Daily (At Least In My Head) Traffic B**ch

Ok, let me preface this with a few questions...Why did you buy a sports car if you're never going to take it above 30 mph? You don't look that good in it...Why is Grandma on the interstate with a mini-van FULL OF KIDS going 75mph...and then 50mph...then 75mph? Why did you feel a need to jump into the fast lane in front of me and then SLOW DOWN TO 50mph? Can I just say GRRRRRRRRRRR!
Now I wouldn't label myself an aggressive driver, but I definitely wouldn't fall into the timid category, either. I like to drive. I like the feel of all that POWER under me, that I have FULL control of. I like to go fast. (insert Tim Allen grunts here). Will I run a yellow light? You betcha - providing the guy turning left from the other direction doesn't have the same idea. Do I speed? No, I would NEVER do something like that.....(whatever). I have no problem jumping into a space I just fit into to go around the idiots other drivers that are going 20 mph under the speed limit - and that's another thing...why is it that when you're in a hurry, you always get BEHIND the person who feels a need to go 10mph UNDER the legal speed limit?
Now keep in mind that I have different driving styles, dependant upon who is in the vehicle with me. If I have my boy in the car with me, I am a totally different driver. I don't speed. I don't run yellow lights. I am responsible for him as well as myself, and while I am (in my humble opinion, and exceptional driver - I've had 2 accidents in 24 years, and both times someone ran a red light at an intersection and hit ME) I still won't do it. I also have in the back of my mind that kids learn what they see much more permanently than what they are told. Speaking from personal experience I can tell you that "Do as I say and not as I do" doesn't work *grin.* So I want to try to teach him good, safe driving habits by example. (Hey, it's my fantasy, it can be whatever I want...)
If my hunny is in the car, well let's just say that something about him being in the car turns me into the stereotypical female driver. I do all kinds of stoopid sh*t that never, ever happens when I am alone, or even when I have my boy. I didn't have this problem in the early years of our relationship, but now..? I just don't know. However, I have decided to let him drive, if at all possible, anytime we have to be in a vehicle together :)
Anyways, back to my original subject (I do ramble a bit, don't I?) In my mind, there is something just wrong about a Jaguar being passed by a Chrysler...don't get me wrong, I LOVE my car - she's sleek, she's fast & responsive, she has the G 3.5L SFI HO motor (found in only 28% of 2002 Chrysler Concordes) (more Tim Allen grunts here) - but she's NOT Jaguar quality. And yet, on a nice straight stretch of new pavement, the Jag allowed me to pass it. Not once, but TWICE (I got caught behind a semi). Now please don't think I was insinuating that there was a drag race taking place. This was normal driving. I'm just saying if I'm driving a Jaguar, I'm gonna be in front...(can you tell I'm kinda "feminine challenged" in the car department. This is one of the areas where my "excess testosterone" tends to rear it's ugly little head *grin*). Not only did it allow me to pass it, at (for me) normal speeds, it stayed behind me for about 12 miles. Not falling behind, which would indicate a timid driver, but just tooling along on my tail. IT'S A JAGUAR! DRIVE IT LIKE IT DESERVES TO BE DRIVEN - OUT IN FRONT!
Ahem...sorry, didn't mean to get overly emotional there...
It just aggravates me to NO END to see these beautiful, powerful, well-oiled machines, not just Jags, but any well-made sports car, being driven by people who have obviously bought them in an attempt to improve their standing or impress someone. It is an insult to these beautiful machines. Drive them the way they're made to be driven - fast take-offs, out in front of the lesser vehicles (I will follow a Jag any day, but I'm not going to slow down to do it... *grin*).
Ok, rant done.
Oh by the way, if any of you now feel a need to give your "being improperly driven" sports car to someone who will respect it and drive it with all the speed it was meant to be driven with, just leave a comment with contact info, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.
*Looking innocent*
See ya laterzzzz!

Road Rage

What is wrong with people..? I've asked this question so many times, it seems to lose it's meaning...I admit, I suffer from a tiny bit of road rage...ok, maybe more than a tiny bit...ok, maybe a lot. But in my defense, I feel it is justified.

What is it about putting a person behind the wheel of a vehicle, that makes all common sense, courtesy, and general intelligence just disappear? Not everyone mind you, but apparently a large portion of the population. And seemingly, there are certain roads that increase this effect.

Take for example, Lynhurst Ave, here in Indianapolis. Now granted, this is not the "ritzy" part of town...not even close, more like redneck heaven, which in and of itself is not bad.

***Early defense, I have nothing against rednecks, nor am I in anyway slamming them...I'll be the first to tell you I AM ONE, so if you are too, please don't go getting your panties in a bunch...***

Anyways, back to Lynhurst Ave...I have to travel this road almost daily to take my son to the sitter. It is about a five mile stretch. How many stoopid people can you possibly run into in a five mile stretch..? Lemme tell ya... A BUNCH! About two weeks ago, I'm driving up this road, behind a couple of other cars, making decent time (I actually achieved the speed limit, this is a feat all on it's own!), when all of a sudden an elderly man comes off a side road at about 30 mph (from a stop sign) and cuts off the car that is two ahead of me, almost causing a wreck. This man then proceeds to putt up the next 2 miles of road at 15 mph...literally 15 mph. Needless to say my mild road rage has been alerted to the situation, and I'm steaming. I am on a schedule...I have to be somewhere TODAY. Then, I see a light at the end of the tunnel...a stop light, a GREEN stop light, at the cross street where I turn. Woohoo, freedom ahead - but wait, the man in the lead, has decided he needs to stop at the intersection, the intersection with the green light. A complete stop. And look both ways. And creep on through. GRRRRRRR

Ok, so now it's taken me 15 mins to go 2 miles....but no cause for road rage, right..?

Then there are the tracks on Lynhurst. I understand slowing down for tracks if you're in a sports car, or a hoopdie that might lose pieces, or something that sits low to the ground, especially these tracks, as you have to go up a hill, cross the tracks on top, and go back down the otherside...hmm, I may get a pic...BUT, you DO NOT need to slow to 1 mph. And if you drive a 4X4 vehicle, why are you slowing down? Your vehicle was built to go OFF-ROAD, through BOGS, ROCKY HILLSIDES, and other rough, uneven surfaces. Why are you slowing for railroad tracks? Hello !?!? Your vehicle is at least 18" off the ground, probably more...do you think you're going to bottom out..? You're not, I promise, my car only sits about 6" off the ground, and I don't bottom out at 30mph. GRRRRRRRRR

And let's not forget the interstates...the speed limit is 50mph in most areas of the city. As a rule, traffic moves at about 70 mph, if you're much below that, you're getting run over. So, I'm driving to work, keeping up with traffic, and find a big 4 wheel drive behind me. It has a lift kit, very tall vehicle. As I said a minute ago, my car sits low to the ground. The guy is so hard on my tail that I can't see his headlights. In order for my trunk to block his headlights from view, he has to be within about 6-8 INCHES of my bumper. Is that necessary? More than likely I have my child in the car, which means you are threatening my child's life, as well as my own. Ummm, not healthy decision making skills being displayed there...I just don't understand the need. If you're in THAT big of a hurry, GO AROUND. There are at least 2 other lanes available, sometimes as many as 4 other lanes, why do you have to ride my ass? This is probably a member of the same group of people who feel it is acceptable to jump into the "safe cushion" space I like to allow between my car and the one ahead of me...at 70 mph, you CAN NOT stop on a dime. There is always (at least) one person who just HAS TO HAVE that spot on the road, and jumps ahead of me, usually without a turn signal, and puts me within a foot of his bumper, and him a foot from the car ahead of him...dumbass...

Moving forward, I want to address all the self-absorbed, oblivious, rude people who travel our (and most) city streets.

PAY ATTENTION YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON ON THE ROAD

YOU DON'T HAVE TO HURRY TO THE RED LIGHT...IT'LL BE THERE WHEN YOU GET THERE

NO WHERE YOU'RE GOING IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO ENDANGER ME, MY CHILD & HUSBAND, MY FRIENDS, AND YOURSELF

PAY ATTENTION

Ok, I got that off my chest, now I have some questions...anyone can feel free to jump in with an answer... Why are you in such a hurry to get to a redlight 1/2 block up the road that you can't stop & let someone from the parking lot/driveway/side street out onto the road? On a four lane road, don't you see the people in the other lane stopped to let someone cross the road? Is it absolutely necessary to drive in the gutter and soak the elderly man walking on the sidewalk? Do you see the school zone sign? It's there because there are children in the area, and as adults, it is our responsibility to keep them safe, as they don't really have the ability to make good decisions consistently yet. But then apparently, neither do you. Are you this discourteous and disrespectful in your every day dealings?

Hmmmm.....I guess that's enough snivelling from me for now. I hope to post later, hopefully on a lighter note...