Riddle Me This

Are there more bad drivers these days, or do we just notice them more as we have more years of driving experience behind us? I don't know the answer. But I know I see a lot of bad driving.

Some of it, no doubt, is that too many folks are readily distracted. Three times this past week alone I've had to tap my horn because the driver in front of me hadn't moved several seconds after the light had changed. I've even driven around cars which can't seem to obey green lights. Put your phone down, honey.

Yesterday on the freeway as I motored along in the right lane I was passed by a car in the center lane. No surprise there, right? Yet I noticed his signal on; his left blinker in fact. Okay, he wanted to change lanes. Only he soon moved into the right lane despite the left indicator clearly displaying the opposite intent. What's worse, he inexplicably stopped at the top of the next exit smack in the middle of the ramp. No coasting as though the engine had died: bright brake lights came on and he virtually parked with no attempt to jump onto the shoulder. I could have plowed right into him if I hadn't noticed. What up with that?

I swerved around him as I had no time to stop. It didn't help that the driver at the bottom of the ramp was another nitwit who couldn't figure out what green meant.

So: more bad drivers or simply a bad Saturday morning out and about for yours truly? I'm not sure, and the other drivers aren't helping me figure it out.

Mild Expletive Driver

In Indianapolis yesterday I saw a Jeep with a threatening message. The message warned, 'If you hit my car while my kids are in it, I will whoop your (mild expletive).

How I came to notice the vehicle was as it sped past several of us other drivers sitting in the left turn lane to enter the freeway, safely waiting for the red light to let us proceed. The Jeep shot alongside the line at a high rate of speed before jumping into a small opening three car lengths ahead of me, just as the car it cut off began to move forward. It darn near clipped the bumper of the vehicle already in the left lane.

I saw the warning and thought, I'm not sure her kids are more safe as passengers in her car than they might be from other drivers. But rules for thee I suppose. I bet we wouldn't get away with whooping her (mild expletive) over her driving.

Crossing the street should not be life threatening

I have a very simple request this morning to all drivers: if you're going to use your turn signals, you gotta mean it.

As I prepared to walk across the street this morning, at a corner of Buchanan Avenue and Wesson in Detroit, I looked to my right then left as I should. I saw a black PT cruiser approaching on Buchanan with its right turn signal on. It was obviously slowing down too. I took that to mean that he was turning right onto Wesson. I looked back to my right one more time and started crossing the street.

That's when that PT Cruiser shot in front of me. He only missed me by inches. I'm still not really sure how he missed me at all; it was honestly that close.

Pedestrians and other drivers depend on you using your signals correctly, buddy. I don't appreciate that I trusted your obvious intent yet still came within inches of being sent sprawling. Or worse. If you were turning too early, could you at least have let me on across, or even tap on your horn? And while I'm ranting anyway you might have had the dignity to stop and apologize and make sure I was all right. You must have seen me jump backwards. You might have heard my yell. But you probably didn't, did ya, and that, if true, is the whole trouble. Pay attention when you drive, mac.

Just use your signals and mean it, drivers, and pay enough attention to the roads to actually see what's going on around you. Thank you.