Driving Blues

Every post on here is not going to be a rant. You may find that disappointing, but I really don’t care! The thing is, I just want to try and write something on a regular basis, and for the most part that becomes a rant. However, it is likely that there will be days that I am in a good mood, or days that I have experienced something pleasant that I would perhaps like to share.

Well today is not one of those days! Maybe if you come back tomorrow…

All of us has at one time or another gotten angry while driving. Probably most of us get angry while driving on a daily basis, especially those of us who commute. Basically all other drivers are crap, and life would be much better without them. I spend pretty much equal time on the road on a motorcycle as I do in a car, and apart from being much more exposed to the elements of nature on a bike, you are also much more exposed to other drivers stupidity. Given that spending time in traffic is more akin to a game of survival, although game is perhaps not the correct choice of word when your life is at  stake, you are automatically much more focused on what the people around you are doing. Having survived for quite some time, I can say that the most important thing when on a bike is to be able to anticipate what the other drivers are going to do. You basically prepare for them to do something stupid, and most of the time you are right. The thing is though, since you are so much more vulnerable it is best to avoid the idiot and move on. Blaring your horn and obscene gesticulations may encourage the idiot in their big SUV to simply ram you off the road. The fact that you were in your right is not much of a consolation when you are lying in the gutter. The thing though is that on a bike you notice even more how bad drivers around you are (and don’t get me started on the fellow bikers!).

Well, I am sure that I am not alone these days in getting mad on a daily basis at drivers using their cellphones while driving. Not only do they use them to talk to somebody, but it is becoming increasingly common to see drivers texting while they are driving! Seriously? It is estimated that 1 out of every 4 car accidents today are the result of the driver using their cellphone. You can see them a mile away, with their erratic movements left to right, and their inability to keep an even speed. Standing at the side of the road watching cars go by is quite scary as you realize how many people are driving while on the phone. Try it some day, you will be amazed. With people having become totally addicted to their smartphones, this phenomenon is just growing on a daily basis and it is becoming an epidemic.

What I plan to do is to now always take a camera with me when I step outside, and take pictures of people driving while using their smartphones. I’ll then post the best ones on here!