I’m becoming a curmudgeon and it’s not entirely my
fault. It’s the fault of all the idiots
on the roads who are using 25% - or less of their cognizance to actually
operate their motor vehicle. I do not
see myself as a bad-tempered or surly person when I’m behind the wheel of my
venerable 4X4 Jeep. I see myself as a
conscientious driver with a proven track record of no tickets and 46 years without
running into someone.
I use my blinker and actually come to a complete stop at
stop signs and red lights. Please do not
run into me in your haste to get somewhere you deem important.
My Bride is the one who has brought my current angry status
to my attention and she is right. I have
become a very angry driver. My patience
has worn thin and I have a gut-feeling, it is only going to get worse.
 |
| 4 car wreck at Garth and Rollingbrook in Baytown |
To reopen a giant sore spot of past citizen concern, I want
to reintroduce what I thought (and still do) was a good idea – the red light
cameras. Yes, yes, I understand that the
money was leaving town and that folks felt like Big Brother was watching them
and all of this is and was true and being a Sci-fi buff, I understand the full
implications of that…however, just as I predicted, people are now blowing
through red lights as if they were cautionary instead of what they are – red
lights. You are supposed to come to a
complete stop.
It is happening at every instance and intersection. I often wonder who taught these traffic
offenders Drivers education? A driver
can’t blindly proceed through an intersection on a green light in the far right
lane, because someone is going to come flying up and take a right on red and
barely tap their brakes. Add into it that
they are eating or have an electronic device up against the side of their head
and safe passage is jeopardized.
Pulling up to a red light, any red light and the electronic
device distraction is in full force. The
person closest to the red light gets my 118 decibel horn blast after three long
seconds of green light and this is after I restrain myself and my bride pleads
with me to be patient. Often all two or
three lanes have distracted drivers and everyone behind them is caught waiting
for them to go.
The other day I was on Baker Road by San Jacinto Methodist heading
east and the guy in front of me comes to a complete halt in the road to look at
his phone. I eased out from around him
to pass and he lays the phone down and speeds up to the red light and takes a
right on red without stopping. Arhggg!
This kind of erratic and irresponsible driving used to be a
rare occurrence, but not any more. It
has become so common, it is expected and thus my dilemma. Do I simply go with the flow or should I get
on Prozac? I think I need something
stronger, like Librium, or Valium, Diazepam, Alprazolam, or Lorazepam. Heck, if I don’t get a hold on it, I fear my
bride is going to send me to anger management.
Wait a second. What
if the general population were to lay down their phones when driving or waiting
for a red light and actually operate their motor vehicles and drive the way
they were trained? What if people
actually took responsibility for their careless, dangerous, and distracted
driving and stopped doing the things they are doing that can get them and
others killed?
I sent a photo to the Baytown
Sun last week of a 4 car accident on Garth road where one car stopped for a red
light and the next three cars plowed into the back of their car. In case these people have forgotten what they
learned in Drivers Education, if you run into the car in front of you – you are
too close. If you are continually
tapping your brakes because of the car in front of you – you are too close.
If you are looking at your cell phone while driving, you are
too close to the car in front of you regardless. If you take a right on red without stopping
and kill someone, you will face Capital murder charges, or at the very least
criminal negligent homicide, trust me on that one.
I’ll make a deal with all of you good citizens that are
distracted by your communications devices and inability to come to a complete
stop before turning. I’ll keep my road
rage in check and try my best not to point out your irresponsible driving
habits to my bride if you will do your part to obey the traffic laws and put
your phone where you can’t reach it when you’re driving.
.
