What would the world be like if we all drove the same way? Would our commutes be happy and stress free or would we make each other more nuts than we already do?
I was coming home from town on Saturday and I got stuck behind two trucks with boats and three cars on a two lane highway. The car in the front was just meandering along and when I looked down at my speedometer I was going 45 mph. And then it was 40, oh wait 55, 60, and back to 45 mph. The cars in front of me wouldn’t pass the lead car and there was too much traffic to pass all those fools at once. Then I notice that when there are not cars coming the lead car speeds up and when traffic comes they slow down! What the hell?!!! If you are that afraid of being pulled over for driving 2 miles over the speed limit then don’t drive over the limit at all! I don’t care if you want to drive 40 mph or 70 mph, but pick one speed and stick to that!
For those of you who drive in a city and a more rural place, which is easier to drive in? Are people in the country worse than city drivers? Are we all about the same? I’m curious because after Saturday I thought thank God I don’t have to drive to the cities every day for work because I think I’d go nuts! Then I thought about everyone I know who does drive to/from the cities every day and wonder how they keep their sanit
y!
Us Girls..Our Views 
I lived in Minneapolis for most of my life. I summered on the farm in Manitoba where I learned to drive. I now live the boonies. I can’t stand to go to the “big cities” anymore. I’m not sure if it’s my age or just what I’ve gotten used to living where I do now. I can go bowling at night and never pass another car. I can’t stand the amount of drivers on the freeways and everyone is in such a hurry and there are so many lanes. It would make me crazy(er).
I think rural areas just have less traffic to deal with, usually. I live in a city, a small city, and let me tell you – the traffic is horrible! People double-parking, people not knowing where they’re going and driving like turtles, people trying to find places to park and crawling along instead of driving… and all this on one lane streets, which makes it just infuriating!
Driving on the highway is always stressful because of people like you described. There are the loons who drive to fast and zip past, almost giving you a heart attack as they whiz through the lanes, there are those who keep changing speeds [I suspect because half the time they’re dialing their cell-phones and not paying attention to the road], and then there are the sane ones like you and I who are just trying to keep our heads through it all!
I live in a small town.People are the same in small towns as in the cities.There are just more to deal with in the cities.In my town there are a lot of elderly people who drive REALLY slow.They have nothing better to do with there time,so they dawdle along with no care in the world.I just cut down another street so I dont get mad.Even if I drive out of town, to a town bigger then mine 25 miles away,you get slow drivers on there too.Besides the elderly wanting to get out to a bigger town to shop,you have the farmers.The farmers drive so SLOW too,checking out theres and everyone elses fields.Its not that busy on that 2 lane hwy,so I floor it and pass them.If you look at them as you pass,they will wave and smile.I dont like the city anymore,too busy for me.They honk if you dont step on it fast enough after the red light turns green.Lately I prefer walking.
We live in the country and drive to town often. I would say the country is much easier. Usually not a lot of cars and straight shots not a lot of stopping. Town is awful I’m on high alert worrying if someone on their cell phone is going to come crashing into us it is very stressful. I would take the country any day of the week.
we live rural so have to drive the highway into town. Ok what pisses me off… we live in a park on the outskirts of town. About 3 years ago they FINALLY gave us a turning lane off the highway…but guess what the dumbasses did …right BEFORE you get to where we need to start turning they upped the speed limit. WTF? They couldn’t wait to up it until past the park. Then about halfway before you get to the turn lane they put slower traffic keep right. OH FUCK YOU! I’m going to get in the slow lane only to have to fight my way back over to the left lane to get into the turning lane. Who the hell went to college and actually got a degree to come up with this DE DE DE?
So I sometimes have semis up my ass trying to get me to move over. I have at times when traffic is bad just slowed all the way down ..learned to finger jester back to asswipes blazing around me in the right lane …turned my blinker on as soon as I hit the highway and drive like I am the only one on the road.
We were supposed to get an access road when they came up with what we call the bypass but there is some asshole out here that bought the city off and let them close off the road in front of his acreage. FUCKER! 1/2 a block and that’s all we would have needed but no ..those 400 of us in this park have to risk our lives everyday trying to get in and out. When my kids have to leave or come home I just sit here waiting to hear a crash 😦
driving sucks!
I drive alot, a whole lot. I am absolutely the best, most courtious driver in the entire world. I know what the speed limits are and promptly exceed them on rural roads and on most city roads. However, when I’m in neighborhoods I am extremely cautious and NEVER exceed the posted speed limit.
I like to catch a city driver driving like a maniac. I think it’s my obligation to get in front of said maniac and make him drive nice.
Two lane rural roads can be tricky. You have to be aware of what season it is and also know where those hidden side roads are. Tractors or Bubba Kincade can meander out without the first glance to see if you or some other red neck driving a tractor is coming. Many country folk think if they are just pulling down the road one hundred feet to cross to the other side of their property then they are still in their front yard instead of pulling onto a posted 55mph zone.
I gotta see if I can get an air horn put on my van.
I’m sure I could have easily gotten around each of the vehicles in your story one at a time. Once you start to squeeze in they have to decide if it’s worth keeping you out or not. I’ve only had one guy in a Suburban try to keep me out… and it didn’t work either. Minimul damage to both vehicles. And I didn’t even get a ticket either. haha
Raised in the cluttered suburbs of Chicago, and now live in a small Iowa town, pop 5000 (which, actually, makes us a BIG town in Iowa).
I HATE the traffic when I go back home to Chicago. Not only do the drivers seem to be sitting on their heads, the rules of the road make no sense. In most places, congestion-alleviators such as “legal right turn on a red light” have been negated, so you SIT at a red light forEVER. And then the lovely police officers pick the absolute WORST places to sit and eat their lunch. Drivers, of course, don’t know that the officers are eating, so they SLAM on the brakes, causing a CHiPs-style pileup, and a lot of cursing.
Give me my rural roads “crowded” by Combines any day, ’cause those combines can really move!
CHICAGO was the WORST place we all agreed! For my hubbie’s boot camp graduation our families drove there and we were SHOCKED how rude, fast, and crazy people drove! insane.
OK then! This is clearly a very emotional topic. I used to let this stuff get to me. Some years ago I just decided it wasn’t worth it. I drive 55-60 in the slow lane and anyone who doesn’t like it can pass me. Imagine all the troubles I no longer deal with.
I still get a bit aggravated by some people who refuse to let me in when I have to merge from one highway to another. They would rather risk an accident than give up a second of their time. And once in a while there is an asshole who isn’t willing to wait for an opening to pass me, and must ride my ass and send me hateful looks/gestures because I have the audacity to drive a legal speed. I just mutter to myself: I have two babies in this car and you do NOT want to find out what I’ll do to you if you f— with it.
OH I can NOT believe the number of people who do not have enough common sense to get in the other lane and let people merge on the highway. I see it all the time where I live. There are no freakin cars in the other lane at all and nope they want to keep pole position and force others trying to merge to go in the ditch! WTF people! So agree with you on that.
Just what is it with people who don’t let you in? It’s not like they get a trophy for winning anything!
I lived in Minneapolis most of my life, and the past 2 years have been living in a rural area. Here in Washington, even in Seattle (a mega-city), drivers are really great. They for the most part drive the speed limits, let you in, and drive polite and good!! We were amazed and were the bad drivers at first. Minnesota has some of the worst drivers after living in 3 different cities, and have heard this from others. Chicago was first!
The way I have learned to be stress free when driving in the city is really through meditation/mindfulness practice, which is to fully accept everything as it is in the moment and to not force anything because when we stress we are want to force or stop something that is out of our control. I may still curse a driver in my mind sometimes, then let it go, but I feel mostly bad for the bad drivers now-because they are probably stressed out and I am not!
Sue, I am with you too, I would not sit in rush hour every single day to go to work and then to go home! That is crazy and I wonder what people do. I would have to have some calming music, put my classes on CD or something. I would wait a few hours if I had to for traffic to die down!! This is what we plan to do when we pick my brother up from the Seattle Airport in 2 weeks. The rush hour lasts FOREVER-like 2 pm to 7 pm
I live in a suburb south of Houston, TX. We have traffic big time! What should take 30 minutes to get to downtown Houston can sometime take 2 hours it all depends on how people are driving.
I have come to learn that people are just plain idiots! I drive the speed limit. If you want to pass me then do it and please do it nicely. I will in turn laugh at you 5 miles down the road when you are talking to Mr. Police Officer.