Driving Without CS

Hi Everyone,

Today's blog topic changed from my original idea, to real life events that occurred yesterday. So there we were yesterday, my wife and I, doing overdue Saturday errands. My wife drove for the first part of our errands and I drove the second part. But what is unique is what happened to the both of us while driving.

So at about the fourth mile from our home, we noticed that the car in front of us wasn't using their directionals to indicate that they were turning left at a traffic light. We were also turning left, so their non use of their directional was meaningless to us. Then as we traveled further along, we began to notice that more and more drivers were not using their directionals, when they were in fact turning. The first part of our trip was a 15 to 20 minute ride. During that time, we saw approximately 7 or 8 drivers not using their directionals. 

After our first errand was completed, I then drove. We did not even get out of the parking lot, where the second car we met, at the parking lot intersection, didn't use their signal to indicate they were turning left and cut me off. I couldn't believe that our streak, if you want to call it that, was continuing. Then not even a 1/4 mile away, at the very next T intersection, there was a big black SUV, with Connecticut plates, no turn signals on, in the left lane, to turn left, or so you would think. But no..... the driver decided that they really wanted to turn right, but from the left lane. The driver turned on his right directional and immediately turned right, cutting right in front of us. Believe it or not, at the very next traffic light, the car in front of us didn't use their signal to turn left. And when I looked into my rear view mirror I watched the stopped black SUV change lanes from the middle lane into my lane without using his directional.

So what is up what with drivers today? I was unable to see whether the drivers were young or old or male or female. But how can  people be so self centered or so oblivious to their surroundings or just so stupid? I don't know the answer to that one. What is obvious to me is that all the drivers had two things in common. The first being that they had failed to use common courtesy by following the law on using signals when turning and the second being that they had no common sense, at least while driving. Whatever their reasons for their not using directionals is inexcusable, but if they had one ounce of common sense they would have used their directionals as second nature. Failure to adhere to the most basic of traffic laws can end up in an accident.

All drivers need to use common sense when driving. Period, end of story.

Til next week.

Peter