Driving

So I drive a lot. A LOT a lot. Mostly freeway driving. I have a lot of pet peeves about driving, especially freeway driving. My wife is tired of me telling them to her, so I am dedicating a blog post to get this off my chest to the world.

1. The speed limit is 60. NOT 55!!! If you don't want to go 60 miles per hour, get off the dang freeway and drive the back roads. I would love you more if you went 65, as that's what I like to go, but 60 is the minimum you should be going. I know that speed LIMIT means that's the "max" you can go, but for the courtesy of those around you, go 60 (and in the right lane, not the left lane).

2. The way you merge is to get up to the speed the traffic is going, THEN go the speed you want. Not going super fast then having to slam on the brakes so you can fit in with traffic. Or going SO slow, not building up speed, so the traffic has to hit their brakes so you can fit in. Both instances cause TRAFFIC JAMS!! Seriously, hit the gas and let's get going!

3. For the people weaving in and out of lanes while in stop and go traffic, STOP IT ALREADY! This is what takes everyone longer to get going! Your constant switching of lanes is what is slowing down everyone behind you. Unless you need to exit soon, switching lanes in stop and go traffic is unnecessary.

4. Don't be so dang nosy! Accidents, stalled cars and people pulled over by the cops seem to be the main causes for slow downs sometimes. Traffic is super slow, then I pass by an accident or other distraction, and then traffic speeds up to normal. If people weren't so nosy and stopped to look, then we could have been going a LOT faster and not wasted time in traffic. But I know why people do it, they're like, I waited this long to get by this (because the people ahead of me slowed down), I want to see what happened. One time there was a minor accident just before the Tacoma Dome on Southbound I-5. Traffic was stopped way past the Fife curve, and sped up as soon as you got by the accident. I didn't look just hit the gas when I finally could go, and looking in my rearview mirror, saw the guy behind me stop and look instead of going. Don't be NOSY!!!!

5. Plan ahead. If you know your exit comes up in less than a mile, get over NOW! Don't wait til the last second, slam on your brakes to get over 3 lanes, then get over. This is the worst pet peeve of mine. Slamming brakes to change lanes and exit when they could've been over to their exit a mile back. This also hits on another two minor pet peeve of mine: hitting your brakes when changing lanes and not using your turn signal. You should be speeding up when changing lanes, not slowing down. Both of these combine to make for slow downs in traffic. You also have a turn signal for a reason. It's for the other drivers around you, not for you. If I know you're switching lanes then I can plan for you to all of a sudden be cutting me off, but if you just cut me off then I get pissed at you. If people planned ahead and sped up when changing lanes it could stop some of the traffic slow downs I face every afternoon coming home.

Thanks for reading my complaints and pet peeves. Also, thanks for remembering them when you are out and about from now on :-)