Friendly Friday PSA

Not much running being done, so not much about running here.

 

Look, people.  Driving on the freeways is complicated enough.  You may not realize it (or take part in it, for that matter), but freeway driving takes real concentration and real skill.  Some people just aren’t cut out for it.  It’s nothing personal, but you know who you are.  Feeder roads were made for people like you.  Just do us all a favor and wait at stop lights and stay off the freeway.

 

But if you insist on driving on the freeway with those of us capable of handling the higher speeds, increased number of decisions, and reduced reaction time window, here’s a few friendly tips.

 

DON’T put on your blinker and expect all the world to slow down to let you in.  If traffic is moving at 60, 65, 70 miles per hour and you want to merge over into that traffic, speed up and match that traffic’s speed.  Unless you’re some kind of celebrity who will actually add value to that lane, they don’t care if you merge or not and they’ll gladly fly by you with your blinker on and ignore your request.

 

Similarly, don’t stop on an entrance ramp and expect the world to stop and give you a golden invitation to join them on the freeway.  Speed up, match traffic in the short window you have, and get in there.  Quit being a moron.

 

I can’t say how many times I’ve seen a line of cars stacked up behind some moron who’s in the middle lane, driving 35 mph, left blinker on, trying to get over to the next lane but can’t because nobody will slow down to let them in.  THERE’S A REASON THEY WON’T SLOW DOWN, STUPID!  Maybe, just maybe, if you speed up, you can get into that lane.

 

Just this morning, is stupid thick rush hour traffic, some idiot in an SUV was stopped—STOPPED—on the entrance ramp from TC Jester to 610 with the blinker on waiting for traffic to slow from 10mph to 0 in order to let this idiot in.  Unfortunately someone finally opened up a big enough opening that this future organ donor was able to get into traffic, but they should have left her to rot on the shoulder of the road.  The bad part is that all of the responsible drivers who weren’t heading to 290 were forced to sit behind this idiot, otherwise they just whipped around her and headed north on the wide open swath of asphalt she cleared (and could have used to speed up to the 10mph that would have allowed her to merge easily).

Freakin’ idiots.

 

And one other thing.  Don’t turn on your blinker and change you mind.  First, use the blinker.  Second, use it to signal your intent, not make a request.  If you’re going to change lanes, look in your mirrors, make sure there’s an opening, and inform the other drivers of YOUR INTENT TO TAKE ACTION.  That means you have to intend to take action.  You’re not asking permission.  There’s nothing more irritating that sitting behind a car with its blinker on wondering if he’s ever going to shit or get off the pot, especially if he’s waiting to change lanes in front of you.  There’s the opening, DO IT ALREADY!!!

 

And don’t for a second think that if I turn on my blinker you can pull that whole “pull up and cut off the opening” bullshit on me.  I’m signaling my intent.  There is an opening, I am deciding to move my car into it, that’s why I turned on my blinker.  I don’t need your permission.  I’m not asking for it.  I’m informing you of my intent.  That’s what the blinker means.  The law says “yield right of way”.  You can close the gap, but I’ll be sitting in your passenger seat and you’ll be fixing my car…  or buying me a new one.

 

So, I’ll probably be at the RTW tomorrow.  I’ll finally be shedding my anonymity and proving that I’m not a 4 headed purple dinosaur, but a real, human boy!  I still haven’t signed up for the 30k, though.  I really need to do that…  or I can just run the 21 miler with Houston Fit.

 

To procrastinate or not to procrastinate, that is the question.