Pet Peeve #2 - Bad Drivers

It's not that I condone road rage. I don't. But I understand why it happens. Just this morning, my blood pressure rose twice before I was three kilometres from home.

Just so you know, they have these businesses that will actually teach you how to drive. They are called (believe it or not) DRIVING SCHOOLS. The teachers at these places will actually teach you how to do the following properly.

Signalling – Those arms attached to the steering column are not just for decoration. They are actually used to indicate your intentions. Ie. turning. Speaking of turning, when turning right at an intersection, is it really necessary to enter the lane to your left? Are you driving an 18 wheeler?

Proper Lane placement – Those lines painted on the road? Also not for decoration. If they were, I am sure the people responsible would use prettier colours, like red or green. I think the trick is actually staying within the lines, unless you’re changing lanes. If so, do it in a timely fashion. Driving down the middle of those painted lines isn’t the best way to endear yourself to your fellow drivers.

Driving the Posted Speed Limits – My advice would be that if you’re terrified to drive at least the speed limit on any given road, please avoid driving on said road. If you want to practise driving on a road that you’re not comfortable on, do it at times other than the morning or evening rush. Perhaps Sunday morning around 2 am would be a good time.

Not following other cars too closely - Nothing annoys me more than having another car riding within two inches of my bumper - Especially when there is a stream of traffic ahead of me. Just in case those bad drivers don’t realize, the car ahead of you can only go as fast as the car ahead of them and so on. No point in the driver ahead driving ten kilometres faster if the car ahead of them isn’t. Understand??

Backing up in parking lots - It’s customary (not to mention safer) to check behind and to the side prior to backing out of a parking spot. The things to look for would be people and other vehicles. It’s unfortunate, but you don’t have the right of way.

Maintaining speed - Sure, it’s not absolutely necessary to maintain a steady speed exactly. But it sure would be nice if you could stay within, oh lets say, five kilometres per hour. Following someone whose speed jumps from 60 to 80 km/h in a one kilometre stretch is at best, annoying. Especially when there’s nothing in front of them. Obviously, traffic ahead of you or an animal suddenly running into the road does not count.

Incessant passing in traffic – Picture this: you’re driving down a major roadway at seven in the morning on your way to work. There are cars as far as the eye can see. Traffic is moving slowly and it’s hard to even get up the posted speed limit. All of a sudden, a car goes screaming past you (on the wrong side of the road) and cuts in front. He can’t go any farther as there is a car coming the other way so he has to get back in the proper lane immediately. Once the way is clear, out he goes again. He may get two cars ahead this time, but maybe not. All the way to work, this clown passes. At the next intersection, you see the same car stopped at the lights. Gee, you may even be right behind him. What’s the point? And secondly, where do you have to be in such a hurry? I don't know about anyone else, but I would feel mighty stupid killing myself just so I could get to work faster....In this category, I can also list the the guy that passes you, gets in front, then slows down to a death march. Love those guys too.

Unnecessary Braking: How not to do it: 101: I also find extremely annoying following someone who brakes incessantly for no apparent reason. Picture this: You are driving and you come upon a car going just the speed limit. Fair enough. But you soon discover the reason they are driving just the speed limit is that they use their brake every 15 seconds. It's so regular, you could time chest compressions by their brake lights when giving CPR. Why are you braking? Do you see dead people? Are there ghosts standing in the middle of the lane that I can't see?? (Another reason to avoid unnecessary braking? Imagine paying for a brake job every 20,000 kilometres).

How to interpret those funny little advance green signals at traffic lights: When you are stopped at an intersection with traffic lights and the lights turn green, that means go. If you're turning left, obviously you must wait for the through traffic to go. Or pedestrians. When that green light flashes however, or the signal has a green arrow, that means you can go. It doesn't mean staying put and weighing the options. The options are go. If someone has run a red, well, then don't go. But if the way is clear and it's safe to do so, move your ass.


And finally, for the love of all that's holy, it's not called the FAST LANE. The FAST LANE is the cutesy name Ford dealerships have given to their quick lube drive throughs. The lane on the left is called the PASSING LANE. It is supposed to be used to PASS other vehicles. Perhaps the car in front of you is one of those incessant brakers? Or one of those people that are clutching their steering wheel as if the Devil himself is about to pluck them from the car? Whatever the reason you feel you need to pass, on roads equipped with such things, the PASSING LANE affords a safe (well, sometimes, depending on who's on the road) way to pass that slow moving vehicle. It's not used to practise F1 turning manoeuvers. Alternatively, it's also not used to pace snails or turtles. If you aren't going to pass, get out of the passing lane.

I am really starting to dread driving......