Driving under aggravating conditions

Frequently among friends and relatives the topic of conversation turns to driving and traffic. People like to tell about what an idiot did recently while behind the wheel of a car.

One of my pet peeves is having someone pass me, then slow down almost immediately to make a turn. Couldn’t the driver make the turn almost as quickly without passing me and then forcing me to slow down while he makes a turn?

I worry that people talking on cell phones are not paying attention to their driving to the extent that they should be.

I hate really loud radios or stereos playing in cars in traffic. Can the driver actually hear is there is a horn or siren he needs to heed?

I don’t like following someone whose traffic turn signal is blinking yet he never seems ready to turn. Turn off that signal, please. I usually notice this when I would like to pass someone, but it is the left turn signal that is on. I’m sure that as soon as I decide the signal doesn’t mean the driver is going to turn, that’s when he will turn.

I wonder why it is that often when I am at an intersection or leaving a parking lot with multiple exit lanes and I want to turn right, invariably a huge SUV or van will pull up by me. Now I can’t see if anything is coming. I must wait for the big guy to get out so I can turn. This is also a problem in a parking lot. I hate to come out and find one of those big boys on both sides. I just have to back out slowly because I sure can’t see if anyone is coming.

Then there’s that white stop here line at most intersections. When someone pulls way up into the intersection after crossing that line, there’s that problem of seeing what’s coming for me again. Do folks just not know what that line is for?

On streets with the turn lane median, why do people slow down before moving into the turn lane? For goodness sake, the left lane is the “fast lane.” Please pull over, then slow down. Also, this center lane is not for bicycles or pedestrians.

Guys with dogs in the back of the pickup truck, I hope you realize that one good bump and it could be good-bye good friend. I don’t want to be the driver behind that truck if that dog falls or jumps out. A different version is little Fifi riding in the driver’s lap. Please don’t let Fifi get tangled in the steering mechanism and cause a catastrophe.

Another thing that makes me cringe is seeing passengers in the back of pickup trucks. No seat belts there. The ultimate pain for me occurs when I see unrestrained children, perhaps in the back of the truck or crawling over a seat from front to back in a car. Please don’t let a “just this once” turn into a child’s last ride.