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Monday, April 12, 2010

Road Rage Is Alive and Well My Friends

I love driving in my car, the wind in my hair and singing at the top of my lungs to the greatest songs of the 80s.  Or I used to love these things.  That was before I started commuting to work.  When I first started this job the highway I had to take was under construction.  For almost two years.  The backup was horrific and what should have been a thirty minute drive could easily take 90 minutes.  Over the course of those two years, I learned a lot about myself as a driver (I’m exceptional!) and quite a bit more about my fellow commuters.  I’d like to share some of those lessons with you.  I’m sure you have you’re own, feel free to add them.
If you drive in Washington, there is a rule that MUST be obeyed!  Any deviation from this rule will result in very hostile drivers around you.  Simply put, if you want the person in front of you to speed up, try passing them on the right.  I know, I know.  It’s crazy logic, I mean normally the LEFT lane is for passing.  We have our own rule here though, so if you try to pass someone on the right, 95% of the time they will speed up for a few miles.  For some, the left lane is just a nicer place to drive, at whatever speed feels right.  Doesn’t much matter if that speed is 20mph under the speed limit.  This is also true of drivers from BC.  Don’t get me wrong, I love our neighbors to the north, but they are almost worse drivers than those from Washington.
Now should the worst happen, and your car catches fire it won’t do you any good to have a state patrol car drive by.  I kid you not, last week a car about 1/4 of a mile in front of me pulled off the road with flames coming out the front.  I thought surely the WSP car behind me would pull over to offer some assistance.  Nope, he blew right by the flame engulfed car, along with the rest of us.
I live and drive in the Pacific Northwest.  That means it rains here, frequently.  I would like to assume that most people are aware of how the rain affects the road conditions and are wise enough to alter their driving accordingly.  However there seems to be a rain freak out phenomenon that occurs for 9 months of the year, where drivers forget these lessons.
 I know there are more fine examples of little truths and lessons I have learned along the way, but I have lost my train of thought and so this is all I have to offer you.  Hopefully some of my kind readers will have some to share.

4 Awesome Comments:

Anonymous said...

Ugh, that is SO TRUE about the rain! I do not understand how SEATTLE drivers can forget how to drive in the rain..and no, a light sprinkle does *not* mean the speed limit drops by 10 mph.

I have also learned that if it snows, even a quarter of an inch, all he-double-hockey-stick breaks loose. Because, of course, we have HILLS here! Unlike the east, where everything is flat...

I have also learned that if it does snow a lot, we cannot salt the roads, because it might change the salinity of the Puget Sound. *crickets chirp* Yeah, that was fun.

I commute from up north to downtown Seattle, so I feel your pain! I go by bus, so at least I can get lost in a book and pretend we're moving!

Steph @ Steph Runs On said...

Oh, all those things should have been in my post!! God, the snow! And where else do people park their cars on the freeway when it snows? WHERE! Like literally get out and lock the doors park.

I wish I could take the bus, but because of where I am in relation to where I work, it would take over 2 hours and 3 transfers.

Anonymous said...

Wow, you really were pissed about those drivers, weren't you?

Steph @ Steph Runs On said...

Bad drives ruin my day.

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