Post 5.3 - No Turns

It isn't often I get to talk about road rage or annoying drivers, mostly because I don't drive very much. So you get a bonus post this Tuesday.

I enjoy living and driving in Arizona, generally speaking. I am never in too much of a hurry going anywhere, so I really do take in the views, many of which are spectacular. I often leave for and arrive early for appointments here, just so I can enjoy the drive.

Today was not an enjoyable experience.

I have had friends make fun of me over the years because I can be speaking quite calmly and somewhat quietly with them while driving, and then somebody will piss me off - a bit flips, I yell obscenities and question their intelligence - then the bit flips back and I continue my conversation.

My mother injured her back or her hip or something, so she called me this morning and asked me to come over and help her. At about 9:25am local time - well after rush hour, really - I encountered this sign when I exited the Superstition Highway (US 60):


So we have a left-turn only lane on the left, a right-turn only lane on the right, and what I call the "do whatever the hell you want" lane in the middle. To me, as an intelligent, sane, thoughtful driver, this sign means that I should think ahead as to what I will be doing after this intersection. Which is to say, if I am turning (which I was), I will have two lanes in the direction I am traveling. Will I next turn right? Left? Where is the best place for me to be?

In this case, I put myself in the center lane to turn right, because I was going to proceed northward for quite a distance, but would eventually make a left. By doing this, I would find myself in the left lane of the new road, and ready to turn left eventually.

Pretty simple, don't you think?

Well, my fellow drivers didn't think so.

There was a line of cars in the right-most lane waiting to turn right, as this was a No Turn On Red intersection. One would assume they would eventually make a right again or proceed straight ahead on the new road.

No.

The next intersection with a traffic signal was only a block or two, and this entire crowd of cars all wanted to turn left - so they began cutting people off to get over in time - en masse. The next intersection expanded as well, so there was a separate left turn lane - so in the end, they were cutting off two lanes of traffic because they failed to consider other drivers or to think ahead. How no one hit anyone else is completely a mystery to me.

And I have to say, compared to the Northeast, Arizona drivers are usually pretty smart. They drive human speeds, so you're not stopped dead for no apparent reason. They are very polite about letting people enter and exit from highways - just very laid back. I thought maybe they were taking in the same views I was.

But today's experience was just really, really irritating and damned rude.

So if you encounter such a sign like the one I've displayed here, THINK AHEAD. Don't make me hit you.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Post 2.7 - American Dreams

On Free Speech

Post 1.2 - Veggie Tales