammy Hagar, I Can't Drive 55.