The quirks of driving

Everyone seems to have their own little way of driving.

Some people, like myself, use driving as a simple "get from point a to point b" exercise. I need to go to Best Buy to get that DVD I like, so it's time to hop in the car. Driving speed and the time it takes to get there usually means little.

Others seem to see driving as a mission. "I must get to where I am going in the shortest amount of time possible, and will do whatever it takes to do so. Those who do not share my belief can suffer eternal torment." You've seen these people. You may BE one of these people. Weaving from lane to lane, tailgating, running red lights. It's people like this that are to blame for my hatred of driving.

That's right, I HATE driving. If I could get to my stores and work via public transportation, I would GLADLY do so. It's probably due to again, those crazy drivers. It's also due to some of the quirky things people do while driving. If you've been a regular reader of my posts, you'll notice I often post on things and behaviors that I don't understand, but would like to. For example,

• Not using the turn signal. Okay, I've already discussed this in my first blog, A simple flick of the wrist. I'm not going to go into detail with it, other than to say this quirk is increasing. People would rather drift into your lane, scaring the crap out of you, rather than use their signal.
• Red light oddity 1. I can't really describe this one well, so it's best to just give an example. We're coming up to a red light on a three lane road. I come to a stop in the middle lane, becoming the fourth person "in line." The driver behind me sees this, and also sees that the right lane only has two cars. So at the last minute he changes lanes so he can be third, instead of fifth. Congratulations, you've just saved yourself 2 or 3 seconds, maybe?
• Red light oddity 2. People stopping too far ahead in an intersection so that drivers turning right can't see. The lines are there for a reason. Too often do I have to inch forward and strain my neck if I want a shot at a right turn on red.
• Red light oddity 3. Inching forward at red lights, even when the light just turned red. (when you're not turning right) I've seen people inch forward 5-10 times in the course of a minute. Is this inching forward going to provide them a speed boost when the light turns green? Is this some time saving measure? Got me.
• Stop sign? What stop sign? I remember in driver's ed, and in the drivers license exam, having to know who has the right of way. At a stop sign, its the person who stops before you. People seem to forget this. People turning right at stop signs generally slow down at best, rather than stop. Or a person goes at a stop sign because the person next to him is going, even if the driver wanting to turn stopped first.
• Tailgating. One of the biggest mind-bogglers, for me anyway. I despise it. I want to make a bumper sticker that reads "I brake for tailgaters." I've caused many a driver to be upset when I tap or slam on my brakes for tailgating. The funny thing is, they genuinely seem confused as to why I would be doing that. Of course I just laugh at them when they pass by. Even more puzzling is tailgating while in a traffic jam. The traffic ahead goes as far as the eye can see, but you feel that somehow I could be driving faster, so you tailgate me? *scratches head*
• What is this strange liquid falling out of the sky? All in all, drivers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are maniacs. I "speed," but only by about 5-9 mph over the limit. This while people cruise past me at 15-20 mph over. This changes though, when it rains. I don't know what it is, or how to explain it, but these drivers will generally slow down to 10-15mph below the speed limit. Now I'm the one cruising past them.
• Slowing down when seeing a cop has pulled someone over. Do these people actually think the cop is going to say "Whoa! That guy is driving even faster than this guy was! I better ignore this guy and go after him!"

I'm sure there are many more I'm neglecting to mention, but those are some of the big ones. Now, people can drive however they want. The above quirks may apply to you, but again, these quirks are annoying to me and not necessarily anyone else. You can be as reckless as you want. Just keep in mind though, that is exactly what I'm going to be when you tailgate me.