Who are the worst drivers out there on the open road? Some say women, some say old people, and well, most say Asians?
But how do we classify the worst type of drivers? Are women really the worst drivers, and is it such a crime to DWA(driving while Asian)?
Chime in and give your thoughts as to who the worst drivers are, and share your reasons why...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Applying NASCAR Like Driving Skills to Other Aspects of Life? Do you Dare?
If you made a list of the daily stresses you encounter, I am confident that you will see a consistency in the pattern of things that piss you off. Typically most people feel that driving is a big stress factor, along with being held up at the grocery store, or the bank, for example. What it seems to all come down to is intolerance for other people’s stupidity.
Let’s be real, you can be having the greatest day, and all it takes is to get stuck behind somebody at the supermarket who either has too many items in a designated line, (my favorite!) or is trying to use outdated coupons. Whatever the situation may be, the bottom line is that you are being held up and your patience is seriously being tested! By now I am sure you have pegged me as somebody without much patience; you are indeed correct!
Rather than making it a point to educate idiot walkers, you should want to focus more effort on getting in and out of the store in the easiest and fastest time. Naturally having a list of exactly what you need is a great start. Retaining knowledge of the layout of the store or mall will also knock a few minutes off of your trip. Since I seem to be incapable of doing either of the above, I have found that utilizing the downright nitty and gritty skills that make me a good driver allow me to prevail in this situation as well.
Here are a few things I keep an eye out for:
Avoid congested aisles; if you need a product located on an aisle with four or more carts, leave your cart at the face (or front display area) of the aisle and quickly walk to what you need. This will prevent you adding to the cluster of carts already present on the aisle.
Identify the idiot walkers and do your best to stay away from them. They can be found:
· with their carts parked in the middle of the aisle, blocking the traffic lanes;
· standing in a traffic lane reading the back of a box for nutritional information, once again blocking the traffic lanes;
· standing in the 8 item express lane with 31 items;
· Chatting with an old friend they haven’t seen in a few months, and feel that the middle of the produce aisle is the ideal location for a high school reunion.
As is the case in cluster driving, try to look three or four moves ahead; if you notice a cluster of carts in front of you, take a quick detour, or quickly maneuver around to ensure yourself of not getting stuck in the middle of it all.
Unfortunately, sometimes you have to be outright aggressive at the mall or store. It may not be enough to have a great game plan, or even to be able to execute one near perfectly. Much like the roadway, you must keep your objective in mind each time you frequent these types of establishments. If you stay aware next time shopping, you will surely see that chances are you walk the way you drive!
Let’s be real, you can be having the greatest day, and all it takes is to get stuck behind somebody at the supermarket who either has too many items in a designated line, (my favorite!) or is trying to use outdated coupons. Whatever the situation may be, the bottom line is that you are being held up and your patience is seriously being tested! By now I am sure you have pegged me as somebody without much patience; you are indeed correct!
Rather than making it a point to educate idiot walkers, you should want to focus more effort on getting in and out of the store in the easiest and fastest time. Naturally having a list of exactly what you need is a great start. Retaining knowledge of the layout of the store or mall will also knock a few minutes off of your trip. Since I seem to be incapable of doing either of the above, I have found that utilizing the downright nitty and gritty skills that make me a good driver allow me to prevail in this situation as well.
Here are a few things I keep an eye out for:
Avoid congested aisles; if you need a product located on an aisle with four or more carts, leave your cart at the face (or front display area) of the aisle and quickly walk to what you need. This will prevent you adding to the cluster of carts already present on the aisle.
Identify the idiot walkers and do your best to stay away from them. They can be found:
· with their carts parked in the middle of the aisle, blocking the traffic lanes;
· standing in a traffic lane reading the back of a box for nutritional information, once again blocking the traffic lanes;
· standing in the 8 item express lane with 31 items;
· Chatting with an old friend they haven’t seen in a few months, and feel that the middle of the produce aisle is the ideal location for a high school reunion.
As is the case in cluster driving, try to look three or four moves ahead; if you notice a cluster of carts in front of you, take a quick detour, or quickly maneuver around to ensure yourself of not getting stuck in the middle of it all.
Unfortunately, sometimes you have to be outright aggressive at the mall or store. It may not be enough to have a great game plan, or even to be able to execute one near perfectly. Much like the roadway, you must keep your objective in mind each time you frequent these types of establishments. If you stay aware next time shopping, you will surely see that chances are you walk the way you drive!
Identifying the Idiot Driver
Idiot drivers are constantly overpopulating our roadways and causing unnecessary accidents, which in turn leads to unnecessary traffic.
Simple ways to identify the idiot driver are as follows:
· Drivers who swerve between lanes without their blinker;
· Drivers who cut in front of you and slam their foot on the brake for no reason;
· Drivers who pull onto a roadway and maintain a slow speed rather than accelerating;
· Drivers who make complete stops at yield signs when the lane continues on ahead of them;
· Drivers who at the last minute swerve into general population lanes to avoid getting off an exit ramp;
· Drivers who at the last minute swerve out of general populations to get onto an exit ramp;
· When you have right the right of way, drivers who assume they have permission to:
A. Merge in front of you without first receiving a nod or wave of approval
B. Make a left, right, or go straight at an intersection before you.
· Drivers who have received permission to either merge or turn in front of you, via a head nod, wave of hand, or flash of high beams, and sit there staring at you as a deer in headlights would.
· Drivers who miss their exits on highways and pull to the shoulder to reverse their way back to the exit.
· Drivers who are in the lead position at a red light and sit motionless when the light turns green, due to either being on the cell phone or daydreaming.
Simple ways to identify the idiot driver are as follows:
· Drivers who swerve between lanes without their blinker;
· Drivers who cut in front of you and slam their foot on the brake for no reason;
· Drivers who pull onto a roadway and maintain a slow speed rather than accelerating;
· Drivers who make complete stops at yield signs when the lane continues on ahead of them;
· Drivers who at the last minute swerve into general population lanes to avoid getting off an exit ramp;
· Drivers who at the last minute swerve out of general populations to get onto an exit ramp;
· When you have right the right of way, drivers who assume they have permission to:
A. Merge in front of you without first receiving a nod or wave of approval
B. Make a left, right, or go straight at an intersection before you.
· Drivers who have received permission to either merge or turn in front of you, via a head nod, wave of hand, or flash of high beams, and sit there staring at you as a deer in headlights would.
· Drivers who miss their exits on highways and pull to the shoulder to reverse their way back to the exit.
· Drivers who are in the lead position at a red light and sit motionless when the light turns green, due to either being on the cell phone or daydreaming.
What Type of Driver Are You?
In order to master the open road, you must first be able to honestly identify yourself as one of three types of driver...see below and decide which category you fall under.
1. Aggressive Driver- this is the type of driver who feels he owns the road. Speed limits don’t mean much to this type of driver. This is not to say that this driver always drives in excess of the speed limit; but this driver always feels a sense of urgency, and coasting along just doesn’t cut it. Cruising in one lane is unheard of. This driver bobs and weaves in and out of traffic, and does whatever it takes to get to his destination in the best possible time.
2. Relaxed Driver- this is the driver who does not have too many cares in the world. He is content with going no more than 5 miles above the speed limit. Regardless of how the traffic is moving, this driver is rarely looking to lane jump and seldom expresses anger towards other drivers. This driver’s prerogative is safety first; chances are if most people out there drove as this driver did there’d be fewer accidents.
3. Right Lane Driver- now we come to the worst of the three; the best possible solution for this type of driver can be summed up with two words: public transportation. These are the drivers who completely obey traffic laws to the tee; they will not drive a single mph over the speed limit, switch lanes during rush hour, or show any aggression. These drivers can also be found being overly cautious, pushing the brake every 10 seconds regardless of whether or not there is a car in front of them. Ultimately there is no use for these kinds of drivers on the road; they take up space and create traffic. Sadly the typical stereotypes for right lane drivers are old people. This is true to some degree, but I have witnessed right lane drivers of all age, so I shall not discriminate. Worst of all with right lane drivers is that they rarely can be found in the right lane.
For some reason they feel the need to populate the fast lanes as well as middle lanes, with no regard to other drivers.
1. Aggressive Driver- this is the type of driver who feels he owns the road. Speed limits don’t mean much to this type of driver. This is not to say that this driver always drives in excess of the speed limit; but this driver always feels a sense of urgency, and coasting along just doesn’t cut it. Cruising in one lane is unheard of. This driver bobs and weaves in and out of traffic, and does whatever it takes to get to his destination in the best possible time.
2. Relaxed Driver- this is the driver who does not have too many cares in the world. He is content with going no more than 5 miles above the speed limit. Regardless of how the traffic is moving, this driver is rarely looking to lane jump and seldom expresses anger towards other drivers. This driver’s prerogative is safety first; chances are if most people out there drove as this driver did there’d be fewer accidents.
3. Right Lane Driver- now we come to the worst of the three; the best possible solution for this type of driver can be summed up with two words: public transportation. These are the drivers who completely obey traffic laws to the tee; they will not drive a single mph over the speed limit, switch lanes during rush hour, or show any aggression. These drivers can also be found being overly cautious, pushing the brake every 10 seconds regardless of whether or not there is a car in front of them. Ultimately there is no use for these kinds of drivers on the road; they take up space and create traffic. Sadly the typical stereotypes for right lane drivers are old people. This is true to some degree, but I have witnessed right lane drivers of all age, so I shall not discriminate. Worst of all with right lane drivers is that they rarely can be found in the right lane.
For some reason they feel the need to populate the fast lanes as well as middle lanes, with no regard to other drivers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
