the Family of Driver

I don't claim to be the best driver (though I am) But these are a few things that cause me to grind my teeth during the daylight hours,while driving, and frankly my dentist would like me to stop.

1. the Non Directional user- you know this person, they can't make that long reach to turn on their directionals.But they can stop suddenly in traffic, and wait and hold up a line of cars behind them, but they can't(can NOT) turn on that directional. How they can ever turn their steering wheel enough, to actually make that turn, is surprising, but they do, albeit slowly.

2.the Tailgater aka the Headlight Blaster- this person is a wimp, most likely makes passive aggressive snarky remarks, but is too weak willed to pass you, or shut off their high beams, or fog lights. The follow behind you closely, like somehow that will help them save gas, or maybe it gives them time to talk on their cell phone,with out having to look at the road. They also feel they are doing a public service, by lighting up the back of your head, and the inside of your car, to enable you to see better.

3.the Wimpy pull out driver- this person has no patience. They are the person, who has either pulled out across your lane of traffic, waiting to get in the other lane going the opposite direction, and they don't care that they are blocking your way.They are sick of waiting, that's it, they've had enough, they're going whether you are coming or not. They have also been know to pull the nose end of their car out in traffic, so you and the other 50 cars behind you, have to deliberately drive around. Evidently they have never been hit, while performing this maneuver, because if they were, they'd find out quickly, that Insurance companies call this "failure to stop", and it'll make them responsible for the damages incurred on their car and yours.

4.the Premature pull out driver- is a close cousin to the wimpy one in #3.They have been known to pull out suddenly in front of you, when your the only car on the road, and then drive extremely slow in front of you. I believe these people can't see, perhaps they are sightless, like underground moles, or maybe it when the invisibility shield on my car decides to work, nonetheless they pull out and you actually have to brake for them to complete this maneuver, that they are so talented at.

5. the Snow driver- this person has many of the above ailments, but they all occur when it snows. The snow can turn the average driver into an impulsive idiot. This person can't drive in the snow, their car isn't prepared for it, and they have no snow driving skills. They either drive too slow, or much too fast. They must pull out in front of you suddenly, because braking in the snow and ice is something they have no concept, and they're a little misinformed about the laws of momentum and inertia. They also usually don't clear of their cars of snow, or their windshields, except on the driver side so they can see, damn it. They are usually heading to a supermarket, or to Dunkin' Donuts, and that's important and worth risking your life for.

6. the Red light yeller- this person, drives too slow in the snow often, or too slow period.They get highly offended, when the street, turns from single lane to double, and you have the nerve to drive in the other lane, no longer following them, or you drive faster then them,when you pull in the other lane. They tend to come out in snowy weather, driving 15 m.p.h.At the stop light they will exert the energy, to open their window, to yell at your closed window, but won't put that energy into pressing on the gas pedal, or using their directionals.

I'm sure there are other species in this family of drivers, but this is the variety, that I curse silently under my breath, and through my gritted teeth.

snow days

Last Thursday ,we had a really good snow storm, well I guess the people that had to drive in it, maybe weren't so thrilled, but I was home it was my day off, and I was psyched!(translation excited.) My son was equally psyched, as he got released early from school, and they had a two hour delay the next day.

Then comes this weekend, and on Saturday night more of the white stuff arrived, except this time I was at work.Was I afraid to drive home in it? No, secretly it thrills me, what was not so thrilling, was that the city I work in and the surrounding towns, hadn't really thought that plowing should be their first prerogative. It was Sunday morning, maybe they hit the snooze one extra time, or had one more cup of the delicious coffee, before they went out and started clearing the roads, or maybe they thought who works on the weekends?

Me, I work on the weekends, and holidays, etc, and if you want me to get to my job safely, and take care of your sick loved one in the hospital, I have to be able to get there. Hospital's are open 24/7 they don't close down on holidays (wouldn't that be nice for me) they don't close on weekends, especially Friday nights, when college students feel the need to do one too many shots, and pass out cold, and then their frightened, but drunk friends, call the ambulance to bring them in. It also doesn't close during a snow storm , for those people that feel they need to climb a ladder to clear, the snow off their roof, and end up clearing themselves off too, into a bank of snow , bruised to a royal purpleness. No we're there to take care of you. How about returning the favor? So my one small request, clear the roads, when it's been snowing for the last 3 hours.

Did I get home that Sunday, of course. It puts another notch in my snow driving belt, I can now sign an affidavit, for the Subaru Forrester people, and tell my funny story how I drove home through mostly unplowed roads, in one of the lower drive gears, I didn't slip or get stuck. I did have some precarious drive and dodge moves where I had to avoid, people that were out in the snow and should not have been, but that'll be another charming post for some other time.

Do I have snow tires for my AWD Subaru, you betcha, but that's because they don't plow much at night either, just like on the weekends. When I had to return to work that night, and the big fat fluffy snow flakes were streaming before me, was I concerned, about the less than perfect visibility, No! Because the roads were plowed perfect, and after my drive in snowy cookie dough that morning, and few thousand snowflakes were nothing.

ps: to you snow plow drivers that were out before I was on the road Sunday morning, Thank you.