7 Things About Driving that Really Irritate Me

Do you drive? If you do then you probably will relate to the following list of things that irritate me to no end on the road. If you are laughing then you have experienced the same things, if not then you are probably one of the people that do one or more of these ten things.

Christmas Tree Car

This is the person who uses the signal lights on his car as decoration, not for turning. He is the guy you get behind on a one lane road and have to follow for 30 miles, all the while his blinker is on for no apparent reason. He only turns them off for one thing, to turn.

The Crawler

Why is it that every time I leave my house I manage to get behind the absolute slowest driver in the history of the universe. I call them the crawler because they would be better off doing just that, crawling. Why drive? Get out an walk and let me go by so I can get to my destination. I drive, or drift behind them until I am so mad my hair is turning white, then I swing out and punch it and when I pass them they give me this look as if to say "Why are you passing me?". Unreal, please do everyone a favor, get a pair of roller skates or a bicycle and let the driving drive.

Let's Play 'Follow the Neighbor'

Never fails. I am 20 miles away from home, on my way home from work or wherever, and there is a car in front of me (of course). I need to make a left at the next light, he makes the left also. I need the make a right at the stop sign, he does also. So after 9 or 10 separate turns, it seems that I have gotten behind someone who just happens to be going the same way. Are you like me? Do you wonder if they think you're following them? Do you pull off and go a different way on purpose? Me too. It seems like every time I drive I get behind my neighbor, someone who lives near me. I might be exaggerating just a little but you get the point.

Every Six Feet

If I ever meet the idiot that determines how many traffic lights there should be and where to place them, I am gonna beat him mercilessly. Some roads I go down in my town and I hit light after light, every six feet. I never manage to press down on the gas for more than 4 seconds at a time in my car. Isn't it amazing how when I come a certain way, say south, I hit the light every time. Then when I come the opposite way, say north, I hit the light every time. Then when I come the other way, say east, I hit the light every time. How is that even possible? Is there a little guy sitting in some room watching my car on satellite and controlling the lights wherever I drive? I hope not, but with the Patriot Act you never know.

Go Go Speed Racer

Never fails. Every single time I am on the expressway, driving at a modest speed in the fast lane, say 70 mph, I get cut off by a young girl who is driving her car at the speed of sound, with one hand. She is also on her cell phone (not hands free), redoing her make up, combing her hair, playing with the radio, looking for chapstick in her pocketbook, adjusting the rear view mirror, smoking a cigarette, and ...oh driving. It is simply a miracle that she hasn't killed someone already, including herself. It only takes one accident to end it all, most young people don't realize this. My favorite thing about this situation is when she passes me she always looks at me like I am an idiot for not driving 275 mph on the expressway.

I Fought The Law, and the Law Won

I couldn't believe this one. I had this older model Buick, a 1991. It was pretty shoddy looking on the outside but ran great. I had just gotten my new Civic, but was using the Buick to transport my bunny, Thumper, to the vet because he tore a nail on one of his paws. My Buick had tinted front windows, I bought it shortly before this for $1000, not a bad deal considering. I am about to pull on the expressway and I pull into a gas station on the service road because I have to readjust the seat belt over Thumper's carrier. When I stop I see a Sheriff's Deputy in the parking lot looking at me strange. Now let's note that I have a perfectly clean license and no criminal record. I get back in the car and when I pull out he jumps out behind me like he was trailing Ted Bundy himself. He throws on his sirens and I pull over right away. He comes walking up and says "You James?", I tell him yes. That meant that he must have ran my plates when he was sitting at the gas station. He must be real busy to have time to do that. Before I can say anything he pulls out this gadget, later I learned it was a Tint Meter and he threw it on my window and measured the tint level. I was .1 point over the limit. He asked me if I knew I was, I really wanted to be a wiseguy but I kept my lip shut and he was still a real jerk. I got a ticket for the tint, I was so mad. That is the type of ticket that a cop gives out if he wants to really stick it to someone, maybe someone who is being loud or smart with him. A ticket you might give out to someone who is racing their car or something like that, not to some guy who is bringing his rabbit to the vet. To think that only blocks away there were people selling drugs, and he is sitting at the gas station handing out tint tickets, way to protect and serve.

Braking for Fun

Ever follow one of these people? They press on the brake for absolutely no reason whatsoever, noone in front of them, no stop sign coming up, nothing. The brake lights keep blinking on and off, on and off. This is why there are so many car accidents where people run into the back of another car. The brake is used to stop the car, not as a fun thing to do while driving.

I am sure I could think of many more things to add to this list, I might even write some follow up articles to this one in the future. Until then, happy commuting folks!