Driving and Crazy Folk

This happened earlier this week and I'm just now getting around to it.

Audrey and I were in the car, driving down Alps Rd and hitting the Alps Rd/Baxter Street intersection. I was given the left arrow to turn onto Baxter and so I did. Then, out of nowhere, a car attempts to make a U-turn in that intersection.  Now, anyone who has ever seen this intersection knows for a fact it is most certainly not a place appropriate for U-turns. I don't know what this person was thinking, but she was blocking my way onto Baxter Street. I was stuck in the middle of the intersection until she was able to make all the necessary adjustments to properly turn around and go down Baxter herself.

One of my personal pet-peeves whilst driving is getting stuck in the middle of an intersection. I try to avoid it as much as possible. It make me feel vulnerable and open for smashing. Anyone with half a brain, if they saw a car stranded in the middle of an intersection, would most likely stop and wait until that car leaves. However, human society has proven to me time and again that most individuals so not even have one quarter of their brain present in their skulls.

So I have to wait a goodly while until this individual in this car that is PERPENDICULAR to me has somehow managed to back up, turn her wheels slightly, back up more, turn her wheels slightly more, etc. and has gotten onto Baxter without accident.

Once that has occurred, I get out of the intersection and head onto Baxter, towards the beloved ACC Library.

Immediately, this woman (for Audrey and I discovered eventually it was an elderly woman driving with her elderly husband in the seat next to her) begins cruising down Baxter St. at 10 mph. I understand that it is not a road to go fast on, but the speed limit here is 35 mph, and 25 mph when the school is let out.

At first, I think that perhaps the individual has car trouble. I keep some distance but continue going down the road at the snail's pace, occasionally stopping in the middle of the road because the car in front of us has done so.

Audrey and I both soon discovered that this woman did not have car trouble in the slightest. She was just very simply an incompetent driver. I understood this eventually when she merged into a bus lane.

When this individual went into the bus lane, I of course picked up speed. It was at this point I still assumed she was still having some car trouble and that the bus lane was providing her a safe spot to remove the car from the road temporarily.

Of course my assumption was incorrect.

What happened was this:

• Woman discovered the bus lane was not a turning lane into the library;
• Woman decided to merge into moving traffic without looking;
• Woman almost T-bones my car;
• Woman honks at me for not looking;
• I scream "Fuck you!!" while all my windows are down and while my sister is sitting in the passenger seat.

I think the only reason I didn't flick her off as well was because I think of myself as a responsible driver and wanted to keep both hands on the wheel. Also, since my right tail-light is out (due to a tree smash), I need an spare hands and arms for signaling my turns.  Which also reminds me, the majority of people in town don't seem to understand left-and-right hand signals. This is also quite irksome to me.

I realize I have a lot of pet-peeves when it comes to driving, and I think they are all good pet-peeves to have. So I won't be getting rid of them. Maybe I'll formulate a list one day and post it, for my own personal pleasure. Also, if you read it, you would know that when I am in your car I am certainly judging your driving capabilities.