I touched upon this in a couple of other threads, one involving the poor interstate driving habits many folks exhibit and the other about my opinion of what I regard as the unacceptable risks involved in riding a street bike.
In developed areas, every green light seems to bring a drag race to the next red. Nobody seems to brake until pretty late in the approach to the red either. Those of us who coast to red lights and often avoid braking entirely are given dirty looks and sometimes honked at.
Put these same drivers on an interstate and they can't figure out that they should yield to faster traffic. In a developed area, there is no time to be made by trying to drive fast. You only waste fuel, tires and brakes. On a rural interstate, you can make real time, but only if those afraid to run 80 mph or so will get out of the left lane. They won't.
Beyond that, how many folks do you see every day in traffic with their eyes glued to a phone?
How often do you see folks who apparently can't leave the house without stopping for a soda or a beer to suck down and without stuffing some thousand calorie fast food snack in their pie-holes, all while pretending to drive competently?
How many people seem to think nothing of turning out in front of you without thinking that you have the right of way?
How many people will tailgate you ruthlessly and without regard to the traffic situation ahead?
How many times have you had to avoid some hapless fool who makes some sort of a move without even looking?
How much more traffic volume do you see today than what you saw twenty years ago?
While I've learned to avoid getting angry or otherwise upset at the stupid driving I see every day, I do have to laugh at what some people regard as competent operation.
Most of these people can't even drive a stick or back up with a trailer, both of which are easily learned and useful skills.
Are drivers really getting worse, or is it just that I'm getting older and less tolerant of the foolishness of others?
In developed areas, every green light seems to bring a drag race to the next red. Nobody seems to brake until pretty late in the approach to the red either. Those of us who coast to red lights and often avoid braking entirely are given dirty looks and sometimes honked at.
Put these same drivers on an interstate and they can't figure out that they should yield to faster traffic. In a developed area, there is no time to be made by trying to drive fast. You only waste fuel, tires and brakes. On a rural interstate, you can make real time, but only if those afraid to run 80 mph or so will get out of the left lane. They won't.
Beyond that, how many folks do you see every day in traffic with their eyes glued to a phone?
How often do you see folks who apparently can't leave the house without stopping for a soda or a beer to suck down and without stuffing some thousand calorie fast food snack in their pie-holes, all while pretending to drive competently?
How many people seem to think nothing of turning out in front of you without thinking that you have the right of way?
How many people will tailgate you ruthlessly and without regard to the traffic situation ahead?
How many times have you had to avoid some hapless fool who makes some sort of a move without even looking?
How much more traffic volume do you see today than what you saw twenty years ago?
While I've learned to avoid getting angry or otherwise upset at the stupid driving I see every day, I do have to laugh at what some people regard as competent operation.
Most of these people can't even drive a stick or back up with a trailer, both of which are easily learned and useful skills.
Are drivers really getting worse, or is it just that I'm getting older and less tolerant of the foolishness of others?
