September 28, 2007 5 Things that Induce Road Rage

After a little over a year of living in the city, I’ve increased my tolerance for bad drivers, and have learned to keep my road rage to a minimum. However, there are still a few things that really get to me every time they occur.

5) People who don’t use blinkers. I’m not really sure when in the evolution in driving using your blinker became an option. I probably sound like a soccer mom, but it’s for EVERYONE’S safety and use, not just your own. The best is when someone in front of you all of a sudden stops, and decides they want to parallel park. I don’t read minds, I leave that business to Miss Cleo. Due to the lack of reaction time you’ve left me, I get right up on your ass, and then that person gets pissed that I am preventing them from parking. Well buddy, the blinker would’ve been your ticket to pass go and collect $200, instead you get to go straight to jail.

4) People who text message or talk on a cell phone while driving. I’m not going to go into too much detail on this one (refer to the April 20th post), but every time I see it, I’m one step closer to buying large rubber bumpers and teaching you a lesson.

3) Unnecessary use of the horn. I’m a fairly impatient person when it comes to driving; however, I think it’s a little excessive to honk at someone .76 seconds after the light has turned green. It might just be a Boston/New York/northern thing, but still. I know when I was in North Carolina and Virginia, people would usually give you a 5-10 second grace period, which is what I try to give people, out of courtesy. But if you’re not John Force up here, you’re gonna get an earful. I’d really like a university to do a sociology study as to what the difference in average time between green light, not moving, and honking would be between different cities. That’s something I’d be interested in having my tax dollars go towards.

2) People in crosswalks. Sometimes I wish I were back in Europe. Pedestrians have no rights over there when it comes to walking on streets, as they shouldn’t. Too many people in America feel have a sense of entitlement so they feel they can just take their sweet time when crossing a street. If you have that green hand telling you it’s ok to walk, sure, take your time, but if there’s oncoming traffic, you better hustle buster. I know that when I see a 3500-pound steel beast capable of vaporizing a deer or demolishing the brick wall to a local Lil’ Peach coming at me, I put a little pep in my step. I hate to break it to you, you’re not as important as you think you are, so move.

1) Asian drivers. Yep, you’ve all experienced it before. And if you’re Asian and reading this, I don’t blame you, just your genes. I know it’s not fair to clump ALL Asian drivers into one category, as there are a few good Asian drivers out there (I’ve actually met a few, they do exist, I swear). But I hate to be the one to say it: some stereotypes are made for a reason. I avoid Asian drivers like the plague. If I see one driving on the street, it’s time to take my chances driving into oncoming traffic; I’d probably have a lowered chance of being involved in an accident that way.


Song of the Week: "Hateful" by The Clash.

Quote of the Week: “Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country.” – George W. Bush

Random Fact of the Week: The word “nerd” was first coined by Dr. Seuss in “If I Ran the Zoo.”

Picture of the Week: I’m sure there’s a legitimate story behind this picture, but it’s still one of my all-time favorites, mostly because of the cheesy Paint caption.

Until next week, You're the best! Around! Nothing's gonna ever keep you down.


Fred